The digital revival of the Urdu language

The brains behind online portal Toffee TV are cementing ties to our mother tongue

It is rather ironic how Urdu is fast becoming obsolete in many parts of Pakistan. Much of the upper working class has accepted English as the main medium of exchange while the relatively less affluent and educated consider it a source of pride to learn an English word or two. So often, our native tongue is taken for granted, despite its beautiful nuances and elegant prose.

Fortunately, Rabia Garib and Talea Zafar are working hard to keep Urdu alive. The dynamic duo have established a web portal called Toffee TV with hopes of making the language exciting and fun for youngsters who are more inclined towards English. “Talea and I figured this could be a great success since every child nowadays has an Ipad and knows about technology,” says Rabia of how the idea for Toffee TV came about.

The story ideas come from ragged books found in old book bazaars in Karachi. They are then interpreted and transformed into digital mode to be shared online. Due credit is given to the original publisher and author whose names appear in the book but many times, the creators are unknown.

To attract learners, Toffee TV offers a wide range of Urdu songs and stories online for children. The aim is to educate and entertain, simultaneously. “The role of technology in digital education is very important; it’s like learning Urdu through imagination,” says Rabia. At first, Toffee TV began as a channel on YouTube where the concept received a very promising response.

Unfortunately, copyright issues are something the portal has to deal with frequently. “Anyone can make a video by putting together images and animation with sound,” adds Rabia. “To make a story, we have to take care of the idea. We must think of who will make illustrations, how the songs will sound and the animation of the characters. It requires a lot of people and time.”

Rabia looks after most of the audio while Talea is an able artist, illustrator and animator. The former is also responsible for updating their social media accounts and keeping the Toffee TV library up to date. Now, four years after its inception, Toffee TV is an ever-expanding website, employing about 20 individuals and attracting traffic from across the globe, especially from the United States, Europe and Middle East. “The response in Pakistan hasn’t been as good as people take Urdu for granted here,” explains Rabia. “But those living abroad want their children to learn their mother tongue and get some more exposure.”

Ishrat Ansari works on the Karachi desk at The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, June 7^th, 2015.