Stories in Urdu
Free openings, in Urdu with the English alongside. In Karak the whole story is read aloud, and every word is tappable.
-
StoryMangoes!
Ali can hear the mango man in this street. Will today be the day he gets some?
Easy 5 min -
StoryRishta Chronicles 01
Ah, to be single and ready to get mingled. Follow a young bachelor's trials and tribulations as he tries to get married the arranged way.
Moderate 25 min -
StoryFrenchnama
Learning French is easy, they said. Learning French is fun, they said. Learning French is worth it, they said. Is it?
Advanced 28 min -
StoryThe Painted Skin
Waqar is a nice young man, ever so ready to help beautiful strange women. But are things as they seem? Waqar thinks so. An expanded translation of the Chinese classic by Pu SongLing.
Moderate 35 min -
StoryChand Raat
Maha spends Ramadan planning the perfect Eid outfit. But she (or the tailor) does leave it a bit late...
Easy 12 min -
StoryToba Tek Singh
Perhaps Manto's most famous short story, set in the immediate aftermath of independence. Partition means everyone must pick a side, including all the lunatics in mental asylums. That includes Bishan Singh.
Moderate 25 min -
DialogueSalam / Aadaab / Greetings
Common Urdu greetings: between friends, family, and elders.
Easy 1 min -
PodcastThe Crow Djinn
Time to tell the girls just one story about the supernatural happenings in grandpa's old house.
Easy 10 min -
PodcastChai Khana
Two friends meet at a chai cafÃĐ, badmouth their always-late friends, and debate the finer points of egg paratha, strong tea, and pizza paratha.
Moderate 5 min -
DialogueWhen I Grow Up
A teacher asks her class what they want to be when they grow up.
Easy 2 min -
DialogueThe Richest Man
Anwar has a foolproof plan to become the richest man in the world. Actually, two of them. What could go wrong?
Moderate 3 min -
StoryRani's Story
Once upon a time, there was a sparrow named Rani. Foraging to feed her babies, protecting her nest from the evil crow lurking, and dealing with pesky and kind humans. All in a day's work.
Easy 10 min -
DialogueBreakfast
A family negotiates breakfast requests, with crispy eggs, parathas, fasting, and iftar, and some barbs on the menu.
Moderate 5 minutes -
StoryThe Meowing Thief
Meow, said the thief. Meow.
Easy 1 min -
StorySheru and Cheetu
Two best friends, a lion and a cheetah, live their best lives in the jungle. Then they get old, and it all changes.
Easy 10 min -
StoryWhat a Strange Night
Two brothers sneak out for a high-key illegal late-night drive and end up trying to get out of (but failing to) helping a random and extremely talkative woman chase some thieves.
Easy 14 min -
DialogueBus Newbie
A big brother teaches his younger brother how to take the bus to and from school.
Easy 3 min -
DialogueThe Chai Habit
A non-tea drinking desi person? That can't be. Clearly, there must be more to this story.
Easy 3 min -
DialogueBad Habits
Two friends compare the bad habits they used to have, mostly as an excuse to argue about smoking and lying.
Easy 3 min -
DialogueDid you eat?
Does having naan with home-cooked food count as eating out? Siblings discuss food.
Easy 3 min -
DialogueComing for Dinner?
Everyone RSVP'd. And then there are some changes.
Easy 3 min -
DialogueWhat Do They Do
The teacher asks the class what their parents do. Each child describes their family's work.
Easy 2 min -
StoryMy Fault
Nilofer and Sanober are two teenagers trusted to travel from London to Pakistan for a wedding - alone. But it's never that simple, is it?
Moderate 20 -
StoryThe Redemption
Kaab bin Malik RA can take the easy way out: make up an excuse, any excuse, and save face. Just like 80 others. Or... he could tell the truth.
Moderate 20 min
Something to read
Essays on reading Urdu, and a note when something new lands in the library. No streaks, no reminders.
