Sawar aur doosray Afsanay is the first collection of short stories by Shamsur Rahman Faruqui. The theme of this collection of stories is the Indian culture of that time, narrated through 18th-century Delhi. The 18th century has probably been the most controversial in India's history of the last thousand years. According to the historiography that makes up the consciousness of modern India, it was an age of decadence and arrogance in which poetry, art, culture and politics were all made immaterial by the conspiracies of the palaces. In contrast, Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, in his works, depicts in detail that Indian society was presenting the most developed view of a mixed Hindu-Muslim tradition in the 18th century. 

From basic human relationships like love to the socio-political-cultural, this composite culture was doing unsurpassed feats. But the British systematically attacked this culture. This colonial consciousness, which came under the cover of modernity, made the society forget its roots and lose its pride. The conquest of this consciousness continued in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The 18th-century city of Delhi is the main character in this collection of stories. The stories centered on poets like Ghalib and Mir not only bring forth the tehzeeb of that era, but also dispel the colonial illusion that the poets and artists of that era were people of the courtly Musahab type, lost in their world.

The stories show that these great creators, who had mesmerized the world with their creations, had an intervention in all walks of life. Ultimately, these stories reveal a glimpse of our vibrant society, which was filled with the multidimensional beats of life, poetry, art and culture.

Please note: This audiobook is in Urdu.