By By Perwez Abdullah
Urdu is not in the process of becoming a dialect and hence the concern about the sad demise of Urdu is far-fetched. However, the Urdu Diaspora has to devise ways and means to keep the language on the tracks. Media, especially the electronic and print should be more responsible in using the right words and the right pronunciation while using in their publication and transmission.
The concern about the gradual decline of Urdu as a spoken and written language was voiced on the third day of the five-day long, 2nd International Urdu Conference that is being held in the Arts Council. The theme of the first session of the day was “Urdu Language and Literature and Mass Communication”.
Former Chairman and Professor at the Department of Mass Communication Federal Urdu University of Science & Technology (FUUAST) Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan spoke on the role of Urdu Journalism from ‘Paisa Akhbar’ to the present day newspapers. While lauding the role of Urdu newspapers in spreading Urdu to the four corners of the subcontinent and beyond, he lamented the present situation where substandard and often unsuitable words were used in the media resulting in the mutilation of the language. It has resulted in children and less-educated people picking up on those words. He singled out FM radio for using language ‘that could be near Urdu, but definitely not Urdu’.
Columnist Musarrat Jabeen negated the idea that Urdu was a dying language and reminded the audience that Urdu has no geographical or religious boundaries and this is the reason why Urdu newspapers in undivided India were mostly owned by the Hindus and Sikhs. The printing house of Munshi Nawal Kishore in Lucknow was a household in Muslim homes as well because most of the books were printed there. She urged the government to accord the right status to Urdu and then see how this sweet language progresses leaps and bounds. “I am not against the use of English but I understand that a nation must use its own language. We have the example of Japan, China, Turkey, Egypt, Germany and many others that use their own language and are doing well in the league of the nations.”
Sabeeh Mohsin, who had a prolonged career with Radio Pakistan, sounded the warning about the perceived decline of the language. He informed the audience that government schools in 50s and 60s were the best ones but now they are the pariahs of educational system that are only for the poor. “The English medium schools have increased the social divide. The poor value of Urdu has induced the Pakistani writers to write in English. These books are well received by society. Urdu books are not accorded the same welcome. It is a matter of concern”.
Columnist Masood Ashaar agreed that Urdu was not being given the place it should have been in the country. Poet and columnist Kishwar Naheed lamented that journalists of the caliber of Chiragh Hasan Hasrat, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Maulana Zafar Ali Khan are not present today and Urdu journalism is not serving Urdu. Columnist and former Newspaper Editor Ghazi Salahuddin thought that Pakistani society had become dumb because it had no language of its own. He expressed his dismay for the decline in the habit of book reading and suggested a universal education – education for all in the country to enable the people to understand and love their language.
Obaidullah Baig, Agha Nasir and Farhad Zaidi narrated their experiences of their journalistic careers and suggested careful evaluation in accepting or rejecting words from other languages.