Terah Masa, composed in 1725 by Akram Qutbi of Rohtak, Haryana, is a rare manuscript of the classical North Indian Urdu poetry tradition after Bikat Kahani, written by Mohammad Afzal in 1625 but its available copy of the manuscript was calligraphed in 1724. The rare text of Terah Masa in hand was calligraphed during the life time of the poet. In fact, this text is the oldest and unpublished manuscript belonging to this period so far. It is narrative love poetry, depicting the feelings and emotions of a lady whose lover is staying away in a distant place. The changing sensuous expression is effected by the climatic conditions of different seasons of the year. This is the core theme of the text, which is a refined narrative of social and cultural ethos of Indian society.

Professor Abdul Haq, Emeritus Professor of Urdu, University of Delhi.