The Gurmani Centre for Languages and Literature invites you to a panel discussion titled Jadīdiyat, Urdū Nasr aur Muʿāṣir Fikrī Rujḥānāt, centered on the recently published book تحوّلاتِ نثر اردو by Majlis-i-Taraqqi-i-Adab, Lahore.

 

This session engages with Dr. Sajid Siddiq Nizami’s significant research on the historical development of Urdu prose. The book challenges long-standing misconceptions about Urdu prose, particularly the notion that it lacked intellectual, scientific, or philosophical depth prior to 1857. Drawing on extensive archival and textual evidence, it demonstrates that Urdu prose, from as early as the late sixteenth century, included diverse forms ranging from Sufi treatises and allegorical narratives to academic and scientific writings.

 

By foregrounding the idea of tahavvulāt (transformations) rather than linear “progress,” the work offers a more nuanced understanding of how Urdu prose has evolved across different historical moments. It traces stylistic and thematic shifts from early Deccani texts to the institutional and intellectual developments of the nineteenth century, including Fort William College, translation movements, and reformist scholarly traditions.

 

The panel will reflect on these transformations in relation to modernity, examining how Urdu prose has negotiated changing intellectual paradigms, literary forms, and socio-political contexts over time.

 

Panelists:

• Dr. Maryam Wasif Khan

• Daoud Hussain

• Dr. Sajid Siddiq Nizami

 

Event Details:

• Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026

• Time: 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

• Venue: CR 0-07, Law School, LUMS

• Registration Link: https://forms.gle/miZYjkgXy16TnPcH9

Deadline to register is Wednesday, April 22, 2026, till 11:00 PM

 

Panelists:

Dr. Maryam Wasif Khan is a literary historian and comparatist trained at UCLA, with an undergraduate degree from Princeton. Her book Who is a Muslim? Orientalism and Literary Populisms (2021) examines the formation of the Urdu literary canon in colonial and postcolonial contexts. She teaches in the CLCA program.

 

Daoud Hussain teaches Urdu at Government M.A.O. College, Lahore, and has nearly a decade of teaching experience. He has translated Jonathan Culler’s Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction into Urdu (forthcoming).

 

Dr. Sajid Siddiq Nizami is Assistant Professor at Oriental College, University of the Punjab. His research focuses on the history of Urdu prose, particularly the nineteenth century. His book Tahavvulāt-i-Nasr-i-Urdu has been published by Majlis-i-Taraqqī-i-Adab. He has over fifteen years of teaching and research experience.