URDU-the rich language of poetry, love, and deep emotions! Let us know it!

 URDU is a language spoken in some parts of South Asia. It is the official language of Pakistan and has an Indo-Aryan origin. There is some similarity between Urdu and Hindi because the two languages had a common Indo-Aryan vocabulary base. The phonology and syntax are similar and hence the colloquial speech of the two is mutually intelligible. But Urdu is more rich and poetic than Hindi and it has the technical vocabulary and some simple grammatical structures are derived from Persian. The Turk-Afghan and Mughal Empire used the Persian language for its communication and writings. 

Gulzar's description of Urdu [Source: Proper Gaanda]

Origin of Urdu

Urdu is linked with the Mughal Empire and is more prevalent in those areas where these Kings reigned and were in power. Greater Punjab area is said to be the birthplace of Urdu. Dr Rubina Shabnam, Secretary, Punjab Urdu Academy, Malerkotla, states: 

“Urdu is the language that emerged in undivided Punjab. In his book, Punjab Mein Urdu, Hafiz Mehmood Khan Shirani, the great linguistic and researcher, has shown through research based on historical evidence that the greater Punjab was the birthplace of Urdu. So Urdu is rooted in this region.”

With most of its words derived from Persian, Urdu slowly took on the form of a literary language. The Poet Ghulam Hamadani Mushafi first used the word Urdu for the literary language that was spoken in courts and in elite circles. And though the words were modified from the Persian language, they adopted the Nastaleeq (Perso-Arabic) script for writing. The British administrators in colonial India furthered Urdu and it got an official status from them. 

Urdu is a language of love and great feelings [Source: Pinterest]

It soon was used extensively by poets and writers; both Hindus and Muslims. The Bombay Presidency had several Indian Urdu writers during the colonial rule. After the India-Pakistan partition, many writers and poets from the Northern parts of undivided India migrated to Bombay in search of jobs. Many of these entered the film industry which is now called Bollywood. They merged with the Urdu-speaking and writing writers and poets of Bombay Presidency and started writing dialogues and lyrics of songs for Bollywood movies. Gulzar, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Rajinder Singh Bedi, and Gopi Chand Narang were some of them. There are around 100 million native Urdu-speaking people in India and Pakistan. Some are also in Saudi Arabia, the UK, the USA, and Bangladesh. 

Pakistan and its languages [Source: Mars Translation]

More on Urdu and its richness

Urdu has several local dialects. Its grammar is similar to Hindi but it uses more of the -e- (izafat) that connects two words to give it a meaning. Also, in Urdu -ko- is used more often. For example, Mujhko. But the unique part of Urdu is that it is a language of the poets and has formed the basis of several evergreen songs of olden times of Bollywood. Urdu is a poetic language and has a rich collection of poetry and prose under its belt. It is a sweet and polite language and is seemingly a language of well-mannered people. It is a language that can deeply describe emotions and is thus a deeper and richer language. It has that charm that lightens and brightens the heart! 

But with the deaths of some of these poets and writers, Urdu seems to have fallen into the backside. It is getting forgotten and there is a need to re-explore its richness and explain it to the younger generations so that they embrace it and prevent it from existence. 

Urdu is a language of cultural growth and poise. It eludes love and refined feelings. It speaks psychology and life philosophy and cannot be left to die a natural death. The mushairas (poetic gathering), ghazals, old Bollywood songs, a nazam, etc. all need to be revived and understood! Amarnath Wadehra, a diehard Urdu protagonist recalls his childhood with Urdu poets and their recitals had a hall-packed audience to listen to it.

The Persian language is the root of Urdu [Source: Pinterest] 

Amarnath says: 

"Urdu poets did a lot to fan the flames of the freedom moment, and bring about a social change. Many freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for the country singing ‘Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mei hai’. The younger generation should learn English for getting jobs, but they must also learn Urdu to enrich their personality.”