Different dimensions of Urdu poetry

 Urdu poetry is a phenomenal experience, for it is so rich in culture, ideas, diction and expression. "Every age has its own poetry; in every age the circumstances of history choose a nation, a race, a class to take up the torch by creating situations that can be expressed or transcended only through poetry." Jean-Paul Sartre

Urdu poetry has many dimensions but here discussed some of them. These are:

• Religion:

Urdu poetry has some specific forms in religion: Hamd, Na’t and Marsia. In Marsia, express grief on the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (R.A), his disciples and his family also.

• Social issues:

Many Urdu poets showed social issues via their poetry. Some of them include Faiz Ahmad faiz, Sahir Ludhyanwi and Allama Iqbal. 

For example, a verse of Allama Iqbal says,

 “Jis khet se kisan ko mayasir ho na rozi

  Us khet k her khosha e gandum ko jala do”

• Fight for freedom:

Urdu poetry played an important role when there was a major fight for freedom. Especially Allama Iqbal’s poetry realized Muslims their lost glory and fight against enemies.

• Ethics and morals:

Urdu poets put a strong emphasis on the ethical values and moral among the humanity. Akbar Allahabadi, Maulana Hali and Allama Iqbal are prominent poets of this domain. 

Urdu Literature

Urdu literature has a long history. It tends to be dominated by poetry specially its some verses forms: ghazal and nazm has led to its expansion into other styles of writing, including afsana or short story. Urdu literature is most popular in India, Afghanistan, foreign countries but special in Pakistan due to national language of Pakistan.

Urdu literature may be said to find its origin sometime around the 14^th century in North India amongst the sophisticated gentry of Persian courts. The color of Urdu language with a vocabulary almost split between Arabo-Persian and Sanskrit-derived Prakrit words. Amir Khusro, who exercised great influence on the initial growth of Urdu literature and language also. The couplets that come from him in are representative of a later-Prakrit Hindi bereft of Arabo-Persian vocabulary, but a century after his passing Quli Qutab Shah was seen to take a language that may be safely to be Urdu.

Urdu literature was generally composed of poetry as compare to prose. The prose component of Urdu literature infact mainly restricted to the ancient from long stories called “Dastan” often written in Persian. Dastan as a genre originated in Iran and was disseminated by folk storytellers. Some famous Dastans in Urdu are: Nau tarz-i murassa’, Nau ain-i hindi, Jazb-i ’ishq, Ara’ish-i mahfil, Bagh o bahaar, Dastan-i Amir Hamza.

International Urdu Conference Concludes

The third international Urdu conference 2010 concluded on Sunday after well arranged programmes were held during the four-day event at the art council, Karachi. The theme of that conference was the services of the pet of the East, Allama Iqbal, and 200^th death anniversary of Mir Taqi Mir.

In the first session of the conference, highlighted the effects and importance of Mir’s poetry on the Urdu language. Urdu Mushaira was most interesting part of the conference. That Mushaira was on grand international level and many famous poets participated from across the globe.

Many scholars and guests from Bangladesh, UK, Russia, Kenya and India, presented their theses those were related to the Urdu language and literature. The speakers talked about the needs, importance, trend and effect of the Urdu literature and also the ways to promote the Urdu language and literature.

In the conference, book launching ceremonies were also including, and the participants were also entertained by various musical concerts. A large number of delegations and locals from various countries participated in the conference.

Italian diplomat launches book to promote Urdu literature

In Islamabad, He came, served and he left, if one would exactly define Agostino Gaetano Bono, an Italian diplomat in federal capital, who launched his book titled ‘Urdu-Atalvi Muhawraat Aor Zarbul Amsaal Ka Majmua’ (Piccolo dizionario di proverbi ed espressioni idiomatiche in Urdu e Italiano) on Saturday.

In a glitzy even attended by literati, art lovers, diplomats and students, that book was launched to promote Urdu literature for the people of Italy across Pakistan and outside it.

The book containing 341 pages with a tag price of Rs 350 is one of the basic reasons Bono discuss with Daily Times to help two nations people, in understanding and knowing each other in a good way that may lead to improve their diplomatic relations.

