Author(s):
Zia Ullah Khan*, Muhammad Ejaz Qasim, Dr. Waseem Abbas Gul
Corresponding Author: ziaullahkhan8318@gmail.com

Abstract:

This research article explores Urdu sketch writing as an important prose genre that extends beyond the description of an individual and reflects wider social, cultural, intellectual, and moral realities. While its early features may be traced in Ghalib’s letters and Muhammad Hussain Azad’s Aab-e-Hayat (1880), the formal beginning of the Urdu sketch is commonly linked with Mirza Farhatullah Baig’s Nazir Ahmad Ki Kahani, Kuch Un Ki Kuch Apni Zabani (1927). Within a comparatively brief literary history, the genre achieved artistic refinement and thematic range through writers such as Mirza Farhatullah Baig, Maulvi Abdul Haq, Khwaja Hasan Nizami, Rasheed Ahmad Siddiqui, Saadat Hasan Manto, Malik Ram, Shahid Ahmad Dehlvi, Muhammad Tufail, Mujtaba Hussain, Mumtaz Mufti, and several others. The article explains that a sketch is neither a complete biography nor a formal introduction. It is a selective and creative portrayal of a personality, focusing on distinctive habits, appearance, strengths, weaknesses, inner tensions, and social environment. Through careful observation and expressive detail, the writer creates a vivid and memorable image of the subject. The genre is also not limited to celebrated figures; ordinary people, teachers, journalists, social workers, religious personalities, poets, and even symbolic subjects can become suitable material when presented with artistic sensitivity. Examples from major Urdu sketch writers show that the genre records more than personal impressions. It also preserves literary gatherings, educational practices, class attitudes, social relationships, linguistic concerns, and changing cultural values. In the modern age, when public identities are often shaped by media and artificial visibility, Urdu sketch writing remains relevant because it presents human personality with honesty, balance, sympathy, insight, and social understanding, for readers across different periods and social settings.

Keywords:
Urdu Sketch Writing, Personality Portrayal, Urdu Prose, Social Reflection, Biographical Sketch, Contemporary Urdu Literature

Acceptance Date:
July 17, 2026

Copyright (c) 2026 Zia Ullah Khan, Muhammad Ejaz Qasim, Dr. Waseem Abbas Gul. Published by Falcons Journal of Advanced Research (FJAR).

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) .