Our Struggle- Urdu For All Urdu Hey Jis Ka Naam Hamee Jante Hain Daagh Saray Jahan Mein Dhoom Hamari Zuban Ki Hey [What Urdu is, only I know Daagh, in all the world it is immensely popular] Language has never been anybody’s hereditament or individual possession. It has always been the essence of its native speakers, learners and its custodians. Language and literature can only survive if they are considerately preserved as otherwise; they perish from society with the passage of time. Regarding this, Australia’s Indigenous languages and local dialects can be referenced. Prior to British colonisation, there were approximately seven hundred languages. Due to inattentiveness, only a handful survived and many of these are now endangered languages. It is widely accepted that the historians, writers, poets and critics of a language play a significant role in promoting and enhancing that language. In juxtaposition, the everyday speakers sustain the language for communication and in different forms of literature. The collective efforts of all excel the language to new heights. The clandestine of survival and durability of a language is not only dependant on its outreach to the masses but its continual enrichment is as equally significant. It is also a fact that language always represents a unique civilisation and it expands under exceptional circumstances. Moreover, language itself possesses a quality of expansion and enrichment akin to the roots of a plant that are in a precise location within the soil yet the fragrance of the flower that blooms cannot be trapped since the air sets the direction of its propagation. Likewise, language propels from one place to another and from one person to another. As a prominent poet says: Par Nahin Taaqat-e-Parwaaz Magar Rakhti Hay [When passion streaming from the heart turns human lips to lyres, Some magic wings man’s music then, his song with soul inspires] The history of Urdu language and literature in Indo-Pak subcontinent encompasses over seven centuries. Since its origination, it went through several ups and downs and was known by different names [Rekhta, Rekhti, Urdu-e-Moallah etc.] but during the last days of the Mughal Empire, it developed rapidly. This language that is known as Urdu nowadays is not only the national language of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan but is also widely spoken and understood in India as well as across the Middle East – including over 180 million native speakers. The first book in Urdu (prose) is known to be Sabras, written by Mullah Asadullah Wajhi and Quli Qutab Shah’s Dewan is the first book of poetry in Urdu. Nevertheless, the services of Amir Khusrao to promote Urdu cannot be overlooked. Researchers have a consensus on Quli Qutab Shah as the first Sahib-e-Dewan (Poetry involving the use of every Urdu letter for individual sets of poems) poet. After this, another prominent poet Wali Dakhni formulated a more accomplished Dewan. For example, he says: Tujh Lab Ki Sifat Laal-e-Badakhshan SooN Kahoon Ga Jaadu Hain Teray Nain Ghazalaan SooN Kahoon Ga [The beauty of your lips I’ll tell the rubies of Badakhshan (And) I’ll tell Gazelle you have got magical eyes] The evolutionary story of the Urdu language is very long. It saw many ups and downs in the period of its evolution and then it spread all over in the Indo-Pak subcontinent. Mirza Rafi Sauda began to write Qaseedas [a kind of poetry] whereas Mir Dard and Mir Taqi Mir solidified the foundation of classic poetry. Thus, Mir Taqi Mir was awarded with the title of King of Ghazal. The prose and poetry continued to improve and enhance across generations. Subsequently, it entered into the stage when the poetry of Bahadar Shah Zafar, Hakeem Moman Khan Moman, Ibrahim Za’uq and Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib was equally popular across the Indo-Pak subcontinent. Ghalib not only made the Urdu poetry vast in terms of philosophical poetry but he also laid the foundation for the modern prose writing. On one hand Ghalib modernised the language and on the other, Mir Amman made it well-reputed by writing Bagh-o-Bahar in the field of Dastan (epic stories). Before Mir Amman, Rajab Ali Baig Saroor wrote Fasana-e Ajaib and Ratan Naath Sarshaar wrote Fasana-e-Azaad and thus, they played a critical role in the development of Novel from Dastaan. Further, Mir Hasan’s Mathnvi (a kind of poetry) Sehr-ul-Biyan became a milestone in Urdu poetry as he laid the foundation of short story writing in poetry. Whereas, Nazir Akbarabadi created layman’s poems and thus he got the title of a public poet. In the twentieth century, the literature and in particular Urdu poetry took a new shape due to the rapid change in political, social and overall circumstances. Under these circumstances, Muhammad Husain Azaad played a revolutionary role in the development of ideas in Urdu and this was further progressed by Haali. Another renowned name who did extraordinary work in the field of Urdu prose was Abu-ul-Kalam Azaad. His eloquence excelled above all Urdu writers of his time and his legacy was cemented by his surmounting work on Ghubaar-e-Khater. The inception of Safernama (travel journal in prose form) in Urdu began with the Safernama Ajaib-e-Farang of Yousaf Kambel Poosh and was refined by Mustanser Hussain Tarar in his Safernama. Alongside safernama, autobiographies were also written in Urdu. For instance, Maulana Abdul Majid Dryaabadi’s autobiography became very famous. Other prominent autobiographies include Jaush Maleehabadi’sYadoon ki Baraat, Ahsan Danish’s Jehan-e-Danish, Qudrat Ullah Shuhaab’s Shuhaab Nama and Mushtaq Ahmad Yousafi’s Sirguzashat – these serve as preliminary works to their literary profile. Akbar Allahabadi used his irony as remedy to cure the divide in society whereas Daagh Dehlvi, alongside his poetry took the responsibility to augment the language. Meanwhile the rising star on the skies of Urdu poetry rejuvenated the dead bodies of the East with fresh blood. This shining star is well known as Allama Iqbal; the one who purified the soul of Urdu poetry through his revolutionary Doctrine of Self (Khudi). After him, Faraaq Gorakhpuri, Akhtar Sherani, Noon Meem Rashid, Ahsan Danish, Jaush Maleehabadi, Faiz Ahmad … Continue reading Our Struggle – Urdu For All