<p>Jab koi zabaan judti hai kisi qaum se</p>.<p>Dekhne lagte hain log nigah-e-laum se</p>.<p>– Naubatrai ‘Nazar’</p>.<p>(When a language gets associated with the fabric of a community/ People start looking it through the prism of suspicion and hatred; Laum: archaic Arabic word for bitterness/accusation.)</p>.<p>Language is not religion and to consider Urdu as a language of Muslims is a “pitiable digression” from reality and unity in diversity, the Supreme Court said recently while rejecting a petition challenging the use of Urdu – along with Marathi – on the name-board of a municipal council in Maharashtra.</p>.<p>What is ironic here is Marathi’s close ties with Urdu which is an amalgam of Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Sanskrit, and Hindi. Marathi has many words of Persian and Arabic origins as the Mughals spent years in the Deccan region trying to thwart the juggernaut of Shivaji and the Marathas. Setumadhavarao Pagdi, the great Marathi scholar of Persian and a polymath, was of the view that Persian/Arabic words enriched Marathi. Many Marathi words such as Tambi (warning; Tambeeh in Persian) and Hangaam (Hangaam in Persian for a season) have Perso-Arabic roots and origins. A wide spectrum of Marathi scholars learnt Persian, Arabic, and Urdu scripts to decipher the documents and edicts of Mughal India. Marathi poet Suresh Bhat who wrote ghazals in Marathi, always said Marathi should be eternally thankful to Urdu/Persian for the beautiful words.</p>.Affirmation of a language as culture.<p>Urdu has always been an Indian language, born and raised on the subcontinent. Pandit Brijnarayan Sharma ‘Chakbast’, Dayashankar Naseem, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Krishna Bihari ‘Noor’, Aatish Lakhnavi, Jalil Manikpuri, Jigar Muradabadi, and Asghar Gondvi, were among its notable exponents. I deliberately mentioned the Hindu names in the beginning to drive home the point that Urdu-knowing Hindus enriched a language that is now being viewed as the language of Muslims and has, sadly, become a victim of linguistic ghettoisation.</p>.<p>Urdu is the language of this sub-continent. The ‘invaders’ didn’t bring it along from Central Asia or the Arab Peninsula. It developed on the soil of the sub-continent with a rich sprinkling of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, khari boli Hindi, and Braj.</p>.<p>Now, the proponents of Hindutva are insisting that Hindi should be purged of Urdu words to make it Sanskritnishth (Sanskrit-based). Just because Urdu is based on Persian script (it’s an abjad script derived from the modern Persian script) and is written from right to left, it has become a “foreign” language. If Urdu is an alien tongue and the language of the hamlaavar (invaders), why do we still cling on to English, also a language of our erstwhile oppressors?</p>.<p><strong>Politics of exclusion</strong></p>.<p>The problem lies somewhere else. Languages in India are at root, ethno-communal issues and totems. Ergo, promotion of any language is seen as an undesirable imposition, especially in these volatile times – the increasingly polarised ‘new’ India will look down upon Urdu as an outright foreign language of the Muslims.</p>.<p>Urdu never got its due recognition. It may have been a link language prior to India’s independence; that exalted status was dented in free India. Today, it is seen as a language of the Muslims, that too, Muslims of a humble background because the elites send their wards to the convents for learning and conversing in fluent English.</p>.<p>Nowadays, reading and writing in Urdu draws unnecessary attention. Yours truly signs in Urdu. A couple of times, the bank manager has asked me why do I sign in Urdu/Persian. I’ve been wise enough to keep mum.</p>.<p>It must be added that the British widened the chasm between Hindi and Urdu. The colonial policy was to separate the communities and towards that goal, Hindi/Urdu acted as catalysts.</p>.<p>It is time we realised that language, like music, has no religion. Kazi Nazrul Islam, a Muslim, wrote in Bangla and is regarded next to Tagore in profundity and popularity. Gopichand Narang is regarded among the most perceptive Urdu critics. Sampooran Singh Kalra ‘Gulzar’ is a Sikh who’s at home with Urdu. Munshi Premchand first wrote in Urdu and later switched to Devnagari.</p>.<p>This linguistic obstinacy and chauvinism will take us nowhere. The Hindi-Urdu rift is utterly unnecessary. Both the languages are but the two sides of the same coin. We cannot give in to the politicians’ designs aimed to divide and rule. To quote Urdu poet Jigar Muradabadi, “Un ka jo farz hai woh ahle-siyasat jaanein/ Mera paighaam muhabbat hai jahan tak pahunche” (Let politicians indulge in what they’re good at/ I’m a votary of love and I shall disseminate the message of love far and wide).</p>.<p><em>(The writer is a Pune-based independent writer and columnist)</em></p><p><em>Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.</em></p>
