Does heartbreak really make a poet? For Varun Anand, poetry arrived much earlier.
In the first episode of Rekhta Room, hosted by Faisal Fehmi, Varun Anand traces his journey from Yamunanagar and Ludhiana to the world of Urdu poetry.
As the eldest son of a family facing financial hardship, he left school early and began working at a young age.
It was while listening to Jagjit Singh on the radio that he discovered the poets behind the ghazals, including Bashir Badr, Nida Fazli and Qateel Shifai, and began writing himself.
Varun speaks candidly about stepping away from poetry after his mother’s death, the person who brought him back, and the discipline behind writing a technically sound ghazal. He explains the importance of behr, why aamad may offer only the first line, and how the rest must be shaped through labour and craft.
From writing amid the roar of garment factory machines to reflecting on social media, literary gatherings and his creative process, this is an honest conversation about language, loss and perseverance.
The episode closes with Varun Anand reciting his celebrated ghazal, “Lahu Lagta Hai.”
Rekhta Room is presented by Rekhta Foundation, the world’s largest platform for Urdu language and literature.
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