Renowned broadcaster Raza Ali Abidi, formerly with the BBC Urdu Service in London, is in conversation with Pervaiz Alam, sharing his life and work on Cine Ink podcast series ‘Urdu Bagh’.

Known for his hugely popular radio programmes such as Kutub Khana, Jarnaili Sadak, Sher Darya and Rail Kahani, Raza Ali Abidi, is still active on social media where he posts regularly on YouTube and Facebook, attracting hundreds of comments to his popular series ‘Lafzon Ka Safar’.

Raza Ali Abidi was born in 1935 in Rookie, District Haridwar, India, but migrated to Pakistan along with his parents in 1950, where he reported for various newspapers before joining the BBC Urdu Service London in 1972.

A prolific writer, Abidi has authored about 25 books, including Urdu ka Haal, Apni Awaz (short stories), Jaan Saheb (short Stories), Radio ke Din, Jaanay Pehchaaney, Malika Victoria aur Munshi Abdul Kareem, Mujhe Sab Yaad Ha and Jarnaili Sadak.

His latest Urdu book ‘Begum Samru’ (September, 2023) tells the story of Farzana aka Joanna, the supreme commander of 3,000 troops, including at least a hundred European mercenaries, in the 18th-century Sardhana, India. Later, Joana was known as Begum Samru.

Urdu Bagh (اُردُو بَاغ - उर्दू बाग़) is a podcast series of anecdotal history, celebrating the life and work of Urdu’s literary giants. Presented and produced by Pervaiz Alam for London-based, Cine Ink, a hub of podcasts in Hindi and Urdu languages, the series is available on all major podcast networks.