Rekhta Foundation, in collaboration with Hay House Publishers, presents
"The Allure of Aligarh" - A Poetic Journey into the University City, authored by Huma Khalil. An illustrated coffee table book captures the majestic history that will take you through memories the city holds.
*Get Your Copy* in India, USA & Canada, click here: rekhtabooks.com/pages/allure-of-aligarh
Voice Credits:
Huma Khalil
Aamir Azher Khan
#AllureOfAligarh #AMU #CentenaryYear #Aligarh #PoeticJourney
About the Book:
An illustrated coffee table book about Aligarh’s poetic landscape with the finest poetry in appreciation as well as criticism of Aligarh from the stalwarts of Urdu language and culture.
Urdu and Aligarh : A Match made in Heaven
Every corner of Aligarh boasts of its centuries-old history. Apart from its culture and Convention, it has also been the home base for some of the greatest poets the Indian subcontinent has ever produced. While the city does not have any monuments or tombs to exhaust you on your next visit, what it does have is that old-world charm whose ambience will consume you and break all the clichés of how you perceive a city’s history.
The Magical Aura of Aligarh
You will realize that Aligarh is a character that you need to live up to, and its quirky nature will bind you and yet allow you to be free. Its distinctive, intimate, majestic, and discernible spirit has an emotional point of reference rather than a topographical one. It carries a simplicity that you will not just find anywhere. Be it the old and the new or Science and poetry, Aligarh is where the Union of such contradictions transpire.
AMU : Pilgrimage to Aligarh
But it is the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) that put the city on the world map. From witnessing historic movements to bringing poetic brilliance of its culture, every inhabitant of Aligarh wears amu’s badge with pride. Several poets have expressed their unending love for she’r-o-shayari and honed their art within the walls of this majestic University. The alumni carry the love and respect for its institution and the City, both of which stand as a backbone of their creative journey.
Aligarh will blossom a sense of nostalgia... It will happen to you! You are bound to immerse yourself in the compendium of this timeless city.
AUTHOR INTRODUCTION-
HUMA KHALIL, an alumna of the Aligarh Muslim University, where she studied English Literature, Huma Khalil is an author, translator, and the editor of Bazm-e-Adab-an Urdu magazine wherein women writers contribute from around the globe. She regularly translates short stories and articles from Urdu into English for several publications. Her latest work, Many Summers Apart: Gems from Contemporary Urdu Literature, is the transcreation from Urdu to English of her father, Khalil-ur-Rahman Azmi’s, seminal volume on the progressives, Urdu Mein Taraqqi Pasand Adabi Tehreek. A member of the advisory board of Rekhta, the largest online website for Urdu language and literature, Huma is currently writing and creating content for audiovisual media on the life of Urdu poets.
CONTENTS OF THE BOOK
My Aligarh (Introduction)
Part One
The First City of Joy
Aligarh: Exploring the Shahr-e-Tarab
MAO to AMU: From Conception to Realisation
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: The Visionary who Immortalised the City
Women’s College: A Celebration of Womanhood
Part Two
Aligarh through a Poetic Lens
George Peuch Shor: The French European Connect
Akbar Allahabadi: Biting Satire in Opposition of Aligarh
Altaf Hussain Hali: Impact of the Poet and the Biographer
Asrar ul Haq Majaz: Aligarh through a Romantic Lens
Part Three
Through the Mind’s Eye
Numaish : A Tale of Nostalgia in a Festive Ambience
Tehzeeb: The Fine Art of Etiquette
Solidarity: The Spirit of Camaradie
Tassavur to Tasveer: Performing Arts and Creativity
Changing Ambience: Travelling through Time
Postscript
The Air of Aligarh and the Imli Tree
Flights of Courage: Precious Pearls in the Sea of Aligarh
Urdu and Aligarh: Presence of Aligarians in the World of Urdu