'Finding’ the ‘lost’ Urdu: But did the language ever really go away?

There is Faiz in the air. Urdu, the “lost” language of the poets, the hopeless romantics and the ardent idealists, is “re-emerging”. Several online Facebook groups are dedicated to varied Urdu poets, and Urdu learning websites such as Rekhta and Urduwallahs are becoming popular. Pakistani soap operas, broadcast on Zindagi channel, too are helping “revive” the language that “got lost due to Partition”. A large number of mushairas and qawwalis are being held in metropolitan cities, thus further helping Urdu make a “comeback”.

The question, however, is, did Urdu really go away? If anything, it has stayed on, through Bollywood songs, and since the 1990s, through Hindi news channels. Hindi news channels relay “khabrein”, not “samachar”, as was by Doordarshan. Reporters talk of a “shakhs”, not a “vyakti”, and use “adalat” instead of “nyayalaya”, for example. So, since the 1990s, the use of Urdu in popular media has gone beyond just Hindi cinema and extended to television news. Certainly, the language has not been “dying” as Urdu “revivalists” claim.

What has been dying is not the language, but the credit given to the language. Most people don’t know that many of the words spoken in Hindi films or news channels are Urdu. This is not a case of war between Hindi and Urdu. Both languages are closely linked to and depend on each other for their survival. After Partition, Urdu came to be identified with Muslims. “Muslim” Urdu became the state language of Pakistan and was imposed on native Punjabi, Sindhi and Pashtun speakers. In northern India, the land of Urdu and Hindi, the language lost its popularity among non-Muslim Hindi speakers because of its “Muslim” label. Publishers of Urdu books began focusing only on religious literature, further making it less attractive for the non-Muslim audience. In sad contrast, there was a time when Hindu poets like Firaq Gorakhpuri added so much to Urdu heritage.

After Partition, and even now, it is Hindi cinema and news that have ensured Urdu its space in popular culture. But let’s not get patronising here. Urdu writers such as Salim Khan, Javed Akhtar, Sahir Ludhianvi and Shakeel Badayuni have contributed immensely to Hindi cinema. In fact, many Hindi film titles are in Urdu, like Mohabbatein, Kurbaan, Dil, etc. Most Hindi film singers and actors take classes in Urdu diction. Had it not been for Urdu, would we ever have timeless Bollywood dialogues like “Mogambo khush hua” or “Kitne aadmi the” or “Main tumhara khoon pee jaaoonga”?

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/finding-the-lost-urdu/

Read more about: Hindi Urdu Interviews

Being a judge at a poetry competition

The occasion was India’s first home minister, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel’s 139th birth anniversary, which was decided to be celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

As I was entering the school’s main gate, I was a bit hesitant as it was my first experience. But I were thinking that it is going to be a new learning to be added to my journey. I told the guard that I am here as a judge. And I was surprised when the guard answered me in English, he welcomed me & said,’ma’am if you want, you can wait here.’ He meant till someone comes to receive me. I smiled appreciatively at his efficiency.

Then I saw two girls from the ‘students on duty’ came forward & welcomed me along with the teacher I knew. These girls escorted me throughout my presence at the school. I must admit I felt overwhelmed. As I entered the school I could feel the youth energy flowing abundantly everywhere. Waiting to get moulded, to be guided. I thought one day I would really like to work with them.

After the assembly, the principal gave a short, motivational & influential speech, which I heard like a student. After that all of the students spread into different directions to move towards their respective places designated for separate competitions. And those two girls escorted me to the place where the Hindi poetry competition was to be held. Over there I met the other judge, who is a Sanskrit professor at a government girls college in Gurgaon.

I was glad to see that there were almost forty students from classes 7th to 10th, including a few children from two other schools as well. As I sat on the judge’s chair, I felt a great sense of responsibility. The students were given three topics, out of which they had to pick one of their choice & had to write a poem of 10-12 lines in the given 20 minutes time. When they were done, one by one they came on the stage to recite their poems. We had to judge them on four criteria: relevance, expressions, confidence & expressions. I heard each of them attentively. After that I, along with the other judge, took the best marks from both of us’ sheets & added them to decide the first & second position.

