Ashfaq Ahmed – One Of The Founders Of Pakistani Urdu Literature

No matter how far away you are from home, your national language is something that you will always miss. Same is the case with Urdu language. Being the national language of more than 17 million people, it is one of the most spoken languages on earth. The rise of Urdu language started with the founding of Pakistan. However, it was numerous great names and their great contributions towards Urdu literature that has made this language as amazing and diverse as it is today.

Speaking about Urdu language, one name cannot be filed to mention and that is Ashfaq Ahmed. One of the few people who have the biggest contribution in diversifying the horizons of Urdu literature and giving people and the world a new insight towards Urdu language.

Ashfaq Ahmed was born in 1925 on August 22, in Garhmukteshwar village, Ghaziabad, British India. He received his early education from his home district. Before the independence of Pakistan, he migrated to Lahore and later on completed his Masters in Urdu Literature from Government College Lahore.

Ashfaq Ahmed had a strong command on his writing skills and he showed it by giving his readers a wide range of options from short stories to novels. Among his notable work in Urdu literature, Zaviya, Aik Mohabbat So Afsanay, Gadaria, Talqeen Shah, Mun Chalay Ka Sauda, Hairat Kadah, Safar Dar Safar, Tota Kahani and Baba Sahiba are some of them. He was simply amazing with a pen and all of his work will always remain with his readers.

Enjoy The Beauty Of Language: Do Not Translate Poetry Because It Will Lose Its Beauty Otherwise

There are number of pieces of literature from Urdu poetry, which have been translated into different languages. There are many pieces of work that have been translated from different languages into Urdu like from Khusrau in Urdu. For example:

Baghanimat shumar aie dost agar yafta ee,

Ruey zeba-o-raushan-o-ayyam-e-bahar.

This verse has been translated into  “It is sheer good fortune if one gains the sight of the beloved, of good wine and the balmy days of spring.”. The translation never produces satisfactory results at all. Usually the translation ends up in substandard material.

Translation in poetry never ends up in poetry or poetic verses. The translation finishes up on explaining the meaning of the verse or stanza but nothing more than that. Sometimes translation might end up in a piece of work, worthy of being called poetry, but very rarely and only when the translator is god gifted to deal both languages.

Urdu’s culture has strongly been influenced by Persian. Poetry in both these languages has its own importance. Ghazal has been an important genus in Persian and so it enjoys the same importance in Urdu as well. If we look at another master piece from Bedil, the sufistic poet of Patna who writes:

Bedil, the sufistic poet from Patna, writes:

Dast-e-man-o-damaan-e-hasrat kay dar bazm-e-wisal,

Umr beguzasht, wa hamaan chashm-e-nadeedan baaz bood.

(or)

Sarmaya-e-aagahi gar aiinadariha ast,

Dar ma-o-tau cheezi neest nazdeektar az doori

These verses have special importance which cannot be maintained if the verses have been translated because the words used in Persian, cannot produce the same meaning, if translated in Urdu.

Urdu-Let’s Work For Its Progress

Urdu is one of those influential languages which have provided a versatile and soft expression for all of its users. Urdu language has always provided a unique and modern expression for diversified subjects of life.

Since its evolution, opponents have tried to remove its essence and beauty with controversies to abandon its use as a language of choice by millions. Through different tough times it has managed to keep its uniqueness and legacy of vocabulary.

It is apparent whenever, Urdu language has come across challenges; its users have defended its existence with unique literal creations.

Famous poets like Iqbal, Meer, Ghalib and others have proved the absolute compatibility of language for all type of expressions. Urdu is simple yet very rich language. Using it, critical and sensitive subjects can be expressed softly and wittily.

Today the use of Urdu language is losing its soul as common communication medium. We see less Urdu publications every year. It is our duty to protect its existence, so we should work hard to keep our national inheritance in its true form.

