Row Over Nawayath Script Continues

State government appeals against earlier high court ruling in favour of English script, court says decision will be taken after Supreme Court issues verdict on language policy

The state government has challenged a recent High Court order allowing Al Iman Social and Rural Education Trust, which runs a school in Murudeshwar, Bhatkal, to use English script for Nawayath language spoken by a minority community in Uttara Kannada district. The trust maintained that it wanted to use English script to teach the students because the language does not have a script of its own. However, it is learnt that the Nawayaths use Persian script to write their language. People of the community are also found in smaller numbers in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh and they also use Persian script to write the language. Another minority community, Beary of the undivided Dakshina Kannada, however, use Kannada script for the traditional language spoken by them. The state government’s appeal was heard by the division bench comprising chief justice J S Khehar and justice Ashok B Hinchigeri last week. The counsel for the trust stressed that the language does not have a script of its own and the single judge bench had upheld this contention. The government counsel, Veerappa, said languages spoken in Karnataka like Tulu and Kodava, which did not have their own script, used Kannada script for writing. He said that Nawayath also used the Kannada script. However, both the sides could not prove their contentions. SC WILL DECIDE After hearing both sides, the court observed that since the problem arose out of the new language policy of the state government, which itself has been challenged in the Supreme Court, the outcome of that case will decide this one as well. The Language Policy 2009 of the Karnataka government makes it mandatory that the medium of instruction in primary classes is Kannada or the mother tongue of the student. Advocate K V Dhananjay, who is representing the Karnataka Unaided Schools Management Association (KUSMA) which got the language policy struck down by the apex court, said, “The Supreme Court has maintained that the state cannot close any unrecognised English medium schools. The last time the case came up for hearing was in April 2010. Unless the state has any other contention, like shortage of infrastructure, it cannot stop Nawayath school from using English script for the language. They do not even need to convince anyone why they want English medium. It is their prerogative to choose the medium of instruction.” source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / by S. Shyam Prasad / August 16th, 2011

Ghalib made easy for all

For those who always thought the poetry of Mirza Ghalib was too difficult to understand, help is at hand. Professors from the Academy of Professional Development of Urdu Medium Teachers, Jamia Millia Islamia, Urdu Teaching and Research Centre, Lucknow, and Central Institute of Indian 

Languages Mysore, have prepared a dictionary on Ghalib's poetry, which will make it easier for Urdu and non-Urdu speakers to understand the intricate meaning of his words.

"Ghalib used a lot of compound words in his poetry and it is because of these words that his poetry is difficult to understand. While other poets, such as Iqbal, have also used compound words, Ghalib's are the most complicated," said Ghazansar Ali, professor at Jamia Millia Islamia.

Compound words add a musical element to poetry and also help economize words, Ali said.

The dictionary will have 2,500 compound words under different categories and the meaning of each explained using examples from Ghalib's poetry.

The dictionary is expected to be on the stands in the coming three months

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / by HT Correspondent / New Delhi / Aug 03rd, 2011

National Workshop on Urdu Translation of Science Books held at AMU

Aligarh:

 “Science books should be translated at a large scale so that a large number of Urdu knowing people may be able to access to the science education with ease. The science books in Urdu are available in very small number while in other Indian languages there is no dearth of science literature,” said Prof. Anis Ahmad Ansari, former Advisor, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and former Dean, Faculty of Unani Medicine, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

He was addressing as the Chief Guest at the ‘National Workshop on Urdu Translation of Science Books’ organized by the Vigyan Prasar, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India in collaboration with the Centre for Promotion of Science, Aligarh Muslim University.

Dr. Irfana Begum addressing the workshop

He observed that education must be imparted in mother tongue. He urged the translators to use simple language while translating keeping in mind children’s need.

In his speech, Dr. Hisamuddin, Director, Centre for Promotion of Science, AMU, said that the objectives of the Centre are to propagate science education at elementary levels especially in madrasas and Muslim managed educational institutions.

He said that the Centre from its inception in 1985 has been working for the training of science teachers of madrasas and regular Muslim managed schools in order to make them able to teach with better results.

“Science education among Muslims is a matter of concern and the Centre is working to bring the large chunk of Muslim students getting education in seminaries into the national mainstream” he added.

Dr. Irfana Begum of Vigyan Prasar presented the comprehensive report of the workshop and apprised of the accomplishment of the target. She said that six books and thirty popular articles on science were translated from English or Hindi into Urdu.

Earlier, Professor Naheed Banu, former Director of the Centre for Promotion of Science, highlighted the aims and objectives of the Centre and its role in the development of science literature in Urdu.

Professor M. Shamim Jairajpuri, former Vice Chancellor, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, highlighted the work of Muslim Scientists in the medieval period who laid down the foundation of modem sciences.

