First appearance of Urdu & Arabic courses

In Indra Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) introduced two new programmes in Urdu and Arabic languages. Students can get admissions in two sessions January or July.

The School of Humanities has launched BA (Elective) programme in Urdu adding to its certificate and diploma programmes while the School of Foreign Languages has launched a certificate programme in Arabic language in the University.

The course introduces pronunciation skills, Script writing, communicative Urdu and comprehension of Urdu prose and poetry. Each course has eight credits to improve the communicating, writing, reading and comprehensive skills of students. The maximum duration to complete the diploma programme is three years while the minimum duration is one year.

The certificate programme in Arabic language aims at acquainting beginners with the essentials of the Arabic language. In this programme includes four essential components: reading, writing, listening and speaking. This programme provides students to learn simple, friendly and innovative material with audio support. This programme’s syllabus divided into two parts, course one and course two. Course one basis on basics of Arabic language with reading and writing while course two comprises on listening and speaking.

We got no funds to hold meet, says Urdu Academy

Bangalore: World Urdu Conference started on Wednesday to celebrate and discussed about some major issues of Urdu language. Organizers complained the many letters to chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, asking for support to hold the conference, fell on deaf ears.

Though the letters were forwarded to the Kannada and culture department from August, the pleas were not recognized by the department. "We had written several times to the CM and the Kannada and culture department, but nobody took any interest. We did not get any financial support either. We had requested for Rs 3.5 crore to organize this international meet. On the contrary, the department decided to dissolve our Academy," said chief patron, All India Urdu Manch, Khaleel Mamoom.
The meet saw several Urdu poets from different countries including United Kingdom, Pakistan, Bangladesh and US. Governor H R Bharadwaj appeared in completely different mood on Wednesday and addressed luminaries of Urdu literature and poetry and also told the audience how integral Urdu was to the culture of the country.

Former chairman, Sahitya Academy, Gopi Chand Narang also said again that the message of Urdu should reach the people. "We should give the pluralistic message of Urdu to Karnataka. It goes along with Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Rajasthani or Punjabi. We will not allow politicization of language here," he said.

Urdu is a secular language

Bangalore: 29^th December 2010, Karnataka Governor H R Bharadwaj recommended religious tolerance between Muslims and Hindus in country because it’ll become an initiative to promote the best relations between India and Pakistan. Urdu ties between two countries strongly.

 “The politicization of cultural values like saying Urdu belongs to only a particular community, is misleading,” Mr. Bharadwaj said. Urdu does not have religion or region it is co-existed with other languages like Kannada, Telugu, Kashmiri, Punjabi and Hindi in many states, he added.

India was known for promotion of values of Pluralism from times immemorial and will continue to promote Urdu as part of its constitutional duty, Mr. Bharadwaj added.

The main purpose of this two-day world conference is to bring Urdu intellectuals, writers and poets on one platform where they’ll share their ideas that how can to promote and protect Urdu language in India and abroad as well. More than 600 delegates including poets from all over the world are taking part of this conference.

It will also purposeful for the promotion and protection of Urdu literature and the problems will also be encountered in this conference.

Urdu poet—Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi

Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi (1916-2006) born as Ahmad Shah Awan. He was very famous Pakistani Urdu poet, literary critic, dramatist, and journalist. He was most prominent figure in Urdu literature. His Urdu afsana work is considered by some second only to Premchand in its masterful depiction of rural culture.

He graduated from the University of the Punjab, Lahore. He started his career as a Govt. clerk which he eventually left to pursue journalism. In his long career as writer and editor He had several literary Urdu journals including Phool, Tehzeeb-i-Niswan, Adab-i-Lateef, Naqoosh and Savera.

In 1962, Qasmi started his own journal Fanoon. The legendary friendship and support of Khadija Mastoor and Hajira Masroor and support to a host of the other writers from Ahmad faraz, Najib Ahmad, Saqi Farooqi and others was linked to Fanoon. Many other famous Urdu writers including Ata ul Haq Qasmi, Munnoo Bhai, Nazeer Naji and Amjad Islam Amjad proudly claim Qasmi’s patronage.