 In fluent Urdu, Agostino Gaetano Bono said in his speech, the book is written in two national languages Urdu and Italian. “I collected the idioms and proverbs in this book after working very hard and with tireless efforts to add the details of their proper use in this book,” Bono said in Urdu.

He recently opened a department for Italian Languages in National University of Modern Languages (NUML); he had decided to give 50 copies of his book to the university’s Rector Dr. Aziz Ahmad Khan. “In addition to this, I am donating a part of my personal library which constitutes three encyclopedias on history, geography and general topics,” Bono said.

Bazm-E-Urdu Qatar releases poetry book Shoara-e-Samastipur

In Qatar Nov 7, Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar (BUQ) organized ceremony of a book Shoara-e-Samastipur complied by Ashfaq Qalaque and Bismil Arif at Urdu Khaima in Bin Omran last Friday night. The 144 pages book Shoara-e-Samastipur contains selected poetries of some well known poets of literary circles, from Samastipur district, India.

The function was supervised over by well known poets and chairman of BUQ Mohammed Mumtaz Rashed and Shakeel Ahmad Kakvi, the president of Indian Association for Bihar and Jharkhad, was the chief guest while Ashfaque Qalaque, one of the authors, was the guest of honor. That function was begun with the recitation of some verses of Holy Quran by Wobaidur Rehman. Iftekhar Raghib was initial Anker and welcomed the esteemed guests and acknowledged the literary contributions of Qalaque and Arfi.

Ashfaque Qalaque is a local Urdu poet existing in Qatar for more than ten years and belongs to Samastipur, Bihar. He is currently joint secretary of BUQ and general secretary of Dabistan-e-Adab Qatar. While the New Delhi based co-author, Bismil Arfi is also a poet and sub-editor of Milli Ettehad monthly magazine.

Urdu lovers attended the function include Khalid Dad Khan, Ibrahim Kamal Khan, Yusuf Kamal, Eijaz Haidar, Faisal Haneef, Ashfaque Deshmukh, Mohammed Belal Khan, Hamid Ali, Farooque Ahmad,  Mohammed Shamsuddin, Rabbani, Asim Ghauri, Zawar Hussain Zair, and Imteyaz Ahsan etc.

Conference Seeks Independent Panel For Urdu

At the conference

A resolution an independent Urdu Language Commission to establish in the country was passed on Thursday during the International Urdu Conference in Pune. In the memory of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad this is the 32^nd meet organized by the All India Urdu Educational Committee, Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society and Haji Gulam Muhammad Azam Trust.

The Resolution was given to the government to create Urdu language commission for the development and conversion of Urdu language in different areas and also forced the government to create a revised national education policy, which helps to provide equal facilities and concessions to educational institutes both governments and privates. It also forced to include the essay of Maulana Azad’s life in local text books as well as also demanded to also celebrate the birthday of Maulana Azad’s as a National Education Day.

Following are the few personalities name which was present in the conference such as Mohammad Jalil Pasha (president of All India Urdu Educational Committee) Hamidulla Bat (director, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language) socialist leader Bhai Vaidya (president of MCES P A Inamdar) Abdul Karim Salar and S N Pathan.

Economic Aspect of the Urdu Literature

The Urdu is a centuries old language. It is a language which was developed by the poetry. Later when the language was fully developed and established, the Urdu literature started to build and form shape.

Moulvi Nazir Ahmed was the first novel writer of the Urdu language. His novels, especially the initial ones, proved to be the bestsellers. It is not known that in those times, what was the unit of price Moulvi Nazir Ahmed and the publishers fixed for his novels. But the volume of the novels sold was too much to make considerable money.

However writing the Urdu literature in these times or the older times is not and has not been lucrative when compared to the literature of the other languages. The Urdu language is spoken and read mostly in India and Pakistan. Unfortunately these two countries have considerably low literacy rate.

The government of Pakistan always lies about its literacy rate. According to independent entities, the literacy rate of Pakistan is only around 30 percent. Most of these are not the people who can read or write Urdu without difficulty. Most of these are just the people who can scribble their name on a paper with a pen. 

So, it is obvious that in such a country the economic aspect of the Urdu literature is too bad. The Urdu writing cannot be made a profession to make money. Another factor is that the working class which is educated and wants to read do not make enough money to buy books.