Musings of a Besotted Lover of Urdu

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 09 November 2024 Saleeqe Se Havaon Mein Jo Khushboo Ghol Sakte Hain Abhi Kuchh Log Baaqi Hain Jo Urdu Bol Sakte Hain (They Can Scent the Air with Perfume of Extreme Finesse/ There Are Still A Few People Who Can Speak Urdu) "Muhabbat Zinda Hai Jab Tak Zabaan-E-Urdu Zinda Hai.” Raghupati Sahay 'Firaq' Gorakhpuri (Love is alive till Urdu is alive) Abhi Bhi Zara-Si Shaistagi Bachi Hai Urdu Hai Toh Nuqoosh-E-Nafasat Bhi Hai (There's still a semblance of decency / Because of Urdu, there are remnants of refinement still left) Zabaan-E-Urdu Na Teri Hai Na Meri Hai Ye Na Hindu Ki Hai, Na Musalman Ki Hai Zara-Sa Bhi Saleeqa Jis Kisi Mein Hai Ye Khoobsoorat Zabaan Bas Usi Ki Hai (Urdu language is neither yours nor mine/ It neither belongs to Hindus nor does it belong to Muslims/ Who has even a vestige of cultured behaviour/ This splendid language belongs to that person) Today (November 9) is World Urdu Day, celebrated all over the world on the birthday of the famous Urdu-Persian poet Dr Muhammad Iqbal who was born on November 9, 1877 in Sialkot, Pakistan. In these times, when even languages are victims of sectarian crossfire, the importance of Urdu increases manifold. What a language! Years ago, while learning Urdu (my mother tongue is Pahlavi / Persian), my gorgeous Urdu lady teacher in England quipped, “Now, you've two most exquisite languages to woo women!” I don't know, whether I could sweep ravishing girls and women off their feet with my polished Urdu and Persian (alas, the latter is not understood in India), learning Urdu indeed further refined my tongue and expanded my linguistic horizons. Though I still think in Persian, my conversational language is Urdu and I'm exceedingly at home with it. So, when I see people (hardcore Hindus) take umbrage at Jashn-E-Charaghaan Or Shab-E-Charaghaan for Diwali (Festival / Night of lights), it pains me no end. The very language, Urdu, evokes a tsunami of emotions. It's such an evocative language, provided it's spoken the way it's meant to be spoken. Though Lucknow's proverbial Urdu culture is on the wane, I still make it a point to visit the City of Nabobs at least once in a year to rejuvenate and refurbish my Urdu as I've been living in Maharashtra for a rather long time. Urdu is not just confined to Sher-O-Shyari. Urdu is Tahzeeb. I've no hesitation in accepting the fact that Urdu is the supreme form of Hindi. Its Lahja (not Lahza) is far superior to that of Hindi, though I don't want to compare Hindi and Urdu. Once you learn Urdu, you automatically become decent and courteous. To quote Nawab Shefta of Rampur, a poet and the patron of Mirza Ghalib, “Aawaaz Mein Narmi, Andaaz Mein Nazakat Aa Jaati Hai / Zehan Ke Raste Urdu Jab Dil Mein Samaati Hai " (Softness in words and elegance in personality come/ When Urdu traverses to reside in your heart). Since Urdu is tailor-made for poetry, a raft of poets enriched its landscape. We still read Ghalib, Daagh, Momin, Mir, Firaq, Faiz, Faraz, to name but a few. Such a lovely and euphonic language must not be sacrificed at the altar of political machinations and growing linguistic chauvinism. Its Perso-Arabic script, known as Nastaliq, must never be done away with and it should never be written in Devanagari script! That will be tantamount to blasphemy. I urge my non-Urdu speaking friends to learn it with script so that they can read, write and think in an uber-refined tongue. Finally, when John Gilchrist, the first British person in India to systematically study Urdu, saw his teacher's cursive Urdu handwriting at Fort William in Calcutta, he (Gilchrist) said, " It reminds me of the tresses of a beautiful lass." Got to say, a lovely analogy! … 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/islamic-culture/musings-besotted-lover-urdu/d/133667 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