Don't Let The Script Of Urdu Die
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
23 February
2024
"I can give you several examples. Shabana
Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah can't write Urdu.
But Naseer, who's from Meerut, played Mirza
Ghalib very effectively in my serial.
Both of them speak Urdu beautifully.
In modern India, Devnagari isn't a vehicle to
communicate only Hindi, but also a vehicle to communicate Urdu in our
country."
Gulzar, in an interview to Subhash K Jha
I'm rather
surprised that despite being so well-versed in Urdu and au fait with its
script, Gulzar is not very keen on the retention of Nastaliq, based on
Perso-Arabic script for Urdu.
The script
of a language is a must for its survival. If you start writing Urdu in
Devanagari script, you'll demean the language. Script of any language is its
soul. I remember my interactions with two 'white' scholars of Urdu who mentored
me. Both could read and write flawless Urdu. They were the late Tom Altar and
my professor of Urdu in England, Professor Ralph Russell.
By the way,
the legendary Urdu poet and critic Khaleel-Ur-Rahman Azmi taught Professor
Russell how to read and write Urdu. Russell went on to become the greatest
western scholar of Urdu and an authority on Ghalib. Both the greats always
insisted that Urdu must be written in Persian script and they rightly believed
that Devnagari was not suitable for writing Urdu.
When you
learn the script of any language, words get embossed on your mind with their
images because words are impressions.
The
17th-century Maharashtrian scholar and grammarian of Sanskrit Bhattoji Dikshit
wrote in his famous book Siddhant Kaumudi (Illumination of the established)
that Shabd Pratiroopam Aabhasit Vadanti Prakshepan (Words have images that
last as impressions on human mind). Modern neuro-linguistics also believe that
words have images and writers as well as advanced practitioners of a language,
see the words as neural entities in their brains. That's how a language (with
the help of its script) survives.
If we start
resorting to Devanagari to write Urdu poetry and dialogues, how'll Urdu
survive? Gulzar says, Naseer and Shabana speak beautiful Urdu despite not
knowing how to read and write the language. But Naseeruddin Shah couldn't
pronounce the words Ghazab and Ghaneemat (both have the letter Ghain)
in the serial Mirza Ghalib that became very popular more than three
decades ago. He faltered while reciting Ghalib's famous couplet, "Naghma-e-Gham
Ko Bhi Ae Dil Ghaneemat Jaaniye..." He pronounced the words 'Ghazab'
and 'Ghaneemat' with a Gaaf and not with a Ghain. Shabana Azmi
was much appreciated for her character in the film (Muhafiz, 1994) who
wants to be taken seriously as a poetess, “… Shayari Koi Mardon Ki Jaageer
Nahin Hai, Aur Tumhein Bhi Man-Na Padega, Main Sahi Mayenon Mein Shayara Hoon…”
she immortalized this dialogue from the film. But she fumbled while enunciating
Shaan-o-ShauKat and pronounced Shaano-ShauQat. 'Shaukat'
has a Kaaf, not Qaaf, a common mistake of
pronouncing every Kaaf as Qaaf when the words like Sulook, Ashk,
Rashk, Idraak among others are mispronounced as Sulooq, Ashq, Rashq,
Idraaq by those who cannot read and write Urdu and erroneously think
that every K is Q in Urdu! Ironically, Shabana's mother's name was Shaukat! Had
she been able to read and write Urdu, she wouldn't have made this silly
mistake.
Both Naseer
and Shabana mispronounced Baaqi. It has a Qaaf. They also
mispronounced Bebaak and Beshak as Bebaaq and Beshaq.
Naseer said Kaid whereas it's Qaid (prison). 'Kaid' beginning with a Kaaf in Urdu connotes
'deceit', 'fraud' and 'treachery' just like Qad with a Qaaf is height, stature
and size, but Kad with a Kaaf is a house or a den! Lata and Asha
learnt Urdu diction, but both the sisters couldn't read and write Urdu. That's
why, Asha Bhonsle sang in the duet Mujhe Pyaar Ki Zindagi Dene Wale (Film:
Pyaar Ka Saagar, 1961, lyricist: Prem Dhawan/ Composer: Ravi): Jo Na
Ho Yakeen (the correct word is YaQeen) Toh Kabhi Aajma Le, Mujhe
Pyaar Ki Jindagi !! Aazma became Aajma and Zindagi sounded Jindagi
whereas Rafi sang the whole song perfectly. Lata sang, 'HargiJ (instead
of HargiZ) na mit sakenge (Film: Yaqeen, 1970).
Kishore
Kumar's famous song Mere Mahboob Qayamat Hogi (Mr X in Bombay, 1964) was
re-recorded as Kishore pronounced Kayamat (with a Kaaf) in lieu
of Qayamat (with a Qaaf). Kishore couldn't read and write Urdu. He made
quite a few mistakes in his songs. His Qasam would always sound Kasam!
Ashok Kumar would say, Qam-sin instead of Kamsin (Kam+sin: Nubile/young;
sin: Age) and Kaatil instead of Qaatil.
Ashok Kumar
had a command of Hindi but not of Urdu because he couldn't read and write.
Throughout his career, he couldn't pronounce the words Ghussa and Qissa
a la a native Urdu speaker. Rafi, Talat, Suraiya among others had an edge over
others because they were familiar with the Urdu script and they could read and
write it.
If you
cannot read and write Urdu, you cannot pronounce the word Laa'nat (Ban/
curse) correctly because it has a hidden Ain: Laam, Ain, Noon, Te. Taa'riif
(Praise) also has an Ain: Te, Ain, Re....The word Taabiir
(elucidation/result of deeds) also carries an Ain. The correct pronunciation is
Tabii'at (TabeeAt ; not Tabiyat or Tabeeyat) as it
also contains an Ain and begins with a Toye and ends with a Te. Toye is
pronounced differently from Te. All these nuances come when you learn how to
read and write Urdu. Gulzar should encourage people to read and write Urdu but
in these times when Urdu is fallaciously associated with Muslims and people are
inarticulate in all tongues, who'll go for the script of Urdu?
Here,
people don't even know how to write correct Hindi.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/script-urdu-die/d/131777