Urdu on verge of extinction; shayari keeping it alive

Professor Madhukar Arya,chairperson,Department of Urdu,Panjab University said,“Most students of our Department are elderly people. A majority of them are IAS,IPS and other government officers. Since all the old records are in Urdu,it becomes pertinent for government officials to learn the language. Some people learn Urdu to recall yesteryears and derive pleasure from Urdu poetry popularly referred to as ‘Shayari’.”

On the other hand,Dr Zarreen Fatima from the same department said,“Although we just have a few students,but they are very keen to learn Urdu. Besides elderly people,we also have a small number of youngsters. We have students from Jammu & Kashmir who are pursuing their post graduation in the language.”

She added that usually people claim that Urdu cannot earn bread and butter,so taking that into notice we had incorporated sahafat (Journalism & Mass Communication) in the curriculum. Various Urdu channels need announcers.

Dr H K Lall,Department of Languages Punjab said,“I do not think Urdu will ever get extinct. A language that has sarini (sweetness),latafat (that gives you pleasure),nazakat (delicacy),and nafastat (fine and polished) can never die. Urdu has given us songs and poems which succeeded in awakening the masses during the freedom struggle. The famous slogan of our freedom movement ‘Inqhilab Zindabad’ is in Urdu.”

SR Chaudhuri,former employee of Indian Forest Services,said,“I am 76 years old and have recently finished my MA in Urdu. The language has a very successful and rich literature. And now I am pursuing a certificate course in Persian. I am passionate about oriental languages”.

Simerjit Maan,student of MA Urdu said,“I developed my interest in Urdu through poetry at an early age. I was so eager to learn Urdu,that I did not even complete my MA Punjabi and joined the Urdu department. I believe it is all about interest. Indian cinema is incomplete without Urdu”.

Kavan,a diploma student at the Department of Urdu said,“I am learning Urdu because it interests me,especially Urdu poetry. I feel it is a very sweet and intimate language. Urdu has helped me improve my pronunciation. We come across many words which have a hairline difference in pronunciation,but different meanings. Besides,there are some distinct sounds in Urdu which are missing in other languages.”