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Like other languages, the history of
Urdu poetry does not
have a firm starting point and shares origins and influences with other
linguistic traditions within the Urdu-Hindi-Hindustani mix. Literary figures as
far back as Kabir (1440 - 1518) and even Amir Khusro (1253-1325 AD) deserve
mention as influences later Urdu poets draw on for inspiration as well as
intellectual and linguistic sources. The tradition is centered in the Indian
subcontinent. Following the Partition of India in 1947, it found major poets and
scholars residing primarily in modern Pakistan and India. Mushairas (or poetic
expositions) are today held in almost every major metropolitan area in the
world. Over this period, Urdu poets have produced a large number of primarily
poetic works.
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