Word Meaning
आज़ादी
āzādī
hinoun
Meaning
Freedom, liberty, independence, or emancipation.
Detailed Meaning
In Urdu poetry, 'āzādī' denotes liberation, autonomy, or release from physical and spiritual fetters. In this couplet, it carries a deep philosophical irony, critiquing the deceptive freedom of modern civilization that appears emancipatory on the surface but conceals internal enslavement.
Etymology
Persian (āzādī), derived from 'āzād' (free, noble) with the abstract noun suffix '-ī'.
Usage
In classical and modern ghazal, 'āzādī' often stands in contrast to imprisonment (qayd, dām, giriftārī), whether in the context of passionate love, spiritual transcendence, or sociopolitical critique.
Examples
Yearning for freedom within the narrow confines of the cage.
A hollow freedom masking internal subjugation.
Synonyms
रिहाईस्वतंत्रतामुक्तिफ़रागत
Related Words
आज़ादगिरफ़्तारीक़ैदतहज़ीब