URDU REPRESENTS INDIA'S COMPOSITE CULTURE

Urdu is most often considered the language of Muslims. But the participants at the all-India conference of State Urdu academies, organised by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) say no to this erroneous concept. To call Urdu the language of Muslims is to deny its roots in the composite culture of India, they said.

Inaugurating the conference held at Bangalore on June 6, NCPUL president Ali Javed said fitting Urdu into the straightjacket of one religion was a conspiracy of the British and the legacy had continued in favour of vote bank politics. He recalled the role of Urdu through the years of struggle for Independence as a language used by all, cutting across religious and caste barriers.

In his keynote address, NCPUL vice-chairman Shamsur Rahman Faruqi emphasised the need to wipe out the misconception about Urdu being a "foreign language" brought to India by the invading armies. He also underscored the need for strengthening the system of Urdu learning in schools by teaching it along with other subjects.

Governor T.N. Chaturvedi, who inaugurated the conference, recalled his childhood when his father and uncle fluently spoke Urdu and Persian. Serious efforts should be made to keep alive Urdu, a language that can carry both a fiery political speech and a tender confession of love well, he said while suggesting better coordination among Urdu academies across States.

The Governor promised to speak to the Finance Minister on increasing fund allocated to Urdu academies. Labour and Minority Welfare Minister Iqbal Ansari, who was the chief guest, suggested that the academy, now under the Department of Kannada and Culture, could be brought under the Minority Welfare Department to ensure better financial help.