Urdu loyalists script revival
Language is a sutradhaar of culture. But it can also become a faded relic. The beautiful language of Urdu is long past its days of grandeur and glory. Treasured by a few, sidelined by most, it is struggling for survival. But some ardent lovers of Urdu in the capital are trying hard to popularise the language and its artistic script.
One such initiative is a recent documentary, titled Urdu & Modern India, that profiles the current phase of Urdu in India. Urdu activist Kamna Prasad, the brain behind this documentary, says that while the Urdu script is dying in India, the language is surviving and evolving. “The documentary has tried to find the different spaces where Urdu is commonly present,” she says, adding that the Urdu script may have taken a backseat as youngsters are more hands-on with the Roman script.
Urdu is present in our day-to-day lives in different forms, feel youngsters. Pratyush Kumar, aeronautical engineer, thinks that ghazals and modern Indian songs (which use many Urdu words) are popularising the language among youngsters. “My friends and I, most of who are ghazal fans, make an effort to find out the meanings of the Urdu words in lyrics that we are not familiar with,” says Pratyush, who has recently bought a book of letters by Mirza Ghalib to augment his knowledge of Urdu. Ali Sardar Jafri is next on his list.
And it’s not only literature that fascinates youngsters. Many are keenly interested in learning the Urdu script as well. Aquib Ferose, a second year English literature student of Delhi University, says that many of his friends have requested him to teach them basic Urdu writing. “But studying in English medium, I was never keen on learning the language. Though it was one of the optional subjects, I know very little of it, not even a nodding acquaintance with the script,” says Aquib, who now wants to learn writing in Urdu and then teach his friends who are interested.
Aparna Srivastava Reddy, director of the documentary, says that youngsters’ enthusiasm in learning and adapting words of Urdu, and using them in regular speech, is heartening. “Look at the words like dard-e-disco, khaana, janaab, raaz — all are Urdu words. Such presence of Urdu is wide,” says Aparna, who while researching for the film discovered a dance school in a village near Varanasi that was named Dancistaan — an Urdu inspiration.
Those fond of the language think that something should be done to revive its script too. “The Roman script rules our life so much that not only Urdu, but even Devanagri is slowly taking a backseat. I think the Education Ministry should take steps to preserve these scripts by introducing courses in the syllabus,” says Aquib.
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