According to recent news in the “Times of India”, Sapara, a true lover of URDU Language, travels 50 km daily to teach Urdu language to university students. He said that Urdu is rich and deep language, its expression is unique and marvelous. He showed his worries on critical factor that there are hardly few good Urdu teachers left in the world.

It is responsibility of users to work in alliance for the development and progress of this language.

Vocational Training For All Urdu Speaking Youngsters

In New Delhi recently, it is announced soon there will be vocational training institute for all of the youngsters to equip themselves with the modern Urdu language. This will help them at work place and in their lives being fulfilling all the needs for effective communication.

According to HRD minister Kapil Sibal; Urdu language is a rich language, it has ability to meet need for all type of communications. Language is true depiction of culture and values of its speakers.

He further said it is important to link up Urdu with the Education and Job. It will help language to see new innovations and people would be motivated to learn language with skills and knowledge to perform well at job place.

Gathering was arranged to pay tribute to Maulana Azad and his contribution for Urdu language. Sibal was awarded with an award for his contribution for Urdu Language. Other speakers had appreciated Kapil Sibal and insisted steps should be taken to favor Urdu.

Today it is responsibility of Urdu speaker he/ she should work for the betterment of language. All steps would be taken to implement language as official in its true sense. We should induce interest in our young generation to read and contribute for its progress.

Urdu is a versatile language and we all have to take out this message to outer world with creative and informative publications.

Let’s work together understanding the responsibility to leave a legacy for our generation like we had from ancestors.

For more information on Urdu you can search Different online Urdu Portals.

Bano Qudsiya: Gem of Urdu literature!

When it comes to Urdu language, the very first thing comes to one’s mind is decency and sophistication. You can find this edge of sophistication when you start exploring Urdu literature. The maturity and wisdom you see in the pieces of Urdu literature cannot be found in any other language. Bano Qudsiya is one of those names who come at the top in the list of intellects. She made a great contribution in Urdu prose writing and her novels are famous among every age group.

Raja Gidh is one of the most popular and hot favorite novel written by Bano Qudsiya. It comes under the classical piece of writing in Urdu literature. The basic concept of the novel is to explain human nature and the writer compared the human nature with scavenger. She tried to tell people that when humans go negative that cross all the boundaries of evil and become worst than a scavenger. Scavenger is a bird who eats flesh of dead animals and humans.

The novel tells the reader that, this is what people do with each other; they take advantage of weaknesses of emotionally fragile persons and eat their lives by ruining them. They use the tool of emotional destruction and spoil their lives brutally. It teaches another lesson to the reader that when you run toward forbidden desires, you get nothing except pain and devastation. People destroy their lives with their own hands by running toward illusion.  

Badshah Munir Bukhari’s A Reknowed Urdu Linguist!

Urdu is the language of subcontinent. It is commonly spoken in South Asia. There are many names, that have made their place in the literature and linguistics of Urdu language, Badshah Munir Bukhari is one of them. He is a linguist, who belongs to Chitral (a northern part of Pakistan).by profession he is an Assistant Professor in linguistic and member of the department of Urdu in university of Peshawar.

One of his masterpieces in the form of a book was on Urdu and Khowar.  There are very few sources available on Khowar and Bukhari has provided it with an English Urdu dictionary. Besides being a professor, he is the editor of Khayaban (the research journal published by the department of the Urdu in Peshawar University). He also enjoys the membership of world language organization and the sole contributor of the international phonetic association, from Pakistan.

In the year 2004, he was awarded a medal of honor for his contribution to the field of linguistic research, from the government of Pakistan. He made a huge contribution to Urdu language through his research Aryan and non-Aryan theories of Urdu language. Besides Urdu language, he has also premeditated and written seven previously unwritten languages of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Bukhari’s qualities do not end here but another major contribution of him was the translation of Urdu, Pashto, Khowar and Dari on different regional languages of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Bukhari is one of the few names of Urdu language, who will be always quoted as a gem.