On May 20, 2019, Associate Professor Jennifer Dubrow received an award from the Urdu Writers Society of North America, in honor of her extensive work to promote the Urdu language, and in recognition of her research on Urdu modernism and the work of Urdu writers associated with the Progressive Writers’ Movement. Prof. Dubrow presented a brief lecture about her work and her recent book, Cosmopolitan Dreams: The Making of Modern Urdu Literary Culture in Colonial South Asia. The event was organized by Irfan Murtaza, and also featured an address by Shoaib Sarwar, Deputy Consul General of Pakistan. About 50 members of the Society attended to meet with the speaker and engage in a lively Q&A. The Urdu Writers Society of North America holds events to promote the Urdu language and its literature, and organizes numerous cultural and literary occasions.
In addition, Professor Dubrow recently published an essay in the online journal positions entitled “Singing the Revolution: India’s Anti-CAA Protests and Faiz’s ‘Hum Dekhenge.'” This piece highlights the role of Urdu poetry in the current protests against India’s Citizenship Amendment Act, with focus on the poem “Hum Dekhenge” by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, a rallying cry in protests in India and abroad. You can read the piece here.
Video: Iqbal Bano performs “Hum Dekhenge” on February 13, 1986, at the annual Faiz Mela