Word Meaning
कसाद
kasād
Meaning
Market slump, commercial stagnation, dullness of trade, or lack of demand.
Detailed Meaning
In economic and literary vocabulary, 'kasad' signifies a depression, slump, or lack of commercial demand where commodities remain unsold. In this couplet, it represents the modern or Western merchant's dismissal of artistic skill (mata-e-hunar) as worthless or commercially unviable. The poet contrasts superficial capitalist valuation with genuine creative and intellectual wealth.
Etymology
Arabic root k-s-d (كَسَدَ), meaning to be unsalable, stagnant, or in low demand.
Usage
Frequently used in Urdu poetry in the compound 'kasād-e-bāzār' to lament the decline in public taste and lack of buyers for art and wisdom.
Examples
The stagnation of the marketplace broke the craftsman's spirit.
In this slump of appreciation, no one recognizes true talent.