By Mumtaz Falahi and Tarique Anwar
TwoCircles.net
Not much wrong are those who say that Urdu lovers, particularly Muslims who know Urdu, are themselves to blame for the slow death of one of the sweetest languages on Earth. If not sure, take a look at the recently held Urdu Day program in Patna, Bihar.
The program was organized at Sri Krishna Memorial Hall to mark the first official and 82nd birthday of former state cabinet minister Dr. Ghulam Sarwar.
During the chief minister ship of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Urdu was celebrated on 12th June, his birthday. It was simply a mockery of Urdu. What a pitiable situation for the language that it had to take refuge of an un-Urdu man for its celebration?
As for the recent Urdu Day program, one would expect that Urdu must be shining at least in the hall where the first rescheduled Urdu Day was being celebrated. But w hat was shameful at the program was the step-fatherly treatment of the language at the hands of so-called Urdu lovers. The word step-fatherly has been used deliberately because organizers of such programs assume themselves as lone custodian of the language.
The name Urdu Day itself exposes the inferiority complex of the organisers. They seem more interested in drawing attention of the power that be rather than reviving the language. Why didn’t the organizers use Urdu alternative of the same name? They would explain better. The story, however, does not end here.
Most of the speakers, including the organizers, addressed the gathering cautiously avoiding Urdu words. Only one Professor of Urdu Aslam Azad was sitting on the stage but he too was not given a chance to speak. Perhaps he was made to sit there only as a showpiece.
Even though Urdu journalists were also invited to cover the program, the press release was prepared only in Hindi.
At the end of the program, TwoCircles.net asked Dr. Ejaz Ali, main organiser of the program, when this program was organised for the sake of Urdu language, why he named it ‘Urdu Day’ not ‘Yaum-e-Urdu’? For a while Ejaz Ali stood motionless as if he was caught on wrong foot. After some time, he unsuccessfully tried to justify the name, saying that Urdu is a language which should be read in broad day light not at night. That’s why the program was called ‘Urdu Day.’ When asked why Aslam Azad, a professor of Urdu, was not given a chance to speak, Ejaz Ali said that he is a political person and the program has nothing to do with politics but he did not explain why Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was allowed to address the function.
With what occurred at Patna, one can say that Urdu is not going to regain its lost prestige by the efforts of such Urdu lovers. True Urdu lovers will have to come forward and begin using the language, with pride. Unless speakers are proud of a language, a language is set to die, sooner or later.