Dr. Subodh Mohanti, Academic Head, Vigyan Prasar, drew attention of the participants and the audience towards the requirement of the work as it is felt that most of the Urdu literate persons are unaware of the development in the field of science, the basic requirement for the growth of the country.
The academicians who were invited by Vigyan Prasar to achieve the target of translation of various books and articles in the workshop include Dr. Sabra Khatoon, Director, Career Planning Centre, Aligarh Muslim University, Mr. Nihal Saghar, PGT, Senior Secondary School (Boys), Dr. Jawed Hayat, Associate Professor, Head, Department of Urdu, Patna University, Mr. Syed Jawaid Hasan, Editor "Ek Pal" (Patna), Mr. Wahajuddin Mohammad Zurar, Kanpur, Mr. Syed Mahmood Ahmad, Kanpur, Mr. Mohd. Saleem Khan, AMU, Aligarh, Mr. Sareem Abbas, AMU Aligarh and Mr. Zubair Ahmad Hashmi, Kanpur.

source:http://www.twocircles.net /  TNN / May 28th, 2011

'Urdu is linguistic Taj Mahal of India'

Mohammed Wajihuddin, May 1, 2011, 03.05am IST

Meri is baat se sab log hum aahang bhi honge...

Jahan payenge Urdu ko wahan Narang bhi honge...

(Everybody will concur with me/Wherever they will find Urdu, there will be a Narang too)

— Urdu poet Chandrabhan Khayal

Though many of his peers have grudgingly come to accept that Urdu is essentially spoken by Muslims today, Professor Gopi Chand Narang still fights the good fight. Language, he tirelessly intones, has no religion, Urdu belongs neither to Muslim nor Hindu and it will survive so long as India remains multicultural.

Narang's steadfast belief is partly based on Urdu's role in India's freedom struggle. For a start, it gave us the slogan "Inquilab Zindabad" and contributed to our famed Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb or composite culture. Unsurprisingly, the Delhi Urdu Academy acknowledges Narang's role in giving Urdu a broad contextual placement, rather than a religious one.

Just weeks ago, it gave him the Bahadur Shah Zafar Award. Akhtarul Wasey, vice-chairman of the Academy, says it was well deserved because the Award is named after the last Mughal emperor, who symbolized India's secular, syncretic ethos.

Fortunately, Narang does not share yet another of the deposed poet-emperor's traits – melancholy. Instead, he is optimistic about the future of Urdu and is so well known as an ambassador for it that Hindi writer Kamleshwar once said every language needed a Narang.

"There are three hallmarks of the Mughal era — the Taj Mahal, Ghalib's poetry, and Urdu. A common spirit of aesthetic excellence and elegance runs through all three. Although every language is beautiful, Urdu's sophistication and charm captivate everyone. That's why I call Urdu India's linguistic Taj Mahal," explains the 82-year-old scholar-critic.

To those who call Urdu a videshi language, he retorts: "It is a hybrid, but Urdu's base is indigenous and its essence lies in Indian soil." He warns against continuing to deny Urdu its rightful place in the secular education system. It might then be pushed into the madrassas and will lose its secular character, he laments.

Narang is severe when asked about the great language paradox — Urdu couplets are quoted by everyone, including politicians, but almost no one is prepared to champion it otherwise. Is Urdu being punished for its apparent association with the Muslim community? Narang says, "If Urdu is the language of the Muslims, then how come non-Muslim writer-poets like Gulzar, Pavan K Varma, Sheen Kaaf Nizam (Shiv Kumar), Chandrabhan Khayal and Jayant Parmar are thriving?"

Born in Baluchistan, Narang is a partition refugee who insisted on studying Urdu rather than agricultural science, as his father wanted him to. Later in life, Delhi's Jamia Millia proved to be the perfect lab for Narang and he even served as acting vice-chancellor for a year.

Source: Times of India , May 01st, 2011

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
picture courtesy: http://www.gopichandnarang.com

Urdu Does Not Belong To A Religion

Urdu does not belong to a religion: Javed

IANS | Mar 28, 2011, 12.40pm IST

Javed Akhtar More Pics

Urdu does not enjoy the 
status that it deserves because
 of lack of enough government 
support, said well-known lyricist
 Javed Akhtar at a Urdu book fair 
organised at the Jamia Millia 
Islamia here. 


Every year the National Council 
for Promotion of Urdu Language
 (NCPUL) organises this
book fair in different cities for
promotion ofUrdu language. This
year's book fair started Saturday in Jamia university premises and it was
inaugurated by well known scriptwriter Javed Akhtar.


While talking about Urdu language Javed Akhtar said that other languages
belong to a region but unfortunately Urdu is the only language which has been
assigned a religion. According to him, Urdu was the only language that talked
about liberalism and secularism even before these words came into existence.


Another Urdu writer Akhtarul Wasey (Vice Chairman of Delhi Urdu Academy)
 said "Urdu language does not belong to a religion. None of the languages 
need religion but all religions need a language."


