Abdul Halim Sharar (1860-1926) was a renowned poet, novelist, journalist, historian and reformer of British India. The essay featured in this episode provides a history of sozkhwani, the elegiac recitation tradition associated with South Asian Shi’i Islam. It was part of a trailblazing cultural history of Awadh and its capital of Lucknow, written majorly to respond to cultural stereotyping, and serialized in the journal "Dilgudāz" (Melter of Hearts). The essay was later published in the collected work "Guzashtah Lakhnau" (The Lucknow of Yore). Written in the early 1900s, the essay is widely considered to be the first proper historical account of sozkhwani. It speculates on the tradition's origins, its development at the hands of hereditary musicians, its social and cultural function, and the role of women in its development and recognition as a classical art form. While many of its details and phrasings may seem dated, misleading or even disrespectful to some, it is a vital historical document of the sound art that is the lifeblood of North Indian Shi'i mourning culture.

1. Ustad Mashooq Ali Khan - Kya pesh-e Khuda sahib-e tauqir hain Zehra2. Kajjan Begum - Mar jaye jo farzand to kya chara hai3. Kajjan Begum - Mujrai Sheh ne kaha pani jo pana Zainab