Zabaan-e-aam

guneet kaur

Of poetry, stories, sach aur khwaab ~ A literary podcast based in India that brings translated stories and poems every alternate Wednesday.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    May Day with Ashwani Kumar

    Zabaan-e-aam is back with a new episode. Our first in 2026. :) This year's May Day episode is by our young comrade Ashwani, who has shared his observations in the form of poetry. The poem looks at how the city invisibilizes labour. As we go about our busy lives, the workers and labourers who complete the circle of the economy get replaced and some of us hardly notice the difference. It is important to remember those who help us through our day and when they are away, their absence makes a difference. The recent Noida protests by the factory workers are a reminder that the basic need of an 8-hour workday and dignity of labour are still missing. The workers toil tirelessly in the factories and are humiliated by the managers even when they take a washroom break. If they are late, they are sent back. An increase from 11,000 to 13,000 hardly makes a difference in an economy where the cost of essentials has gone up so much. It is important for more voices to speak out for these workers and the workers across the country so that they get decent wages and are treated fairly, as humans. Ashwani is your comrade, who's exhausted striving through the same world as yours. they hold on to kindness as their tool for revolution, and work to inform narratives with evidence. If they are not processing their rage through poems or revelling in sadness, they can be found in the kitchen cooking. More of my thoughts can be found on @ashwanirdeshak on instagram. The Urdu poem I have shared is by Asrarul Haq Majaz ~ 'Mazduron ka Geet'. You can read it here on the Rekhta website: https://www.rekhta.org/nazms/mazduuron-kaa-giit-mehnat-se-ye-maanaa-chuur-hain-ham-asrarul-haq-majaz-nazms Please feel free to leave your comments. If you feel like supporting my podcast, I have added the links below in the description. You can donate in INR and internationally also through Buy me a Coffee.   If you would like to support our podcast, please click on the links below: Buy Me a Coffee: ⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/zabaaneaam⁠ Instamojo: ⁠ https://knotty1.myinstamojo.com/product/buy-me-a-coffee⁠ Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/zabaan_e_aam⁠⁠ Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for exciting stories and poems. Comment andshare your feedback with us. Or write to us at zabaaneaam@gmail.com

    13 min
  2. May Day ~ Majaz aur Kaifi Azmi ke saath by Sahil Kazmi

    01/05/2025

    May Day ~ Majaz aur Kaifi Azmi ke saath by Sahil Kazmi

    Welcome to Season 3, Episode 1 of the Zabaan-e-aam podcast! Starting our new season on May Day! :) Thank you, Sahil, for sharing nazms from Majaz and Kaifi Azmi on this important day. Our Guest: Sahil Kazmi A little bit about him: Sahil recently completed his M.A. in Gender Studies from Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women's Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia. Currently, he is involved in Research work related to Gender and Politics. He is looking forward to join a PhD program this year. He is a member of the All India Students’ Association (AISA). His interests mostly lies in electoral politics, Urdu poetry & literature, cinema and Indian history and he spends most of his time juggling between these four worlds. Majaz is his favourite poet and he remembers almost all of his ghazals, nazms and qissas (about him) by-heart. Some couplets I shared on the podcast. Aaj Maii ka pehla din hai, aaj ka din mazdoor ka din. ~ Suroor Barabankwi tirii zamiin pe kartaa rahaa huu.n mazduurii hai suukhne ko pasiina mu.aavza hai kahaa.n ~ Asim Wasti pe.D ke niiche zaraa sii chhaa.nv jo us ko milii, so gayaa mazduur tan par boriyaa o.Dhe hu.e ~ Sharib Mauranwi farishte aa kar un ke jism par KHushbuu lagaate hai.n vo bachche rail ke Dibbo.n me.n jo jhaa.Duu lagaate hai.n ~ Munawwar Rana Most of these couplets are from the Rekhta app (https://rekhta.org) and some are from Rakhshanda Jalil's book Love in the Time of Hate (2024) If you would like to support ourpodcast, please click on the links below: Buy Me a Coffee: ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/zabaaneaam ⁠Instamojo: https://knotty1.myinstamojo.com/product/buy-me-a-coffee Follow us on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/zabaan_e_aam⁠ Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for exciting stories andpoems. Comment and share your feedback with us. Or write to us at zabaaneaam@gmail.com

