Don't Let The Script Of Urdu Die

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 23 February 2024 "I can give you several examples. Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah can't write Urdu. But Naseer, who's from Meerut, played Mirza Ghalib very effectively in my serial. Both of them speak Urdu beautifully. In modern India, Devnagari isn't a vehicle to communicate only Hindi, but also a vehicle to communicate Urdu in our country." Gulzar, in an interview to Subhash K Jha I'm rather surprised that despite being so well-versed in Urdu and au fait with its script, Gulzar is not very keen on the retention of Nastaliq, based on Perso-Arabic script for Urdu. The script of a language is a must for its survival. If you start writing Urdu in Devanagari script, you'll demean the language. Script of any language is its soul. I remember my interactions with two 'white' scholars of Urdu who mentored me. Both could read and write flawless Urdu. They were the late Tom Altar and my professor of Urdu in England, Professor Ralph Russell. By the way, the legendary Urdu poet and critic Khaleel-Ur-Rahman Azmi taught Professor Russell how to read and write Urdu. Russell went on to become the greatest western scholar of Urdu and an authority on Ghalib. Both the greats always insisted that Urdu must be written in Persian script and they rightly believed that Devnagari was not suitable for writing Urdu. When you learn the script of any language, words get embossed on your mind with their images because words are impressions. The 17th-century Maharashtrian scholar and grammarian of Sanskrit Bhattoji Dikshit wrote in his famous book Siddhant Kaumudi (Illumination of the established) that Shabd Pratiroopam Aabhasit Vadanti Prakshepan (Words have images that last as impressions on human mind). Modern neuro-linguistics also believe that words have images and writers as well as advanced practitioners of a language, see the words as neural entities in their brains. That's how a language (with the help of its script) survives. If we start resorting to Devanagari to write Urdu poetry and dialogues, how'll Urdu survive? Gulzar says, Naseer and Shabana speak beautiful Urdu despite not knowing how to read and write the language. But Naseeruddin Shah couldn't pronounce the words Ghazab and Ghaneemat (both have the letter Ghain) in the serial Mirza Ghalib that became very popular more than three decades ago. He faltered while reciting Ghalib's famous couplet, "Naghma-e-Gham Ko Bhi Ae Dil Ghaneemat Jaaniye..." He pronounced the words 'Ghazab' and 'Ghaneemat' with a Gaaf and not with a Ghain. Shabana Azmi was much appreciated for her character in the film (Muhafiz, 1994) who wants to be taken seriously as a poetess, “… Shayari Koi Mardon Ki Jaageer Nahin Hai, Aur Tumhein Bhi Man-Na Padega, Main Sahi Mayenon Mein Shayara Hoon…” she immortalized this dialogue from the film. But she fumbled while enunciating Shaan-o-ShauKat and pronounced Shaano-ShauQat. 'Shaukat' has a Kaaf, not Qaaf, a common mistake of pronouncing every Kaaf as Qaaf when the words like Sulook, Ashk, Rashk, Idraak among others are mispronounced as Sulooq, Ashq, Rashq, Idraaq by those who cannot read and write Urdu and erroneously think that every K is Q in Urdu! Ironically, Shabana's mother's name was Shaukat! Had she been able to read and write Urdu, she wouldn't have made this silly mistake. Both Naseer and Shabana mispronounced Baaqi. It has a Qaaf. They also mispronounced Bebaak and Beshak as Bebaaq and Beshaq. Naseer said Kaid whereas it's Qaid (prison). 'Kaid' beginning with a Kaaf in Urdu connotes 'deceit', 'fraud' and 'treachery' just like Qad with a Qaaf is height, stature and size, but Kad with a Kaaf is a house or a den! Lata and Asha learnt Urdu diction, but both the sisters couldn't read and write Urdu. That's why, Asha Bhonsle sang in the duet Mujhe Pyaar Ki Zindagi Dene Wale (Film: Pyaar Ka Saagar, 1961, lyricist: Prem Dhawan/ Composer: Ravi): Jo Na Ho Yakeen (the correct word is YaQeen) Toh Kabhi Aajma Le, Mujhe Pyaar Ki Jindagi !! Aazma became Aajma and Zindagi sounded Jindagi whereas Rafi sang the whole song perfectly. Lata sang, 'HargiJ (instead of HargiZ) na mit sakenge (Film: Yaqeen, 1970). Kishore Kumar's famous song Mere Mahboob Qayamat Hogi (Mr X in Bombay, 1964) was re-recorded as Kishore pronounced Kayamat (with a Kaaf) in lieu of Qayamat (with a Qaaf). Kishore couldn't read and write Urdu. He made quite a few mistakes in his songs. His Qasam would always sound Kasam! Ashok Kumar would say, Qam-sin instead of Kamsin (Kam+sin: Nubile/young; sin: Age) and Kaatil instead of Qaatil. Ashok Kumar had a command of Hindi but not of Urdu because he couldn't read and write. Throughout his career, he couldn't pronounce the words Ghussa and Qissa a la a native Urdu speaker. Rafi, Talat, Suraiya among others had an edge over others because they were familiar with the Urdu script and they could read and write it. If you cannot read and write Urdu, you cannot pronounce the word Laa'nat (Ban/ curse) correctly because it has a hidden Ain: Laam, Ain, Noon, Te. Taa'riif (Praise) also has an Ain: Te, Ain, Re....The word Taabiir (elucidation/result of deeds) also carries an Ain. The correct pronunciation is Tabii'at (TabeeAt ; not Tabiyat or Tabeeyat) as it also contains an Ain and begins with a Toye and ends with a Te. Toye is pronounced differently from Te. All these nuances come when you learn how to read and write Urdu. Gulzar should encourage people to read and write Urdu but in these times when Urdu is fallaciously associated with Muslims and people are inarticulate in all tongues, who'll go for the script of Urdu? Here, people don't even know how to write correct Hindi. ------ A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/script-urdu-die/d/131777 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism