Language,an Addiction

“The website is not just about couplets and popularising poetry but it also tracks Urdu developments in India and the world and reacquaints people with its stories,” says Nijhara. For instance,there is a snippet on how Gonda in Uttar Pradesh has a place named after poet Jigar Moradabadi,who adopted Gonda as his home,and the meaning of the term dast which is hand,but also connotes skill or authority,with a couplet on it by Pakistani Urdu poet,Saleem Kausar.

Mamaji and Nijhara,took a diploma in Urdu from Akbar Peerbhoy College,Mumbai and found they shared a passion for the language. “The platform is meant to create a cultural experience for people who are young and want to be connected to their roots,” says Mamaji,who is training for marathons and is an Ingmar Bergman fan.

Through their efforts,Nijhara wants to fight some “half-truths”,of Urdu being a Muslim language and of royalty. She says,“Premchand wrote Urdu stories. It is the national language of Pakistan,but it finds its roots in India. It is a hybrid language,much like ‘Bambaiya’ Hindi today. We want to try and demystify the language for our generation.”

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