{"id":49331,"date":"2024-01-18T08:30:07","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T08:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/javed-akhtar-says-urdu-isnt-owned-by-muslims-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-01-18T08:30:07","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T08:30:07","slug":"javed-akhtar-says-urdu-isnt-owned-by-muslims-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/javed-akhtar-says-urdu-isnt-owned-by-muslims-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Javed Akhtar says Urdu isn’t owned by Muslims | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bollywood’s renowned lyricist Javed Akhtar dispelled misconceptions surrounding Hindi and Urdu during an event, emphasizing that it is incorrect to categorize one as the language of Hindus and the other as the language of Muslims.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As per The Indian Express, Akhtar asserted that language is rooted in region rather than religion and highlighted that Urdu is as much a Hindustani language as Hindi. The famed writer also pointed out the unfairness of blaming Indian governments for the gradual disappearance of the Urdu script, stating that those who consider themselves custodians of their culture have failed to transmit this knowledge to younger generations.<\/p>\n

He participated in a discussion on the interconnectedness of Hindi and Urdu, likening them to “Siamese twins,” which took place at the India International Centre and was shared on the foundation\u2019s YouTube channel. This, however, isn’t the first time Akhtar has shared his thoughts on the matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHindi and Urdu were equals until about 200 years ago, when, for political reasons, they were separated,\u201d he said at the aforementioned event. \u201cYou would not be able to tell if certain poems were written by a Hindi poet or an Urdu poet. This was done by the Britishers to create a cultural difference in north India.\u201d<\/p>\n

Akhtar went on to continue, \u201cThey say that Urdu is a Muslim language. Really? What about the 10 crore Bengalis in the erstwhile East Pakistan? Malayalam giants like Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, were they writing in Urdu? All the Arabs in the Middle East, do they speak Urdu? In Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan\u2026 Where do they speak Urdu? Only in the Indian subcontinent. True, we were split 70 years ago, but it was all Hindustan, was it not?\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Urdu doesn’t solely belong to Muslims, he said that it is equally incorrect to say that Hindi is the language of Hindus. \u201cThey say Hindi is the language of Hindus. Why don\u2019t you go and tell that to the people in Tamil Nadu? Let\u2019s see what happens. All this is nonsense. Languages cannot belong to a religion. They belong to regions. Can English be the language of Christians? No. Do Christians in France and Italy speak English?\u201d He said that Urdu is a north Indian language, but while land can be divided, language cannot. \u201cYou can\u2019t say we\u2019ll have the nouns, you can have the verbs, can you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Akhtar, known for his candid cultural commentary, expressed that numerous contemporary words have been incorporated into usage due to a lack of logical alternatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will die before making a character say, \u2018Tumne mere saare hukook le liye\u2019. I will always write, \u2018Tumne mere saare adhikaar le liye\u2019. Similarly, I won\u2019t have one friend tell another, \u2018Mujhe tumhari avashyakta hai\u2019, because, \u2018Mujhe tumhari zaroorat hai\u2019 sounds better,\u201d he said. \u201cWhy am I writing in Hindustani? Because I am writing for Hindustan. I\u2019m not writing for Urdu speakers or Hindi speakers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, Akhtar made headlines when his statement at the launch of Dr Satinder Sartaaj’s Urdu poetry album titled Shayarana – Sartaj with his wife Shabana Azmi, went viral. As per Hindustan Times, he went on to say at the event that Urdu doesn’t belong to Pakistan or Egypt, but to ‘Hindustan’.<\/p>\n

At the event, Akhtar told the reporters, “Urdu hasn’t come from any other place…it is our own language. It isn’t spoken outside of Hindustan…Pakistan also came into existence after partition from India, earlier it was a part of India only. So, the language isn’t spoken outside Hindustan…”<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cPunjab has a big contribution towards Urdu and it is the language of India! But why did you leave this language? Because of partition? Because of Pakistan? Urdu should be given attention. Earlier it was only Hindustan – Pakistan later separated from Hindustan. Now Pakistan said that Kashmir is ours…will you believe that? I think ‘No’! Likewise, Urdu is a Hindustani language and it remains (so). Nowadays, new generation youths speak less Urdu and Hindi in our country. Today more focus is on English. We must speak in Hindi because it’s our national language.\u201d<\/p>\n

Akhtar further shared that a language is based on a region, not a religion. \u201cIf language was based on religion, then the whole of Europe would have one language. That\u2019s why the language is not of religion, but of the region,” the writer added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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