Aaj Janey Ki Zid Na Karo – Ghazal
Reasons Why Urdu Learning With the Help of Technology is Preferred Over Conventional Learning
The fact cannot be denied that the use of technology has become an integral part of our lives, it is the same way as it oxygen to us. None of our daily life tasks, whether trivial or requiring special skills are complete without technology, hence it has transformed everything, which we were used to of doing the old fashioned way.
With regards to learning of language in general and Urdu language learning in particular, the use of technology has also transformed it. People these days prefer learning Urdu by utilizing technology, the lines below gives some reason behind the effects of technology on Urdu learning and its preference.
The first and perhaps the most important reason why the use of technology in Urdu learning is gaining prominence is the fact that the intervention of technology makes Urdu learning convenient. The online Urdu learning classes, the software, the different social media groups for Urdu learning all are the forms of technology, which are frequently used these days. With these software the learner can learn Urdu without leaving home or without formally visiting an institute, hence, the lessons with the help of such technological tools make learning easy and convenient.
The second reason why Urdu learning with the help of technology is more preferred compared to conventional learning is the fact that it is cost effective. Pertaining to the orthodox method of Urdu learning, a learner will have to get enrolled in a school, arrange commute to take classes on daily basis and also buy the learning related material. On the other hand, when a student is learning Urdu with the help of a software or online, then all such costs go down. The student does not need pay heavy fee to get enrolled in the school, there is no need for spending on commute as well as the learning can take place in the home and above all there is minimal learning material required. Therefore, this way, the learning costs quite less compared to the orthodox method of learning.
The third reason why Urdu learning with the help of technology is becoming more popular in the Urdu learners is the fact that they are in control of learning. Most of the times with conventional learning it happens that the students have to work very hard to stay on par with the rest of the class, as the lessons are given to the whole class. In doing so, there are students who cannot take such burden and they quit learning. On the other hand, if learning with the help of technology is opted then the student can pretty much control the pace of learning. In online learning classes, the student receives individual attention from the teacher, hence the learning is enforced appropriately. Similarly, with the help of a software the student can select a particular lesson and keep on learning the same lesson unless and until it is properly understood. Hence the learning which takes place in this regard is effective.
In a nutshell, because of the control it provides to the student, its cost effectiveness and convenience, learning Urdu with the help of technology is more preferred compared to conventional learning.
A Brief Introduction To Urdu Poetry
Urdu has established itself as one of the renowned languages of the subcontinent region of South Asia. The language has a long history when it comes to its development and over a period of time it has managed to inspire people all across the globe in different genres and presents a set of religious, cultural and social values of the Urdu language speakers to the foreigners.
When it comes to different genres of Urdu that are most popular is Urdu poetry. Besides the popular genre of Urdu fiction, the poetry is also of equal importance and all over the world in Urdu language courses, the teaching of poetry is a necessary component. The lines below give a brief introduction of genre of Urdu poetry.
As far as the historical development of the genre is concerned, it is as old as the language Urdu itself. Urdu started becoming a vulgar language during the reign of Mughal emperors. Besides their love for architecture and paintings, the one other thing for which Mughals were renowned was their love for poetry. Thus, although, the language of court was Persian where Mughals would listen to Persian poets, however, at a rustic level, it was the Urdu poetry that was being formed on the same rules and parameters as the Persian poetry. Hence, since Urdu became a language of the masses, it is from then that the Urdu poetry started.
After the initial years, in the 19th century is when Urdu received the greatest of contributions pertaining to Urdu poetry. Besides the other major names that surfaced in Urdu poetry in the 19th century, one of the most prominent names was of Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib. He is one of the greatest poets of Urdu language, and his works have been translated into many languages. If Ghalib is taken out of Urdu poetry, then half the poetry ceases to exist.
In the twentieth century also, poetry remained one of the renowned genres of Urdu languages. It was Allama Iqbal in the 20th century who gave a new direction to Urdu poetry and used it as a means of reforms. It was the poetry of Iqbal that revolutionized the whole Muslim population of subcontinent who then formed a spate country of their own called ‘Pakistan’. He is the national poet of Pakistan and his poetry in Urdu is considered a pivotal element for the development of struggle of Pakistan, hence, Iqbal utilized poetry as a medium of bringing and provoking change.
Urdu poetry consists of different forms of which the popular one is Ghazal. Besides Urdu Ghazal, there is Nazam, Marsiya, Rubai and so on. There is substantial amount of literature in each and every form of Urdu poetry, therefore, all the forms are respected and equally accepted amongst the literary circles.
In a nutshell, Urdu has a rich history when it comes to poetry. Besides being used as a means of expressing personal feelings and desires in an aesthetically pleasant way, Urdu poetry has contributed heavily into bringing social reforms among the dwellers of the subcontinent, which shows the kind of power this genre carries.
