200 Years of Urdu Journalism: Urdu Journalism Needs To Come Out Of the Thrall of Religion

Over The Years, Urdu Journalism Has Degenerated In Terms Of Content And Language.

Main Points:

1.    The first Urdu newspaper is said to be Jam-e-Jahan Numa in 1822

2.    Another important Urdu newspaper was Dilli Urdu Akhbar.

3.    Maulvi Mohammad Baqar was the first Indian editor hanged by the British government.

4.    Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was the most popular Urdu journalist before Independence.

5.    Mirza Bedar Bakht editor of Payam-e-Azadi was also hanged for publishing anti-government writings.

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New Age Islam Staff Writer

28 March 2022

The first Urdu newspaper is said to be Jam-e-Jahan Numa which was launched on 27th August 1822 though it was not a fully Urdu language newspaper. The newspaper had pages in Persian too. Therefore, Urdu journalism has completed 200 hundred years.

From the history of Urdu journalism we come to know that it has many feathers in its cap. It is the third language after English and Bengali to start its career in journalism. Maulvi Baqar, the editor of Dilli Urdu Akhbar was the first Indian journalist to be hanged by the British government for publishing revolutionary material. During the same time, Mirza Bedar Bakht, the editor of Payam-e-Azadi was also hanged for revolutionary ideas.

Urdu newspapers had contributed largely to the spread of revolutionary ideas among the Indian masses as during that period, Urdu was the common mother language of Indians and also the official language of the British government since 1834.

Therefore, under the British patronage both Urdu language and Urdu journalism flourished. In the 20th century when the freedom movement gained momentum, Urdu newspapers became the mouthpiece of the Indian masses. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's Al Hilal and Al Balagh, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar's Hamdard and Maulana Zafar Ali Khan's Zamindar were some of the popular Urdu newspapers in the pre-Independence India. Bande Mataram and Kohinoor were popular Urdu newspapers published from Lahore during the British Era.

After Independence many of the Urdu newspapers migrated to Pakistan along with their owners and editors. The majority of them, bout 475 Urdu newspapers remained in India while only 70 Urdu newspapers shifted to Pakistan. While some Urdu dailies in Pakistan got involved in religious and sectarian politics and even fomented anti-Ahmadiya riots, the Urdu newspapers in India played a positive role in the nation building and promoting communal harmony.

However, after Independence, Urdu language lost the status of official language and with it the Urdu journalism lost state patronage. It learnt to survive in adverse conditions and hostile atmosphere. Despite the stigma of causing of partition on Urdu, Urdu language maintained its multicultural character as the older generation of Indian Hindus and Sikhs still read and spoke Urdu and so Urdu newspapers run and managed by Hindus were still in circulation. Hind Samachar, Milap, Pratap and Tej continued their publication after independence.

During those days Urdu newspapers were known for their high standard of reporting and ideological content.

Though Urdu had originated in India and flourished in the multicultural Indian society, it was given the tag of the language of the Muslims which it could not remove rather with the passage of time this tag became more prominent and relevant with growing dominance of religious circles of Muslims in the ownership and management of Urdu newspapers.

Publication of Urdu newspapers by Islamic organisations like Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind gave religious colour to previously secular Urdu journalism. Gradually, other religious minded Muslim ideologues like Maulana Abdul Waheed Siddiqui entered the arena of Urdu journalism and a new era of emotional and victimhood Urdu journalism started. His Nayi Dunya was a prominent example of sensational journalism which thrived on juicy stories of RSS and Jewish conspiracies against the Muslims of India and the world. Later, this became the general and common pattern of Urdu journalism in India. This was the reason, Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan termed the entire Urdu journalism as yellow journalism.

After the 90s, a new trend started in Urdu journalism. Corporatisation of Urdu print and electronic journalism had its advantages and disadvantages. Sahara India Pariwar launched its Urdu publications, Urdu daily Rashtriya Sahara, weekly Alami Sahara and Urdu literary magazine Bazm-e-Sahara. These publications gained wide popularity because of their multicultural approach. Soon, Inquilab was sold to Jagran group of publications and Urdu daily Aawami News was published by Sanmarg group. This corporatisation of Urdu print journalism ensured stability of Urdu newspapers but at the same time, communal issues of the Muslims took a back seat as these groups of publications had ideological affiliation to the right wing governments and downplayed genuine concerns and problems of Muslims. They presented a hunky dory picture of the Muslim society.

Since these corporate groups knew the religious weakness of the Muslim readers, the owners of these Urdu newspapers did not restrict the publication of religious material in Urdu newspapers and strategically offered them the opium of religion. Gradually, the Urdu newspapers turned into Urdu religious magazines that contained less material on science, economy and multicultural events of the country.

Since, Muslims don't read books these days, religious organisations use the Urdu newspapers to disseminate their sectarian and extremist ideas. Some Urdu newspapers owned by Muslims glorified the ISIS during their capture of Mosul in 2014-15 and even published special issues on Khilafat giving the impression that the so-called Khilafat of the ISIS was an extension if the Caliphate of the rightly guided caliphs of the first century hijri.

The Hindu owners do not mind the predominance of religious material in Urdu newspapers published by them as long as the policies of the government even detrimental to the Urdu speaking or Muslim community are highlighted and presented in sugar-coating.

Urdu has long been the language of poetry and literature and there is no doubt that it has produced great poetry and prose literature but it has not evolved with times and has not progressed with the advance of civilisation. It is said about English language that it has become highly utilitarian and so great poetry can't be produced in it. It may be partly right because apart from being a utilitarian language it occasionally produces Nobel prize winning poets like Seamus Heaney, Bob Dylan and Louise Gluck. But Urdu has not been able to develop a utilitarian character along with its poetical and literary nature.

Urdu journalism has a glorious past and has contributed enormously to the growth of Indian culture and to the freedom of India. Today it is going through a lean patch because of its loss of multicultural spirit. Urdu journalism can reclaim its lost glory if it undergoes a complete ideological overhaul.

URL:     https://www.newageislam.com/islam-media/urdu-journalism-religion-multicultural/d/126662 

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