The Birth of Urdu: A Cultural Fusion

At the juncture of divisive politics espousing hatred and communalism, symbols like language remind us of our glorious past. Urdu, a language born out of the synthesis of Hindu and Muslim cultures is an excellent example. Today, the language has evolved and branched out into various fields.

The Urdu Alphabet I Source: Dawn.com

Amidst the climate of communalism, history prevails as a force stronger than hatred. Long before the Indian subcontinent succumbed to division and animosity, it resembled a static riverbank, witnessing the flow of dynasties that left relics of their rule. These relics later became symbolic tokens of cross-cultural interactions, influencing our lives even today. Urdu, a form of the Hindustani language, is one such historical artefact representing the cultural confluence between Hindus and Muslims in India. The word "Urdu" is believed to have been used for the first time in 1780 by Ghulam Hamadani Mushafi, a Ghazal poet, and is derived from the Turkish word Ordu, meaning ‘camp.’ In the late 18th century, it was known as Zaban-e-Urdu-e-Mualla, translating to ‘language of the exalted camp.’ Urdu is a language of romance, poetry, longing, and resistance.

The birth of Urdu is speculated to have followed Mahmud of Ghazni’s establishment of the capital at Lahore between 1024-1027. By creating a Persianate state in Punjab, he laid the groundwork for a synthesis between his Persian-speaking army and the local people, resulting in the old Urdu. Later, when Muhammad of Ghor arrived in India, the mixture of Persian spoken by the new invaders and Khari Boli spoken in the Delhi regions gave rise to new Urdu, enriched with loanwords from both languages. While Persian retained its status as the official language of the Court, the local language evolved to suit the cosmopolitan backgrounds of multiple communities, united through migration, invasion, or imperialism. The language went by several names before being called Urdu, such as Hindi, Hindavi, Hindustani, Dehlavi, Dihlawi, Lahori, and Lashkari.

Urdu and Hindi, the predominant languages of Northern India, share numerous similarities in phonology and grammar, almost seeming like one language. However, their vocabulary draws from distinct sources; Hindi borrows heavily from Sanskrit, while Urdu adopts its lexicon from Persian and Arabic. Over time, Urdu and Hindu have intertwined, leading to a shared vocabulary. The writing systems, Perso-Arabic script called Nastaliq for Urdu which is written from left to right and Devanagari script for Hindi written left to right, with a horizontal matra (line) atop each word in a sentence, are the most significant distinguishing factors.

Ironically, the situation of these two languages mirrors the Hindu-Muslim conflict in our nation. Since the Mughal era, Urdu and Hindi have been the languages of common people. Renowned poet Amir Khusrau laid the foundation of a literary tradition in Hindavi in the 13th century. Poet Mir Taqi’s anthology confirms that Khusrau composed verses in both Hindi and Urdu. A famous verse by Bengali revolutionary poet Kazi Nazrul Islam - “Mora ek brintte duti kusum, Hindu-Mussalman” (We, Hindus and Muslims, are two flowers of the same stalk) - celebrates the sentiment of oneness between Hindus and Muslims. Unfortunately, during colonial rule, British divisive politics sowed suspicion and hatred between these “two flowers”. By creating a division between the two languages and granting official status to Urdu in 1837, the British succeeded in breaking the trust between Hindus and Muslims. This seed of rage culminated in the demand for a separate state for Muslims, leading to the Partition of 1947 and the creation of Pakistan, where Urdu became the national language. In India, Urdu is protected by the Constitution and is one of the Eight Scheduled Languages, spoken by millions across the country.

Sahir Ludhianvi, the 'Pacifist Urdu Poet' I Source: Media India Group

Urdu has profoundly influenced people’s vocabulary and remains a significant part of Bollywood songs and mellifluous verses or Shayari. The last three lines of Sahir Ludhianvi’s famous nazm on Taj Mahal - “ik shahanshāh ne daulat kā sahārā le kar / hum ġharīboñ kī mohabbat kā udāyā hai mazāq / merī mahbūb kahīñ aur milā kar mujh se” (Flaunting his wealth / An Emperor has ridiculed a poor man's love / My beloved, meet me elsewhere) - portrays a distinct perception of the Taj Mahal in Urdu. Ludhianvi uses Urdu as a tool of socio-cultural resistance, transcending its romantic nature. It reflects how Urdu has become a medium to express profound perspectives and sentiments beyond its traditional role.