They called me on the stage to announce the winner. I was a bit nervous but I knew being a poetess, I have to give them some poetry tips honestly. I first thanked the school authorities for inviting me. Then I said that I am glad to see you many in numbers as there is a lot of work to be done in the field of hindi poetry and you are the future & it’s great that you are taking interest in it. Then I told the children a little about writing poetry. I said, ‘a poetry should be like a river, just like a river flows flawlessly, a poetry must be flowing. It must have a message in it. There must be a proper beginning, middle & an end, rhyming is also equally important. I told them it is not easy to write, not everyone can, because for writing a poetry one has to be in sync with the universe, so that one can pick just the right words from the stream of thoughts flowing into the cosmos. Use of selectively chosen words should be there & one can use a lot of synonyms as well.’ Then I announced the first & second winners, called them on stage, told them why they have been chosen.

Source: https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/being-a-judge-at-a-poetry-competition

Read more about: Hindi Poetry Recitation

An Interview with Chef Kunal Kapur

Celebrity chef and restaurateur, Kunal Kapur is famously called the “curry and kebab guy” by some of the best food critics worldwide.

Born in a Punjabi family, his love for food started early. Proud recipient of Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship 2012, titled Gourmet Guru by Food & Nightlife magazine and honoured as one of the top 20 chefs in India, the executive sous chef of Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon has many laurels to his credit.

He talks about food, the changing food scene in the country and his future plans in an exclusive chat with AskMen India.

How do you describe your style of cooking?

My style is rustic, simple and homestyle bursting with flavours.

Which is the dish you call your Signature dish?

Haleem Kebab has been my signature dish that has stood out and has been appreciated by all. There are a lot other chefs who have tried to copy it.

Is there a secret ingredient that you love to cook with?

There are a few spices that I play with when I am cooking Indian food. They do the trick all the time and get me accolades. They are my best kept secrets.

Is there a Chef you truly admire and why?

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor is an inspiration. He has faced many odds in life but never gave up on his dream of making food big in our country. I draw immense inspiration from him, want to be like him.

What is Chef Kunal's favourite meal?

My favourite meal is the Karela Subzi that my mom cooks. Karela is cooked every second day in my house and it is because I like it. I just wrap a few in the chapatti, make a roll and enjoy it on the go.

Do you have a guilty food pleasure?

I am addicted to chocolates. I am a person who has to have a chocolate a day.

Are you asked to cook at personal gatherings? Does it annoy you or you enjoy it?

Actually I am expected to. My family feels that they have a privilege of having a chef at home. I am the most loved and pampered in my big family. So I get my family involved as well and we all cook together whenever possible.

How do see the food scene changing in India?

It’s simple math actually. More spending power = More Travelling = More Eating out. Cooking was once considered an option for the hopeless in academics, but is now a sought after career. Food is the 4th largest employer in India and there has been a huge thrust to the food economy of India recently.

Travel is not about the destination anymore, it’s about sampling food. The latest trend in India is to go local, research and bring out the lesser known ingredients or dishes in a new avatar.

Source: https://in.askmen.com/cooking/1097548/interview/an-interview-with-celebrity-chef-kunal-kapur

Read more about: Exclusive Celebrity Interviews

Hindi publishers adopt technology, new strategies to revamp business (Literary Feature)

Hindi language publishers are adapting - and how - by offering fresh content, launching mobile apps and aggressively marketing their books to resurrect the genre's lost stature against the giant rise of literature in English.

To keep pace with ever-changing technology and reconnect with their dwindling readership, one of India's oldest publication house - Rajkamal Prakashan - has changed its business model to present itself as an "evolving" publisher in tune with the times.


"Readers want change and as a publication house if you fail to understand their requirements then your business model will fail. So it was very important for us to go digital and publish e-books. Now, we have even launched an app," Rajkamal Prakashan managing director Ashok Maheshwari told IANS.

"Also, there was a big void in the Hindi publishing industry. Either we had pulp fiction or literary writings, so we decided to fill this gap and started publishing novels that are contemporary, which youngsters can relate to," he added.

The winds of change can be seen from the way Rajkamal has understood the value of the online retail market.

A testimony to this change is its latest novel "Ishq Me Shaher Hona" by journalist Ravish Kumar, for which the publication house signed an exclusive online deal with amazon.in <http://amazon.in/>. This was in line with what the publisher of President Pranab Mukherjee's "The Dramatic Decade: The Years of Indira Gandhi" had done by signing a three-week exclusive deal with the online retailer.

The Hindi literary heritage boasts of prominent writers like Premchand, Mohan Prakash and Amar Goswami, who heralded a new era by mirroring societal evils through their writings. However, the past two decades have diminished the aura of Hindi literature and many blame the rise of link languages for such a gloomy situation.

Source: https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/hindi-publishers-adopt-technology-new-strategies-to-revamp-business-literary-feature-115022200697_1.html

Read more about: Hindi Literature Video