Urdu termed miracle of languages

ACP hosts four-day International Urdu Conference

KARACHI:

Addressing the four-day International Urdu Conference at Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi, scholars and intellectuals said that the voice and eloquence of Urdu language reaches all those who have heart and feelings.

"Urdu is the miracle of languages. The atmosphere that the creators need is not entirely available to them but they somehow find a way for themselves," they said.

The inaugural session of the International Urdu Conference was chaired by Zehra Nigah, Asad Muhammad Khan, Kishwar Naheed, Muneeza Hashmi, Noorul Huda Shah, Yousuf Khushk, Munawar Saeed and Gopi Chand Narang while researcher and educationist Dr. Jaffar Ahmed and linguistics expert Dr Tariq Rehman presented the keynote address.

Addressing the inaugural session online from India, Gopi Chand Narang said that he was born in Pakistan and his language is Balochi and Seraiki while he also knows Pushto. "I later got the magic of Urdu and the blessings of the stairs of Delhi Mosque but Urdu is included in my DNA," Narang said and added that the region was very fertile in terms of language. "Nowhere else are so many languages spoken in this region," he said. "Urdu has sweetness and also has the elegance and politeness of Arabic and Persian as well as the fragrance of our soil. The sounds of our land are heard in Urdu. The beauty of Urdu language is further enhanced by the way in which Arabic and Persian words have merged into it," Narang said.

Educationist and researcher Dr. Jaffar Ahmed said that the interrelationship between Urdu and civilization has nurtured literature and has also improved our culture.

"At the moment, the culture is shrinking," he said. "We are celebrating our culture in situations that do not suit us. It is imperative that we keep an eye on the reasons why the poisonous water of intolerance is being released so fast in the beds where literature blooms," he added.

Dr. Tariq Rehman said that Urdu is our national language but there is also a need to give national language status to other regional languages. He said that the breadth and openness of Urdu language is in its place but in order to give importance to other local languages, we need to promote them so that they too get the status of national languages like Urdu.

Zehra Nigah, who served as the chair of the inaugural session, said, "If today's conditions are not conducive to poetry and culture and civilization, then thanks to such conferences and the efforts made by the writers, the time will come when society will change. We will see that instead of intolerance, feelings of tolerance have been created."

On this occasion Secretary Arts Council Professor Ejaz Ahmad Farooqi expressed his gratitude. Dr. Huma Mir anchored the inaugural session.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2021.