Reviving interest in Urdu: Young men and women treated to a dose of Ibn-e-Insha

The need to pique youth’s dying interest in the language highlighted.

ISLAMABAD:

Ibn-e-Insha’s prose and poetry made an appearance at Kuch Khaas, as “Baithak” held its monthly meeting on Wednesday. The session was conducted by Laal’s lead singer and political activist Taimur Rahman.

With his voice echoing down a dim-lit hall, the audience, comprising a small group of men and women, observed pin drop silence as they heard him read Ibn-e-Insha’s prose and poetry. While some of them were about distorted relationships, other humorous pieces lightened the mood in the room.

Relating poetry to mannerism, Rahman said that a rich language such as Urdu is a nation’s pride. The usage of words in Urdu literature reflects soft and elegant lifestyle, which has gradually faded away into history, he said.

One of the participants stressed on the need for the youth to connect to their roots, saying that poetry was a great way to do so. “They know Harry Potter but they are unaware about Mirza Ghalib Faiz Ahmed Faiz and other legends of Urdu literature,” she said, adding that English has become a priority for educators, parents and children.

Agreeing with her, Rahman said parents these days do not make an effort to teach Urdu to their children. “Today’s kids cannot even read or write Urdu properly, leave alone understand poetry,” he said.

He told The Express Tribune that the youth is disconnected from their roots and parting ways from Urdu has played a major role in that.  An instructor of political science at Lahore University of Management Sciences, the 37-year-old believes language creates a strong bond in connecting people to their roots.

Rehman has already read out the work of Pitras Bukhari and Saddat Hassan Manto in previous sessions of Baithak.

The next session will focus on Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi. Baithak is a platform that aims to revive the interest of Urdu literature among the youth.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2012.