Busting Myths Surrounding Urdu

Urdu is either eulogized as the language of poetry, or simply dismissed as the language that merely deals with Muslim subjects.

- Venkat Parsa

Rakhshanda Jalil, renowned author, critic, translator and literary historian, through her latest book, Whose Urdu Is It Anyway? Stories by Non-Muslim Urdu Writers, helps bust the myth that Urdu is the language of the Muslims.

This book is a collection of 16 stories, of the likes of Krishan Chander, Rajinder Singh Bedi, Ramanand Sagar and Kanhaiya Lal Kapoor, among others. It has been translated from Urdu into English and edited by Rakhshanda Jalil. This book, says Rakhshanda, is an attempt to bust stereotypes and address a persistent misconception: that Urdu is the language of India's Muslims and that it addresses subjects that are, or should be, of concern to Muslims and Muslims alone. Aim, she says, is to locate Urdu in its rightful place—in the heart of Hindustan.

Mistaken Impression
Rakhshanda Jalil notes that Muslims in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam, Bengal, and Kashmir don't speak Urdu. Yet, in regions like Hyderabad State, Bhopal, Lucknow, and Punjab, Urdu was spoken by both Hindus and Muslims. Urdu symbolizes Hindu-Muslim unity, born in military camps through linguistic intermingling. Rooted in Indian soil, it shares grammar with Hindi, blending Khari Boli with Persian, Arabic, and Turkish—making it as Indian as Sanskrit.

Language of freedom struggle
Rakhshanda Jalil is instrumental in pointing out how Urdu is the language of the Freedom Struggle, of Bhagat Singh and Ramprasad Bismil and of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Maulana Hazrat Mohani (on whom Rakhshanda is writing a book) gave the inspiring slogan that set the freedom struggle on fire: Inquilaab Zindabad or Long Live the Revolution.

Bhagat Singh wrote a piece at the age of 15 years, dedicating his life to the nation in Urdu and his last letter to his brother was in Urdu. Ramprasad Bismil penned the stirring composition,