Ghazal

    By Shahzeb Athar

    Ghazal
    After Umar

    A sense of wonder made plain, at Jamia
    Walls of resistance covered in vain, at Jamia

    Libraries shattered, dissent stifled
    and then the oppressed, blamed, at Jamia

    the body of revolution must hold space for empathy
    so witness a willed resistance, aflame, at Jamia

    My dreams are haunted by your not-being
    What you left behind we did reclaim at Jamia

    Architect and poet, Shahzeb Athar is currently studying Architectural and Cultural Heritage at Dessau, far away from his Beloved Delhi. When not working on his thesis, he is planning (read daydreaming about) walks in Delhi, or waxing poetic about whatever seemingly insignificant thing he lays eyes upon. He refers to himself as a Graveyard of Memories, but when asked to describe himself resorts to Ghalib couplets.

    Social Handles:
    Instagram: @atharshahzeb

    Subscribe to our newsletter To Recieve Updates

      The Latest
      • Matchbox by Usawa – June & July’25

        Resistance through June and July

      • Is it Too Late to Save Our Mothers?

        A daughter's haunting reflection on inherited pain and motherhood

      • Unclaimed

        Yearning for summer’s raw, timeless music, unadorned and healing

      • Reflections on Fascist Frameworks in Contemporary Times

        A timely dissection of fascist tactics in modern democracies

      You May Also Like
      • Three Poems By Nandini Sen Mehra

        Eid Mubarak After whispered dining table conversations about ‘those’ people

      • Ye Dil Hai Ki Chordarwaja by Kinshuk Gupta

        Hindi’s first LGBT short-story collection which moves beyond the trope

      • Meeting Madri By Archana Pai Kulkarni

        A door creaks open, a serpent-breeze coils itself around her ankles She has