Centre for Studies in Gender and Sexuality would like to invite you to a panel discussion on 'Desire in Sufi and Urdu Poetry' at the White Box (pre-event area outside Black Box), AC-04, 4th Floor, 5.30 pm onwards. The discussion will take place with Wafa Hamid and Amit Julka, moderated by Madhavi Menon. 

Immersing into the rich tradition of Sufi and Urdu poetry and intertwining the sacred and the profane, the panel will explore ambiguities of desire present in the tradition, and discuss its implications in today's socio-political context. How does one read this ambiguity, and can it be interpreted as queerness? Has there been a heterosexualization of the Urdu ghazal since British rule in South Asia? What do we learn about the politics of desire from poets like Bulleh Shah, Agha Shahid Ali, Mir, and Ifti Nasim, and how do we make sense of it in the current state of the world? These are some of the questions the panel we look forward to answering. 

About the speakers:

Amit Julka is Assistant Professor of International Relations at Ashoka University, and a coordinator of the Making Identity Count Project . Other than his prolific work at the intersection of International Relations, popular culture, and South Asian politics, Julka's has worked expansively in the realms of cultural and political landscapes of Urdu, and has a great love for Urdu poetry.

Wafa Hamid is Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi. Her main areas of interest include: Gender and Sexuality Studies, Literary Theory, Popular Culture, Women’s Writing, Culture Studies,  South Asian Studies and Translation Studies among others. She has done an extensive study of the Kashmiri-American poet, Agha Shahid Ali with a focus on the politics and poetics of Kashmir.

Madhavi Menon (moderator) is a Professor of English at Ashoka University, and the Director of Centre for Studies in Gender and Sexuality. Her latest book is titled The Law of Desire (Speaking Tiger, 2021). She is also the author of Infinite Variety: A History of Desire in India (Speaking Tiger, 2018), and several books on queer theory, as well as editor of Shakesqueer: A Queer Companion to the Complete Works of Shakespeare (Duke University Press, 2011). With her work, Professor Menon has contributed significantly to the discourse of sexuality, desire, gender, politics, and identity in South Asia.

Please join us for a riveting discussion on poetry, language, history and desire, accompanied by a quwwali-kathak performance by Abhay Tole Trivedi, Aditya Ramdasi, Anirban Bhattacharjee, Debarghaya Mukherjee, Dhruv Aryan, Divyakshi Chandran, and Swayam Nath, followed by a dinner of biryani and sweets.