    21 min
  3. 27/11/2024

    Emotional Pregnancy (Telugu Short Story) by Purnima Tammireddy

    Zabaan-e-aam presents a story about love and heartbreak and walks you through the lanes of Hyderabad. Listen to Purnima Tammireddy's story 'Emotional Pregnancy' in this episode. In the story, she turns an ordinary tale of one-sided love and friendzoning into a deeper meditation of unfulfilled emotional needs and their weird manifestations.   In this short story, the writer explores love, heartbreak, and the unexpected toll that emotional trauma can take on the body. Our protagonist, a woman who once felt the joy of a deep and passionate connection, finds herself shattered after a painful breakup. As she grapples with the weight of heartbreak, the emotional turmoil begins to manifest in unforeseen physical ailments, leaving her to confront the powerful link between mind and body. Join us as we journey through this narrative, shedding light on the often-overlooked consequences of mental and emotional pain. This story serves as a reminder of the importance of healing—both emotionally and physically—and the resilience required to overcome life's most challenging moments.    Disclaimer: This episode contains sensitive content, including mention of suicide and the mental trauma associated with heartbreak. We understand that these topics can be deeply distressing for some listeners. Please take care of yourself while listening, and if you feel the need, we encourage you to skip this story. Listener discretion is advised.   Thank you for listening, and take care.   About the Writer Purnima Tammireddy is a writer, translator and publisher. She co-founded pustakam.net, a book review website in 2008 and Elami Publications, an indie publishing house, in 2022. She’s the author of a short story collection titled, 'Emotional Pregnancy', of which you’d now listen to the title story. Purnima has translated Manto and Amrita Pritam into Telugu. A techie by profession, she’s a theatre enthusiast and trained Kerala Muralist.   Purnima’s short stories have mainly been about Telugu urban lives, with a special focus on mental health issues and their impact on intimate heterosexual relationships.  Reshma, a voice artist based out of Hyderabad, reads the story for you.      Credits: It Arrives It arrives when you least expect it -in a park, in a bookshop, or right here where I'm standing: love wraps round you just like a warm scarf banishes the winter. Original Poem by Iranian poet Fariba Shadloo Translated by Alireza Abiz with Poetry Translation Workshop https://www.poetrytranslation.org/poem/it-arrives/#translated-poem The background music has been taken from http://www.pixabay.com from the following creators. Anastasia Kir Dana Music Omar Faruque India SFX Library Wahyu Music   If you would like to support our podcast, pl links below: Buy Me a Coffee: ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/zabaaneaam ⁠ Instamojo: https://knotty1.myinstamojo.com/product/buy-me-a-coffee   Follow us on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/zabaan_e_aam⁠   You can read the translations on our blog: https://zabaaneaam.wordpress.com/   Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for exciting stories and poems. Comment and share your feedback with us. Or write to us at zabaaneaam@gmail.com

    31 min
  4. 07/08/2024

    She-depths translated from Malayalam to English by Dr. Sree Devi, written by Rasliya M.S.

    Welcome to Season 2, Episode 16 of the Zabaan-e-aam. Today's guest is Dr. Sree Devi from Kerala who teaches in a college in Bangalore and she has translated a poem written by Rasliya M.S. published in the 2022 on International Women's day! Today's poem is titled as 'She-depths' in English and it explores gender identities and the loss of feminine agency in the Malayalam context. The poem employs metaphors that are macabre to express the experiences of being lost. This, sometimes, resonates universally as a lot of women feel the same across time and space. I thoroughly enjoyed the poem and I am sure this will reach a lot of women as words such as 'she-depths', the depths of the well, the ponds, the sea, the 'loving touch'. Are these measured? More about Dr. Sree Devi (in her own words) I like to engage with writings that offer newer perspectives, and often turn to regional literature for its ability to estrange. Story telling in Malayalam mystifies me , as does the space that I contextualise in my poem ...I like the picturesque and bizarre all at once ...while I like to read and teach Murakami ...I oil paint, the themes that I draw on being picturesque. I have engaged quite a bit with the genre of Creative Non fiction teaching it to young adults and doing research around it. My areas of research interest are cultural memory studies and Spatiality. ⁠If you would like to support our podcast, please click on the links below: Buy Me a Coffee: ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/zabaaneaam ⁠Instamojo: https://knotty1.myinstamojo.com/product/buy-me-a-coffee ⁠Follow us on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/zabaan_e_aam⁠ You can read the translations on our blog: https://zabaaneaam.wordpress.com/ Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for exciting stories and poems. Comment and share your feedback with us. Or write to us at zabaaneaam@gmail.com

    6 min

About

Of poetry, stories, sach aur khwaab ~ A literary podcast based in India that brings translated stories and poems every alternate Wednesday.