Aashiqtam By Aisha Ali

About this novel

Aashiqtam (Urdu: عاشقتم) by Aisha Ali is a long, complete Urdu romance with a mountain setting and a recurring nightmare. At its heart is a cheerful, teasing friendship between a young woman and Ahmad Khan that slowly turns into something more.

The novel opens with a girl gently running her finger over a Persian couplet written in an old, worn-out book – a verse about passion and longing – repeating it under her breath before putting the book under her pillow, switching off the lamp and lying down.

Then comes the dream. She sees someone running, though nobody is chasing her. Her clothes flap in the wind, there is no destination, and as far as the eye can see there is only empty land. Drenched in sweat, the running figure stumbles and falls face-first – and just before she can lift her head, the roar of water fills her ears. The girl wakes with a start, blinking in the dark, frightened. She has had this dream since childhood; whenever her mother had her recite prayers, it would stop for a while, but then it would always return – and it never goes any further than this moment. She wipes her forehead with her dupatta, drinks a glass of water in one breath, and drifts back to sleep reciting the kalima.

بچپن سے آتا ایک ہی خواب، جو ہر بار پانی کے شور پر ختم ہو جاتا ہے۔

In the morning the setting opens up beautifully. Ahmad Khan stands with his hand shading his eyes, looking up at a mountain path, with a stream called Jandar roaring nearby. Coming down the path is a girl in a blue shalwar kameez, white sweater and pink Kashmiri-style dupatta, carrying a basket of colourful flowers in one hand and a thin stick in the other to push aside the grass. When she reaches the bottom, she trips and her flowers scatter – and Ahmad Khan bursts out laughing. Their banter is light and funny: he grumbles that one day she’ll break a bone and Khan Baba will hold him responsible, she teases him right back, and soon she can’t stop laughing either.

Aisha Ali mixes mystery and lightness, giving the story a lovely northern-area atmosphere and a hint that the dream will matter later. A good choice for readers who like scenic, emotional romances with a touch of suspense.

You can read Aashiqtam online here or download the complete PDF for free. You may also like Muhabbat Wa Habbat by Hira Chaudhary and Meri Dastan E Muhabbat by Mehak Roshan, or browse more romantic Urdu novels.