<p>Jab koi zabaan judti hai kisi qaum se</p>.<p>Dekhne lagte hain log nigah-e-laum se</p>.<p>– Naubatrai ‘Nazar’</p>.<p>(When a language gets associated with the fabric of a community/ People start looking it through the prism of suspicion and hatred; Laum: archaic Arabic word for bitterness/accusation.)</p>.<p>Language is not religion and to consider Urdu as a language of Muslims is a “pitiable digression” from reality and unity in diversity, the Supreme Court said recently while rejecting a petition challenging the use of Urdu – along with Marathi – on the name-board of a municipal council in Maharashtra.</p>.<p>What is ironic here is Marathi’s close ties with Urdu which is an amalgam of Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Sanskrit, and Hindi. Marathi has many words of Persian and Arabic origins as the Mughals spent years in the Deccan region trying to thwart the juggernaut of Shivaji and the Marathas. Setumadhavarao Pagdi, the great Marathi scholar of Persian and a polymath, was of the view that Persian/Arabic words enriched Marathi. Many Marathi words such as Tambi (warning; Tambeeh in Persian) and Hangaam (Hangaam in Persian for a season) have Perso-Arabic roots and origins. A wide spectrum of Marathi scholars learnt Persian, Arabic, and Urdu scripts to decipher the documents and edicts of Mughal India. Marathi poet Suresh Bhat who wrote ghazals in Marathi, always said Marathi should be eternally thankful to Urdu/Persian for the beautiful words.</p>.Affirmation of a language as culture.<p>Urdu has always been an Indian language, born and raised on the subcontinent. Pandit Brijnarayan Sharma ‘Chakbast’, Dayashankar Naseem, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Krishna Bihari ‘Noor’, Aatish Lakhnavi, Jalil Manikpuri, Jigar Muradabadi, and Asghar Gondvi, were among its notable exponents. I deliberately mentioned the Hindu names in the beginning to drive home the point that Urdu-knowing Hindus enriched a language that is now being viewed as the language of Muslims and has, sadly, become a victim of linguistic ghettoisation.</p>.<p>Urdu is the language of this sub-continent. The ‘invaders’ didn’t bring it along from Central Asia or the Arab Peninsula. It developed on the soil of the sub-continent with a rich sprinkling of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, khari boli Hindi, and Braj.</p>.<p>Now, the proponents of Hindutva are insisting that Hindi should be purged of Urdu words to make it Sanskritnishth (Sanskrit-based). Just because Urdu is based on Persian script (it’s an abjad script derived from the modern Persian script) and is written from right to left, it has become a “foreign” language. If Urdu is an alien tongue and the language of the hamlaavar (invaders), why do we still cling on to English, also a language of our erstwhile oppressors?</p>.<p><strong>Politics of exclusion</strong></p>.<p>The problem lies somewhere else. Languages in India are at root, ethno-communal issues and totems. Ergo, promotion of any language is seen as an undesirable imposition, especially in these volatile times – the increasingly polarised ‘new’ India will look down upon Urdu as an outright foreign language of the Muslims.</p>.<p>Urdu never got its due recognition. It may have been a link language prior to India’s independence; that exalted status was dented in free India. Today, it is seen as a language of the Muslims, that too, Muslims of a humble background because the elites send their wards to the convents for learning and conversing in fluent English.</p>.<p>Nowadays, reading and writing in Urdu draws unnecessary attention. Yours truly signs in Urdu. A couple of times, the bank manager has asked me why do I sign in Urdu/Persian. I’ve been wise enough to keep mum.</p>.<p>It must be added that the British widened the chasm between Hindi and Urdu. The colonial policy was to separate the communities and towards that goal, Hindi/Urdu acted as catalysts.</p>.<p>It is time we realised that language, like music, has no religion. Kazi Nazrul Islam, a Muslim, wrote in Bangla and is regarded next to Tagore in profundity and popularity. Gopichand Narang is regarded among the most perceptive Urdu critics. Sampooran Singh Kalra ‘Gulzar’ is a Sikh who’s at home with Urdu. Munshi Premchand first wrote in Urdu and later switched to Devnagari.</p>.<p>This linguistic obstinacy and chauvinism will take us nowhere. The Hindi-Urdu rift is utterly unnecessary. Both the languages are but the two sides of the same coin. We cannot give in to the politicians’ designs aimed to divide and rule. To quote Urdu poet Jigar Muradabadi, “Un ka jo farz hai woh ahle-siyasat jaanein/ Mera paighaam muhabbat hai jahan tak pahunche” (Let politicians indulge in what they’re good at/ I’m a votary of love and I shall disseminate the message of love far and wide).</p>.<p><em>(The writer is a Pune-based independent writer and columnist)</em></p><p><em>Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.</em></p>