Azeez Burni, joint editor of Sahara newspaper, said: "Why do Indians feel
 ashamed of not being able to speak English? We should not forget that Urdu
 was the only language that showed its power during the struggle of independence.
 English was the most hated language at that time but, now the situation is
contrary. We have forgotten about our heritage."


"Urdu will be ahead of all the languages in future because future lies in
convergence," said Dr. Hameedullah Bhatt, director of NCPUL.


He added, "Urdu has a very rich 500 years old past. Very big names of 
Indian history like Ghalib and Iqbal have been associated with Urdu.
But the reason Urdu failed was partition."


Actress Shabana Azmi said that Urdu needs a lot more to keep its identity alive. 
She said that she was not invited to the function but her love for Urdu brought her
here and the same kind of love and passion is needed to strengthen Urdu's position.


Khalid Mahmood, M.D. Jamia Makhtaba Pvt. Ltd., said that their publication 
has been participating in this exhibition since twelve years. He said "this publication 
existed even before independence and it continues to exist in spite of the tough time it 
went through. It is true that Urdu does not enjoy the same status as English because 
of lack of support but still it is growing."

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

IANS , March 28th, 2011

Akbar Hyderabadi - Renowned Urdu poet publishes First English-language poetry at the age of 86

POETRY NEWS

Renowned Urdu poet publishes first English-language collection at 86

BY POETRY NEWS

The Oxford Mail interviews Akbar Alikhan, better known as Akbar Hyderabadi to readers of Urdu poetry. Alikhan moved to Oxford from Hyderabad in 1955 to study architecture, but never stopped writing the poetry that connected him to India.

He said: “I did not make a switch to poetry from architecture; poetry has always been a divining force in my life.

“My poems started off nostalgic, as I missed Hyderabad, but I would soon be inspired more by whom I met, and by what I read about the world.”

His five collections in Urdu have garnered him international recognition, awards and symposia invitations but remained inaccessible to his own family, who didn’t grow up with the language. After forty years of publishing only in Urdu, Alikhan is releasing his first English-language book Reflections at the age of 86.

He said: “For many years I wrote the occasional English poem. In fact, in the late 1960s/early 70s I dabbled with a bit of English songwriting, which may have been the catalyst. And in the mid-70s I presented a weekly programme on Radio Oxford for Asian listeners called abrang, which means multi colours.

“I published Reflections because I wanted to reach out to poets who may not have been brought up with Urdu, and also to my own immediate family.”

source: http://www.poetryfoundation.org

Salman Khurshid's Book - "Sons of Babur" . Read out in a public function

Sons of Babur - A play in search of India  . A book by Salman Khurshid .CHENNAI: Those who allowed diversity in India thrived, while those who did not understand this idea became part of the process of decline, N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu, said, participating in a book reading session of Union Minister Salman Khurshid's ‘Sons of Babur – A play in search of India.'

There were some however, who did not understand or respect the tremendous diversity of India, Mr. Ram added.

Mr. Khurshid's book presents this idea of India, never as propaganda, but with subtle explorations into grey areas. ‘Sons of Babur' examines the contribution of individual Mughals and makes subtle forays into questions of right and wrong. There are wonderful moments in the play, lines that show the fratricidal struggle amongst the Mughals, who occupy an important place in Indian history. “While it does not give easy answers, it arrives at a successful set of answers, thereby fulfilling its mission,” he said.

Mr. Ram complimented the debutant writer for his work which “celebrates a great idea, and with a literary quality.”

“Exploring present and future”

In his remarks prior to reading of passages from the book, Mr. Khurshid, Union Minister of Water Resources and Minority Affairs, said there was much in it about what was happening in India today. “It links us with the past, but explores the present, and future,” he explained.

It was a play at several levels and working on the plane of imagination, helps one look beyond reality.

He has used Sufism as a tool that helps break the mould of reality and takes one to a higher level of communication.

The play was performed in translation in Urdu in Delhi, and a Chennai performance would be scheduled soon, Mr. Khurshid said.

“Confluence of streams”

“The rich history of the Mughals who ruled India for many centuries is very significant in the development of modern India,” the Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, said.

It is essential to bear in mind that history cannot be changed, altered, or erased according to the times. “India's history has been a confluence of many streams… India today is a diverse and pluralistic society: multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic, multi-religious and multi-cultural. That is its great strength. It must be preserved,” he said.

Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala who hosted the event at Raj Bhavan's Darbar Hall, suggested that ‘Sons of Babur' must be enacted in schools and colleges, and included as part of the curriculum. The youth should know the history of the nation's freedom struggle and the pre-independence era, and about the kings who ruled.

The Governor also assured that the play would be performed in Chennai in February.

The event was organised in collaboration with the University of Madras' English department on Monday.

(courtesy the Hindu)