By Tarique Anwar, TwoCircles.net
Patna : “He dedicated his life to the promotion of Urdu and he worked relentlessly until it was recognized as Bihar’s second official language,” said Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in Patna. He was referring to former state cabinet minister Ghulam Sarwar in a program organized on the occasion of Yaum-e-Urdu by the Ghulam Sarwar Memorial Society. “I was not his leader, he was my leader,” said Lalu while heaping praise on Sarwar who was remembered in the program in glowing terms. Lalu said Sarwar touched a great height in politics and the government only through his labour, talent and selfless service.
Addressing the function, state RJD president Abdul Bari Siddiqui said Ghulam Sarwar was not a leader of a particular community or religion; rather he was a mass leader representing all sections of the society.
Member of Parliament Shakeel Ahmad Khan paid homage to Ghulam Sarwar, saying he dedicated his whole life to solving problems of the Muslim community. He said Sarwar was not only a political leader but a veteran Urdu journalist and editor. Khan also talked about the problems coming in the appointment of Urdu teachers in Purnia and Kishanganj.
Union Minister for Water Resources, Jai Prakash Yadav, said Urdu is the language which gave the word ‘Inqilab’ which played a pivotal role in the country’s freedom struggle. He said the language gave birth to great poets like Iqbal and Ghalib who helped in maintaining peace and integrity through their poetry and literature in the country. He described ‘Sare Jahan se achcha’ and ‘sarfaroshi ki tamanna’ as some of the immortal Urdu poems.
Several MLAs including Ram Kripal Yadav, Shayam Rajak, Tanweer Hasan, and Iliyas Hussain also spoke at the program.
