Urdu should be the second state language in Hindi belt

CHANDIGARH, April 22: He looks as he writes, the progressive think tank's troubadour who seems to have renounced worldly concerns. But you h...

CHANDIGARH, April 22: He looks as he writes, the progressive think tank’s troubadour who seems to have renounced worldly concerns. But you have only to talk to him for five minutes to gauge the depth of his concerns for not only the country but the third world as a whole. Yes, you have guessed it right. He is Ali Sardar Jafri, this year’s coveted Jnanpith Award winner.

Jafri’s sojourn in Chandigarh was a part of the Ghalib Seminar and Mushaira conducted by the Haryana Urdu Academy. In between the great poet spoke to CN about the problems that pushed the once-upon-stately-language into the abyss. "See the problem is that Urdu language does not belong to a state now. It has been deprived of being the language of administration and education which used to be there earlier. It has lost its historical position and has become the language of mere entertainment which does not bode well for a language." Jafri does not mince words while talking about the reasons behind this sudden downfall. "The blame must go to the communal situation that was created in the country which reduced this original lingua franca of unified India into the language of the Muslim minority. This was one of the worst lies perpetrated ever."

But are the litterateurs themselves to be blamed partly for this, for it was not fashionable to be associated with Urdu in the middle period? Jafri agrees in toto, "The best writers that are there in Hindi film world are all basically Urdu writers but they go about calling themselves Hindi writers for the sake of publicity."

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There seems to be a sudden renaissance in Urdu, however, ever since Jafri had won the Jnanpith. All of a sudden you see reams of newsprint being devoted to Urdu poetry and Ghalib. "My winning the award has given an impetus to Urdu but, unfortunately, even among the Urdu writers the profundity is lacking. The urge to discover this fine language is more in the other languages now."

But Jafri has a few tips for reviving the past glory of Urdu, "It should be treated as the second state language in the Hindi belt. If it can be made functional in Bihar, why not in the other states. For from the linguistic point of view there is no difference in the script of Hindi and Urdu."

Jafri will be formally honoured by the President next month and he has edited a collection of his poems, both old and new, which would be released then. And for those who cannot read Urdu, a fine translation titled "My Journey" which will have Hindi version too will be on the shelf immediately afterwards.

Ever since Jafri and a few others like him were launched as a part of the Progressive Writers’ Movement way back in 1941, his poems had been those of the conscience of the nation. "My poetry began with the freedom struggle and then went on to join hands with the struggle of existence that the Third World encounters. I write for the peace, poetry and dignity of man."

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The recent developments and the revival of interest in Urdu have filled Jafri with optimism. According to him, there are quite a few promising poets emerging not only from the sub-continent but even from the Urdu societies set up in the US and Canada. "Language will not and cannot die like that. This present state of affairs is a result of the political situation and this situation will definitely change with more awareness."

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