Ep 25: Qissah and The Art of Indian Storytelling w/ Prof. Pasha M. Khan
On this episode of the Majlis, Dr. Adnan Husain and graduate student Shahroz Khan discuss the verbal art known as Qissah or Dastaan with Prof. Pasha M. Khan, Chair in Urdu Language and an Associate Professor at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University. He is the author of The Broken Spell, which highlights the rise and fall of the art of Qissah in South Asia. Such storytelling techniques once flourished from Mughal India to Safavid Iran, entertaining and captivating audiences in villages and bazaars and, patronized by imperial courts. Pasha Khan discusses the history of early Qissah and its relevance in the Persinate world, and how British colonization ultimately led to its decline. We also hear the fun tale of Sami Pokar, the Anglo-Indian woman who turned into a cat. You can find Pasha Khan on Twitter.