Gohar-e-Tahqeeq - گوہرِ تحقیق

Urdu Novel in the 21st Century: A Study of Social Awareness

Dr. Kamran Abbas Kazmi — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the early decades of the 21st century, the Urdu novel effectively highlighted the complex realities of Pakistani society. The scope for change within the society is progressively shrinking, resulting in a deep social conflict that is impacting the entire social system. The ruling classes are making concerted efforts to preserve this decaying system to safeguard their exploitative interests, viewing any new change as a threat to their political and economic gains. Against this backdrop, the Urdu novel has presented these grave issues with a sense of realism. In the 21st century, troubling changes have emerged within Pakistani society, notably the rise of consumerism, class disparities, and extremism. Urdu novelists have not only incorporated these issues into their narratives but have also analyzed them critically. Through various novels, the effects of social stratification, class differences, and the impact of democratic and military governments have been illuminated. Novelists like Hassan Manzar, Muhammad Asim Butt and Mirza Athar Baig have made global influences, terrorism, and social issues in Pakistan the central themes of their work, resulting in a significant transformation in the creative landscape of the Urdu novel. Although the search for new creative dimensions in this genre continues, the Urdu novel remains distinctive in its ability to present the complexities and internal contradictions of society in a profound manner.

Modernity (meaning and context)

Dr. Muhammad Imran Azfar, Hassan Raza — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Modernism is socio-political and literary theory, which belongs to literature, art, philosophy and other social sciences. Modernism is a global movement in social and cultural discourse, which came into discussion in the last decades of 19^th and early decades of 20^th century. This socio political, economical and cultural debate sought a new alignment by the help of experience and values of modern era and modern industrial life. This particular sicio-literary debate create impact upon literature, visual arts, music, photography, archeology and other thoughts or actions regarding new man’s life, which particularly make it new by abstraction, experiment, modern thinking, philosophy, contemporary politics, growing architecture and social issues via subjective experimental discourses. It centred around thought process, belief and sence of feelings according to contemporary alinetion from prevailing optimism, morality, actions or conversations. Modernism has a strong desire and belief to change the situation which is going on today and wish to change the situation, how human being interact and create legacy together in social life. In this article we try to define the meaning and impact procedures of modernism in our society and its original story from Western literary and cultural diversity. By using qualitative research methodology, we do possible effort to prove the sence of making something new and the difference between modern, classics and romantic.

Tamsal: An Analytical Study

Hafsa Khan — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

“Dr. Tabsum Kashmiri, whose real name is Muhammad Salehin. It was 1960s when Dr. Tabassum Kashmiri, Jilani Kamran and Iftikhar Jalib came to the fore with the new movement. He presented inner sorrow, anguish, loneliness, caste problems, meaninglessness, observation of the universe and contemporary sufferings in glorious words. He is the shining star of Urdu literature. He has experimented in many genres, but in this article my topic is poetry. Especially his collection of poetry "Tamsal". This collection of poems really gives a powerful and excellent reflection on the selfishness, indifference, selfishness, malpractice and silence prevalent in the society.

It is known that the poet is intelligent and has a broader perspective, from whose eyes the social oppression and tyranny, the oppression of the cities, the lamentations and issues of the people are not hidden. For the narrative of its expression, he considered the poem to be the best and offered an apology. The poem with its beautiful title is the poet's first poetic effort. Which starts with "My prayer". In which good wishes are expressed for the safety of the entire universe. While the last two poems are based on the memory of friends and narrative of love. Therefore, "Tamsal" is a book about human attitudes, accents, words, inner fears, suffering of gain and loss and oppressed and forced man.”

In the eyes of Iqbal, the poets of the subcontinent

Hamna Hameed, Dr. Zeent Afshan — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Life is made up of love, longing and struggle and this is the most beautiful and magnificent aspect of Universe in the sight of Iqbal. Iqbal also emphasizes the importance of a dynamic and passionate life. A person who shuns struggle is like a lifeless body. Allama always likes such personalities which introduced a road map to a new world into existence. Allama has also mentioned many famous poets of subcontinent in his Urdu poetry. Such as Iqbal was inspired by the poetic thoughts of Mirza Ghalib and spiritual and mystical ideas of Baidal. Besides this many other poets are also mentioned in his Urdu poetry. The one who brings Iqbal's vision into reality will be the true inheritor of Islam.