The Origin And Development Of Urdu Journalism
Pertaining to Urdu language, the general misconception is that it is a language of Muslims and only the Muslims of subcontinent region speak it. Although the speaker of the Urdu language are majorly Muslims however, there are speakers of other faiths as well and these people have played a great role in the evolution and development of Urdu language.
Urdu was initially abhorred as a vulgar language by the Muslim rulers of Mughal empire and they rejected it because of the fact that it was the language of masses and people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds used it to communicate with each other. Therefore, Muslims cannot be called the only caretakers of the language.
The role of people of other faith in the development of language aside, initially it were the people of other faiths who started Urdu journalism. The lines below give a brief history of the start and development of Urdu journalism.
The first Urdu newspaper was published in Kolkata in the year 1822 to by a Hindu journalist called Harihar Dutta. The newspaper was named Jam-i-Jahan-Numa. It was the first of its kind and it laid the foundation for using Urdu as a means of journalistic writing. The founder of the newspaper was the grandson of the renowned Bengali journalist Tara Chand Dutta. Initially it was a paper consisting of three pages and was published on weekly bases. The paper continued on being published till the year 1888 when because of Urdu becoming a renowned and established writing it gave up to the competition.
The second renowned Urdu newspaper was also started by a Hindu, Munshi Harsukh Rai in the year 1850. The paper was named Kohinoor and like its predecessor it was also a weekly however, compared to the predecessor it had a bigger market and it produced almost 350 copies every week, which is quite a high number as per the standards of those days. In the year 1858, it was the first Urdu daily that started publishing. The name of the paper was Urdu Guide and it was published by Manbiri Kabiruddin which was also published in Calcutta.
From that onwards, Urdu journalism started moving towards the northern region of the subcontinent and it was in Lahore that the daily Urdu newspaper by the name of Roznamha-e-Punjab started pu8blishing. It also began publishing in the year 1858.
It was after the rebellion of 1857 that the Muslims of subcontinent started understanding their distinct identity and to make sure that they had everything distinguished compared to people of other religions in subcontinent, they started using Urdu as a means of communication as well as for the purpose of journalism. Hence, it was then that the Muslims extensively started using Urdu in newspapers and magazines and it started becoming a language of Muslims.
In a nutshell, Urdu being a language or Muslims is wrong, rather the origin and development of language in general and Urdu journalism in particular shows that the Muslims were the ones who later adopted Urdu, where as it were the people of other religion and beliefs who started using Urdu and then Muslims increased its use and made it their language.
The Role Which Parents Can Play Pertaining to Making Urdu Learning Easy for Children
Pertaining to learning a second language, people who have migrated from one country to another and have their children brought up in the foreign environment, they always want that their children should learn their native language as a second language. Therefore, the role of parents in this regard is of crucial importance.
Pakistanis or Urdu speaking people who have settled abroad and have children, want the children to learn Urdu as a second language. In this regard the send the children to Urdu schools and let them have online classes. However, it is not all, which the parents can do, rather they can do much more to ensure that the children learn language easily. The lines below give the major measures that the parents can take to ensure that their children learn Urdu as a second language in an easy way.
Speak In Urdu With Them:
The first thing that the parents can do to ensure that the children learn Urdu in an easy way is to speak Urdu with them in the house. If parents go on speaking with the children in the target language which the children already speak in their present environment then there will be little support provided by parents to the children. As a result of which the only learning that the children will be having will be in the school or class. Therefore, to support greater learning, it is imperative that parents speak in Urdu with the children to ensure that Urdu learning is aided with home environment.
Urdu Software:
The second way of making sure that the children continue on learning Urdu besides the lessons they take in the class is to use different Urdu software available in the market to help the children keep on learning at home. Thus, with the help of a good software that grabs the attention of the children, parents can make sure that learning remains fun and an easy activity for their children.
Urdu Children Literature:
Literature is an effective means of learning about any language. It carries the vocabulary, the grammar structure, the syntax, pragmatics and the soci-cultural aspects which make learning interesting. Thus, if in a foreign land, parents were to introduce and teach Urdu children literature to their kids, the result would be, children learning Urdu language in an interesting way. Moreover, besides simple teaching of language, the literature can also help in making the children know about the native culture of the place from which the parents hail so that the children also remain aware about their cultural heritage.
Reward:
The reward criteria can also work very well when it comes to teaching Urdu language to the children. The parents can set particular rewards on the achievement of particular milestones to keep on encouraging their children towards learning of language. This way, the children become more competitive and they also work hard in learning their lesson.
The Current Status And Condition Of Urdu In Pakistan
Urdu is one of the most renowned languages of the subcontinent and its dominance as a language of learning is increasing all over the world. It is the national language of Pakistan, however, people in India also speak it, as well as the people who have migrated from Pakistan to other countries of the world.
