Ustad Shayar Afroz ‘Sahar’ created a world record by reciting the longest ghazal with the longest radief, his name was registered in the Golden Book of World Records

Ghazal is a very popular, melodious, and important part of Urdu poetry, it is an ancient poetic style. Ghazal origin is believed to be from 7th-century Arabic poetry. Ghazal spread in the Indian subcontinent in the 12th century due to the influence of Sufi mystics and the courts of the new Islamic Sultanate. Ghazal is much more than a poem. It is a small collection of couplets that follow the rules of Urdu poetry literature such as Malta, Maqta, Kaafiya Radif etc. Ghazal is made up of couplets. Every couplet of a Ghazal has two lines. Every line of a couplet is called a Misra. The first couplet of a Ghazal is called ‘Matla’. Both its Misras i.e. lines have ‘Kaafiya’. The word that comes before Radif in both the lines of Matla and in the second line of every couplet is called ‘Kaafiya’. The word that comes after ‘Kaafiya’ in every couplet is called ‘Radif’. There is only one Radif in the entire Ghazal. The last verse of the Ghazal which contains the name or surname of the poet is called ‘Maqta’. If there is no name, then it is simply called the ‘Aakhri Sher’ of the Ghazal. Through the Ghazal, the poet expresses his feelings and thoughts uniquely and beautifully, which makes it a great form of literature.

Internationally renowned Ustad Shayar Afroz ‘Sahar’ of Ujjain city, Madhya Pradesh did a remarkable work in the history of Ghazal singing. Ustad Afroz Sahar recited a Ghazal which is the longest ghazal with the longest radief in the history of Ghazal singing. The ghazal with the longest radief recited by him was registered as a world record with the title “Ghazal With Longest Radeef” in the Golden Book of World Records. The certificate and medal of the world record were presented to Afroz ‘Sahar’ by the Asia Head of the Golden Book of World Records, Dr. Manish Vishnoei (Asia Head, GBWR) and National Head Mr. Alok Kumar (National Head, GBWR). In the history of Urdu literature, no one had done such a feat before Afroz ‘Sahar’. By doing this wonderful work, he has increased the prestige of the country in the field of Urdu literature.

Senior Urdu literature writer Kaleem Javed informed that the ghazal recited by Ustad Shayar Afroz Sahar, which has found a place in the Golden Book of World Records, has sixteen rukn (sections, columns) in each sher and each rukn (section, column) is hasht harfi (eight metrical), that is, each misre (line) has 64 syllables in which only the radif has 50 metrical which is the largest radif ever used in the history of ghazal recitation. Other litterateurs, well-wishers and family members congratulated Afroz ‘Sahar’ on his name being recorded in the Golden Book of World Records.