A thematic and intellectual review of the stories of Tariq Mahmood's fictional collection "Sah Hada"

Shazia Perveen — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Tariq Mehmood has presented Western civilization as well as Eastern civilization and culture in his fiction. In the context of Pakistan, he made the rural society and its problems, the confusion of urban life, economic, psychological and emotional conflict the subject of his fiction. Like a sensitive artist, he portrayed themes like judicial system malfunctions, trials and disputes in his stories. Tariq Mehmood being a senior administrative official has a deep understanding of how poor farmers and cultivators are sucked and exploited by officers, landlords and government functionaries Patwari etc. in the name of development in the village. As social values change, human relations and problems of human life aso change. Where scientific facilities have made life easy, they have also made man meaningless. No matter how outdated the feudal system is, it has deep roots and these roots cannot be cut easily. Despite the lack of machinery and equipment, laborers, cultivators and farmers are still needed by landlords.

An analytical study of Iqbal's Letters

Nazia Zareen, Dr. Muhammad Asghar Sial — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article offers a critical study of the private letters of Allama Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, focusing on their intellectual, ethical, emotional, and artistic aspects. These letters, addressed to family members, close friends, contemporaries, and female acquaintances, go far beyond ordinary personal communication. They reveal the depth of Iqbal’s philosophical reflections, his spiritual experiences, and his deep concern for the moral and political state of the Muslim world. The letters shed light on important themes such as selfhood (Khudi), character building, religious thought, and socio-political awareness. Through a careful selection and close reading of ten representative letters, supported by full references, the article analyzes Iqbal’s stylistic richness, rhetorical elegance, and didactic purpose. The study highlights how his private correspondence mirrors the same intellectual force and emotional intensity found in his poetry and prose. It argues that these letters are not only a significant part of Iqbal’s literary and philosophical legacy but also a vital contribution to Urdu prose. Moreover, they offer an intimate, humanized view of Iqbal, the thinker and reformer. The research concludes that Iqbal’s letters hold enduring value for scholars of Urdu literature, Muslim intellectual history, and those interested in the evolution of modern Islamic thought.

An Analysis of Environmental Elements in the Novel "Paagal Khana”

Dr. Sanam Shakir — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The postmodern situation of the twentieth century, with its alienation and anguish, has led contemporary humans to reconsider their detachment from nature. Nature maintains a certain balance, and when that balance is disrupted, it reacts strongly to restore equilibrium—a reaction that all phenomena and creatures must endure. In the modern era, humans are often blamed for disturbing this balance. The wave of environmental awareness has connected literary creativity worldwide and highlighted new possibilities for the ecological study of literature.

The novel “Paagal Khana” (Madhouse) is based on nuclear radiation and its harmful effects. Through the novel, the author expresses a painful realization—that people remain unaware of the impending devastation. They fail to grasp that radiation has affected humans, animals, birds, plants, and even the waters of the ocean. The world is losing its natural beauty. Unknowingly, we continue severing our bond with nature. Radiation not only causes terrestrial destruction but also poisons the atmosphere. Every living being has suffered from this environmental pollution, and the effects of contaminated air are so long-lasting that future generations will be impacted as well. Hijab Imtiaz Ali’s novel stands as a profound and serious critique of the negative use of scientific advancements and their disastrous consequences.

Retrieving the Past in “Mujhy Apni Ankhon Mein Mehfooz Kar lo”

Dr. Abdulaziz Malik, Dr. Sumaira Akbar — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In Carlos Fuentes's Constancia, the retrieval of the past is a central theme, intertwining personal memory with historical consciousness. Characters grapple with elusive histories and lost loves, seeking to understand their present identities through fragments of what has been. The past isn't static; it actively shapes and haunts the present. Fuentes explores how individual and collective pasts—often suppressed or forgotten—are reconstructed, reinterpreted, and reclaimed. Dr. Whitby Hull's quest to understand his wife Constancia's enigmatic past embodies this struggle, highlighting how unearthing history is crucial for self-discovery and making sense of existence.

Existentialism in Intizar Hussain's Fiction

Rubina Shaheen — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The philosophy of existentialism is the philosophy of human life. Extant is in every respect primary, unique, self-aware, and self-reflective. Existentialism is a movement based on the inner struggle of the individual. War, conflict, and industrial development have adorned literature with existential themes such as fear, mental confusion, lack of recognition, alienation, sense of loneliness, moral and spiritual decline, futility, and the desire for death. Due to the partition of India and political and social uncertainty, we find all these qualities in Intizar Hussain's fiction. The characters in his stories are victims of existential anguish, torture, and a sense of guilt. They mourn the loss of individual identity as well as national identity. His stories have an atmosphere of strange helplessness, hopelessness, and inaction.