Those who are not native Urdu speakers, for them Urdu carries a great charm and they want to learn about the history of language as well as the use of it for communication as Pakistan is of grave geographical importance for the South Asian region. The lines below discuss the present situation of Urdu in Pakistan.
There is no denying the fact that Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and there is substantial literature in Urdu and it stands as the national means of communication. However, despite all its importance, the language has not been given the status it truly deserves and there are different levels at which Urdu is not given the same importance that is its right. As Pakistan was once a colony of British Empire, therefore, it is obvious that English is to be present in the Pakistani culture and it is competitive with Urdu when it comes to being the official language of the country. Therefore, at an official level, where it all should have been Urdu logically is a combination of Urdu and English which is injustice with the national language.
The other way in which Urdu is not receiving proper treatment and is mishandled is the fact that Pakistan is under the influence of Bollywood movies, which primarily contain the words of Hindi in them. As Urdu and Hindi are comparable with them, thus the Pakistani audience that watches such movies is corrupting the language as Hindi follows a different kind of structure, pronunciation and vocabulary. Thus, because of this influence also, Urdu is not conditioned to the status it is supposed to be given.
Third reason behind the not so good plight of Urdu in Pakistan and its maltreatment is the fact that because of being a colony of British empire, the older generation is more prone towards learning English compared to Urdu. For them, English is a sign of distinction and being well versed in English means being more educated and more civilized. Thus, the older generation started putting emphasis on their to learn English more compared to Urdu. Therefore, because of the emphasis put by elders, the children were put into English schools where English as a means of communication was more preferred and the children’s ability in English was more polished, while the national language went into backdrop. The situation still prevails and English medium of instruction is given more preference and value compared to Urdu medium, which is definitely not the treatment that a language deserves.
In a nutshell, Urdu, because of multiple reasons in Pakistan is not experiencing the kind of status and importance it deserves. The need is to educate the native people about their language and tell them how the language is a part of their identity, which needs to be proud of and protected.
A Brief History Of Life And Literary Career Of Mir Taqi Mir
There is no denying the fact that Urdu is increasingly becoming one of the most renowned languages of the world. When a foreign learner starts learning Urdu, he or she comes across various ages in which the language developed, especially the contributions of the poets and intellectuals towards the progress of the language.
One of the major names that every Urdu learner comes across when dealing with Urdu literature in general and Urdu poetry in particular is the name of Mir Taqi Mir. For Urdu natives, Mir is one of the greatest poets of Urdu language and the initiation of Urdu Ghazal is associated with him. The lines below discuss a brief life history of Mir Taqi Mir.
The real name of Mir was Muhammad Taqi. The word ‘Mir’ is the takhallus which the poets have in Urdu, it is the same as penname as used by poets of other languages. Mir being renonwned for his penname rather than his real name is evident of the fact that he is one of the greats who was renowned for his work.
Mir was born in Agra in the eighteenth century, and it is where he lived till his death. At the time of Mir there were different schools of Urdu poetry spread across various regions of subcontinent. However, despite of being form Agra and then travelling across subcontinent, Mir was known as a great and a representative of Delhi School of Urdu poetry.
In Agra, when the father of Mir died, he moved to Delhi in order to complete his education and also gain financial patronage. It was his time in Delhi in which he wrote most of his masterpieces and major compilation. Mir lived most of his life in Delhi, however, things changed when Delhi got ransacked by Ahmad Shah Abdali. After the invasion Mir migrated from Delhi to Lucknow on the invitation of the king of Lucknow, and there he became a member of his court and received patronage. However, things grew severe in the latter part of his life, and Mir died out of an overdose of a purgative in Lucknow.
As far as the literary career of Mir is concerned, his complete work is known as Kulliaat, which contains six Diwans, that have over thirteen thousand verses. These verses are in almost all the poetic forms in Urdu such as satire, mustezaad, qasidad, rubai, masnav, ghazal and so on. However, it is the Ghazal of Urdu for which Mir is most known in Urdu literature.
Although Ghalib rose to prominence a century late than Mir, however, he also acknowledge his greatness and considered him one of the greatest poets of Urdu language in general and Urdu ghazal in particular.
There have been numerous researchers and critics who have analyzed the works of Mir and found him a great when it comes to rhythm and lyre in Urdu poetry, especially the touch of sensitivity and personal tone in Urdu ghazal.
In a nutshell, for those who want to learn Urdu and are interested in knowing about the literature in general and Urdu poetry in particular are highly advised to read the poetry of Mir, as he is the pioneer of Urdu poetry and perhaps the greatest of all.
