malaal(m): sorrow, grief, regret

Description of malaal: Malaal is an Urdu word meaning deep regret, sorrow, or melancholic longing for something lost or unattainable. Unlike fleeting sadness, it conveys a persistent emotional ache that lingers in the heart. Differs from mere disappointment, as it often implies self-reproach intertwined with nostalgia. In Urdu poetry, it evokes the lover's poignant yearning, as in Ghalib's verses where unfulfilled desire breeds eternal malaal.