Qasmi received Pride of Performance in 1968 and Pakistan Academy Letters lifetime achievement award and country’s highest civil honor, Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 1980. His published collections of his best-known work include Urdu poetry volumes Jalal-o-Jamal, Shola-i-Gul and Kisht-i-Wafa. He died on the July 10, 2006.

The major genres of poetry found in Urdu

There are major genres of poetry found in Urdu

• Doha, is self-contained couplet in poetry. Doha is first common in Apabhramsha and was commonly used in Urdu and Hindi poetry. Some Dohas were most famous and those were of Rahim, Tulsidas, Sarahpa, Kabir, Surdas and Jamiluddin Aali.  
• Fard, It is infact a composition of a single Sher; Shero-Shayari is called Fard.
• Geet, it is popular composition or song.
• Ghazal, It is poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets. It is an expressive form of poetry which expresses the feelings of love and pain of loss and separation also. Urdu ghazals are one of the best ways of expressions.
• Hamd, is a poem in praise of Allah.
• Hijv, A poem written to condemn or to abuse a person.
• Kafi, is a classical form of Sufi poetry.
• Madah, in these poems written in praise of Kings and Patrons.
• Manqabat, It one more special kind of poems, in which written in praise of Ahle-E-Bait or Sahaba.
• Masnavi, A long epic poem describing the past events, and the famous masanavis are Shah-Nama of Firdosi, Masnavi-E-Roomi in Persian and Zehar-E-Ishq in Urdu.
• Na’t, it is written in the praise of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). Who recite the Na’t are known as the Na’t Khuwan or Sana’a Khuwan.

Some of other genres of Urdu poetry are:

• Hazal
• Munajat
• Musaddas
• Marsia
• Mukhammas
• Nazm
• Noha
• Qasida
• Qat’a
• Qawwali
• Rubai
• Salam
• Sehra
• Shehr a'ashob
• Soz
• Wasokht

World Urdu Conference & Mushaira

Bangalore: World Urdu conference and Mushaira is held on 29, 30 Dec.  Urdu is most poetic language across the world. No doubt, present generation is far away from Urdu, but still they like Urdu poetry as a trend. In Bangalore World Urdu conference is held and many scholars, journalists, writers and other intellectuals from across the country will be addressing this dilemma. Intellectuals from other countries like UK, USA, Pakistan, Canada and Bangladesh are also expected to attend the conference.

All members who will be participated in conference, they put together a list of guiding principles that would be implemented to promote Urdu language. The conference is scheduled to begin at 10:30 am at The Capital Hotel, Raj Bhavan Road, Bangalore. The Mushaira is scheduled to begin at 8:30 pm on 30^th December in the Shivajinagar Stadium, Bangalore. Some of the prominent Indian poets who would participate in Mushaira are Janab Hassan Kamal and Janab Rahat Indori from Mumbai, Janab Anjum Barabankvi from Bhopal, Janab Sardar Ayagh and Janab Maher Mansoor from Bangalore and many others from different cities of India. Some of poets invited from abroad also.

Urdu conference will also clarify that Urdu is not linked to only Muslims. Urdu is one of the official languages of India. A number of papers will be presented in the conference with regard to vast aspects of the language Urdu.    

Urdu Shayari

One of the most dominant forms of poetry is Urdu Shayari. Urdu Shayari also known as Urdu Sher O Shayari, It is a varied field of poetry that has many different forms and colors. Every Shair of Urdu Shayari is usually rhymes. It tells all about beauties of life and also describes feelings of love in a beautiful way.

Urdu poetry can be traced to the ancient Arabic and Persian forms of poetry. These forms were very popular in kings and Emperors’ times. Urdu Shayari has ability of breathing life into words. The couplets in Urdu can make forget all tensions when one person read or write poetry, can easily forget their tensions and also by poetry love can easily express to another person.

Urdu poetry has long history behind it, and still from past it has more importance in human beings life. It is ancient tradition which is influenced by Persian and Arabic. It was much influenced by major Urdu poets of India and basically mixes with Urdu, Hindi and Hindustani. Major cities holding Urdu poetry expositions known as Mushairas. Many people attend these Mushairas to relief their souls and free from stress.