The Three Periods of Literary Career of Sadat Hassan Manto
When it comes to world renowned scholars and intellectuals who have dwelled deep into humans psychology and bring about the darkness and obscenity that resides behind the apparent civil and ethical abode, one of the greatest names that comes to mind is Sadat Hassan Manto.
Sadat Hassan Manto is one of the renowned Urdu scholars, intellectuals, and writers. He is renowned all over the world for his style of writing, the imagery he has used, the satire of society he has depicted and the kind of realistic portrayal of the society that he has given in his writings.
In addition to the renowned works of Manto that are a part of every urdu learning course, the literary career of Manto has been divided into three categories, each comprising of a different style of writing. The lines below discuss those three periods of the works of Manto.
First Period:
The first period of Manto started in 1939, which was the initial stage when Manto got involved into writing something. In this phase of his writing, the primary focus of Manto was on translating foreign works into urdu. In this regard, he started translating English and Russian stories. Once the stories were in a sufficient quantity, he got them published with the title of ‘Russi Afsane’. This period of life of Mufti comprises primarily of the translation work. From this translation work, Manto found some motivation and then in the year 1936 he published his first work of short stories by the name of ‘Atish Pare’. After that he moved to Bombay which started the next phase of his literary career.
Second Period:
In 1936, Manto moved to Bombay where for few years he worked as the editor of the magazine Musawwir. It was a film magazine that was published on monthly bases. Thus, with the help of this magazine Manto found his way into the film industry and started wirting film scripts and stories. However, the film business did not work well at that time and he had to move to Delhi to accept a job as a script writer in All India Radio in 1941. In this period of his career, he produced quality radio plays and dramas in addition to earning a good living for his family. Therefore, Manto continued on playing the same role in his literary career until the partition of subcontinent.
Third Period:
The third period of Manto’s writing is the one where he started writing afrfter migrating to Pakistan. During this phase, Manto produced one of his masterpieces like Thanda Gosht, Buu and Toba Take Singh. Although Manto produced masterpieces in this phase of his life, however, there was little regard or return for him at that time because he was prosecuted for obscenity and vulgarity at both legal and social level. Hence, during this phase of his life and career, Manto lived hand to mouth and this was what eventually lead to his death in 1955 in Lahore.
Bottom Line:
In short, Sadat Hassan Manto is one of the acclaimed writers in urdu language, and if he were to be taken out of the urdu literature, then the literature would lose all its charm, realism and satire. Although he is reckoned one of the greatest writers, however, he did not enjoy this claim and title in his life, like all the other great writers across the globe.
Why Should Parents Encourage The Speaking Of Urdu To Their Bilingual Children
Lot of the times it happens that people who migrate to a foreign country, get settled there are have children find it hard to communicate with the children because their children growing up in a bilingual environment. The language in which the children speak in the public is the foreign language, while what they are exposed to in the home is their native language.
It has been observed, that the children usually do not go for speaking the native language such as Urdu in their homes, rather, they prefer communicating with the parents in the target or foreign language. This attitude of children has a lot to do with the way the way parents bring them up. Usually parents do not speak Urdu with their children because they think that it might hinder in their learning of target language. Thus, when the children become proficient in target language, they leave using their native language.
The lines below discuss the advantage of using Urdu with bilingual children at home.
Academics:
When children grow a little, they start discussing their studies and assignments with parents. Therefore, at that point it is imperative that both children and parents communicate in the same language so that they message conveyed is the same as message received. When the children are bilingual, and they don’t use the native language with parents, the ultimate result is parents not being able to properly comprehend or convey the message, as a result of which the competency in academia of the children goes down, as far as cooperation from parents is concerned. Therefore, parents must speak Urdu in their homes and should encourage their bilingual children to communicate in Urdu as well.
Expressing Emotion:
The second reason why parents must encourage speaking of Urdu in their bilingual children is the fact that native language helps express the emotions better compared to the learned language. The native language is acquired by the children whereas the second language is learned, therefore, it is quite natural that the expressing of emotion of children will be far better in Urdu as compared to the second language. However, when parents do not create such an atmosphere in the home where the children would speak in Urdu, the result is the children finding it hard to express their emotions, and as a result an emotion gulf takes place between people. Therefore, it is imperative that the parents encourage speaking of Urdu in their homes.
Community Connection:
Thirdly, the children who grow up in a bilingual environment have two communities to live with and interact. They interact and communicate with the second language community as well as with their native community. If the focus of parents is only towards second language, then the children will also share the features and values of the second language community and forget their native values. Therefore, if parents want their children to know about their native values and culture by staying in contact with their native community, then they need to encourage the speaking of Urdu in their homes so that the children could stay intact with their heritage and culture.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, it is imperative that parents encourage their bilingual children to continue on speaking Urdu in their home so that they are able to communicate effectively, and help each other out in the time of their need and personal development.
About Urdu Language 