''Mirat-ul-Uroos'' (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: مراۃ العروس, ''The bride's mirror'') is an Urdu language novel written by Indian author

Nazir Ahmad Dehlvi Maulvi Nazir Ahmad Dehlvi, also known as Deputy Nazir Ahmad, was an Urdu novelist, social and religious reformer, and orator. Even today, he is best known for his novels, he wrote over 30 books on subjects such as Fiqh, law, Logic in Islamic ph ...

, also popularly known as Deputy Nazir Ahmad, (1830–1912) and published in 1869. The novel contains themes promoting the cause of female education in Muslim and Indian society, and is credited for giving birth to an entire genre of fictional works promoting female literacy in

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, the language of the Kashmiris ethnic group People with the nam ...

and other languages of the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

. The book sold over 100,000 copies within a few years of its initial publishing.

Plot

The story contrasts the lives of Akbari and Asghari, two Muslim sisters from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

. The first part of the book describes the life of Akbari, who is raised in privilege. She is depicted as lazy and poorly educated. When she moves to her husband's house after her marriage, she has a very difficult time and brings all manner of unhappiness upon herself by her poor judgment and behavior. The book's second part is centered on Asghari, who is modest, hardworking and educated well in a school. She despises idle chatter and is the beloved of all in her society. When she is married, she too undergoes a difficult transition, but through her hard-work, winsome manners and good education is able to form solid bonds with her husband's family and the people of her new society. The story goes through a number of twists and turns that describe the experiences of the two women at various stages in their lives.

Sequel

In 1873, "''Banat-un-Nash''" (بنات النعش, ''Daughters of the bier'', which is also the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

name for the constellation

Ursa Major Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation in the Northern Sky, whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Its Latin name means "greater (or larger) bear", referring to and contrasting it with nearby Ursa M ...

) was published as a sequel to Mirat-ul-Uroos. It depicted Asghari running a girls' school in her neihbourhood.

TV drama adaptations

Mirat-ul-Uroos was also adapted for television by PTV ( Pakistan Television Corporation) under the same name. The role of "Akbari" was played by

Irsa Ghazal Irsa Ghazal is a Pakistani television actress known for her roles in television serials such as '' Mirat-ul-Uroos'' (1988), ''Ullu Baraye Farokht Nahi'' (2013), '' Yeh Mera Deewanapan Hai'' (2015), '' O Rangreza'' (2017), '' Aangan'' (2018) and ...

and "Asghari" was played by

Arifa Siddiqui Arifa Siddiqui ( Urdu ) is a Pakistani actress and singer who worked for PTV in the 1980s and 1990s.Akbari Asghari ''Akbari Asghari'' is a 2011 Pakistani comedy-drama television series loosely based on Nazir Ahmad Dehlvi's '' Mirat-ul-Uroos''. A modern-day comical adaptation of the novella, the series was written by Faiza Iftikhar and directed by Haissam ...

, which aired on

Hum TV Hum TV HD is a 24-hour Urdu general entertainment TV channel based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi. It is owned by Hum Network Limited and traded on the Pakistan Stock Exchange as (HUMNL). Hum Net ...

. The role of Akbari was played by

Sanam Baloch Sanam Baloch Hisbani or Jatoi (, ) (born 14 July 1986) credited as Sanam Baloch is a Pakistani actress and television presenter. She has hosted various television shows, such as ''Sanam Small Room'' on KTN and the morning show on Samaa TV. A ...

and Asghari was played by

Humaima Malik Humaima Malick (born 18 November 1987) is a Pakistani actress who works in Cinema of Pakistan, Pakistani films and serials. She is known for ''Ishq Junoon Deewangi'' as Pares Usmani and social-drama ''Bol (film), Bol'' in 2011. Personal life ...

Imran Abbas Naqvi Syed Imran Abbas Naqvi (born 15 October 1982) professionally known by his stage name Imran Abbas, is a Pakistani actor and model who works predominantly in Urdu television and films. Abbas made his acting debut with ''Umrao Jaan Ada'' in 20 ...

and

Fawad Khan Fawad Afzal Khan (born 29 November 1981) is a Pakistani actor, producer, screenwriter, songwriter and singer known for his work in films and television. Khan is a recipient of several accolades, including a Filmfare Award, two Lux Style Awards ...

played the male leads. In 2013, the story of Akbari and Asghari continued with Mirat Ul Uroos, a

Geo TV Jang Media Group (), also known as Geo Group, is a Pakistani media conglomerate and a subsidiary of Dubai-based company Independent Media Corporation. It has headquarters in Printing House, Karachi. It is the publisher of the Urdu language new ...

drama. This serial is about the granddaughters of Akbari, played by

Aamina Sheikh Aamina Sheikh () is an American-Pakistani actress, songwriter and former fashion model. Sheikh has received critical appreciation for her acting prowess, and has won four Lux Style Awards from nine nominations. Born in New York City and raised ...

and

Mehwish Hayat Mehwish Hayat (born 6 January 1988) is a Pakistani actress who primarily works in Urdu films, and formerly, in television. She made her debut in the film with the comedy ''Jawani Phir Nahi Ani'' (2015) and later went on to become an '' Actor ...

, and the grandsons of Asghari, played by

Mikaal Zulfiqar Mian Mikaal Patras Zulfiqar (born 5 September 1981), commonly known as Mikaal Zulfiqar (), is a British-Pakistani actor and former model. He has appeared in a number of Pakistani television series. He has also acted in a few Indian films and is ...

and

Ahsan Khan Ahsan Khan (; born 9 October 1981) is a British Pakistani actor, producer and TV host. He began acting in 1998. He appeared in the films ''Nikah'', '' Billi'', '' Ghar Kab Aao Gay'', '' Sultanat'', '' Ishq Khuda'', '' Dil Mera Dhadkan Teri'' ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Complete online text of Mirat ul-Uroos
19th-century Indian novels 1869 novels Urdu-language novels Novels set in Delhi

Plot

Sequel

TV drama adaptations

See also

References

External links