CSS Forums - View Single Post - Ashar ki Tashreeh or any discussion abt urdu Literature:

nazia niazi · #6 Friday, May 04, 2007

'Urdu' is a Turkish word which means 'foreign' or 'horde'. This just shows that the language represents it's origin being an amalgamation of foreigners with the natives of South Asia. It was formulated by the interaction of foreign army, merchants and immigrants to India. Today, it is the national language of Pakistan and is quite similar to the neighbouring country India's national language Hindi. Infact, the grammar of Urdu is quite similar to Hindi. The forte of the language has been and still is it's literature that has some master pieces. Likewise, poets like Mirza Ghalib, Allama Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz have had a give and take relation with the language. Where they took the language as a bridge between their thoughts and their readers, they also gave the gems of their beautiful poetry to the language.

Urdu involves numerous elements of Arabic as well as Persian. It also derives some matter from Sanskrit, a language still spoken in the city of Multan in Pakistan. Though not a very old language, Urdu is a language full of charm and elegance, a language that holds literature so courtly. Even today when the this native language has almost lost its importance in the country, the ones with a slight poetic and aesthetic sense prefer to express in Urdu only as the language adds the charm to prose and poetry. The legatee of feelings expressed can feel the intensity if it is your sweet heart and the orator may be the content one.

The unfavourable fact is however, that today as the Pakistani society is losing its cultural charms, it is also unmindful towards its native language. They can't be blamed for it though, as they have faced a lot of underdevelopment due to lack of learning the global communication tool of English. So, over the years when the people of Pakistan worked towards progress they had no other choice but to adopt English and Urdu has gone in to the background. However, over the years the language has established itself never to be overlooked, and still it is read in form of those novels that make the exemplary literature, in theatre and schools and last but never the least in the aesthetic poetry.

Allama Iqbal was a great philosopher and a poet of Urdu language. His fame came from his Persian- and Urdu-language poetry, which was written in the classical style for public recitation. Trying to compete with the world, the locals of Pakistan have had to take up English as a primary language, and in the process the mother tongue is long lost. But still many feel that the charm of expressing your thoughts in Urdu is not matched in any other form of language. Though not a very old language, yet a splendid and marvelous form of poetry, prose and consisting exemplary literature in form of Altaf Hussain Hali, Hasrat Mohani, Ibne Insha Urdu language has travelled a long way, in a very short period of time.

Thanks