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The government has asked the NCERT to consider revising the Urdu syllabus and replace tough Urdu words with simple ones. The report says that words like aala-e-paimaaish-e-haraarat
But I suggest a consideration for Hindi also. What is pratyasthata? It is Hindi term for Elasticity in Physics and not lachilapan which everybody can understand. Or resonance which become sanspandan. The textbooks are full of such terms and the language of the books is also highly Sanskritised one, which turns the student off, as he has to make an effort.
Both Urdu-walas and the Hindi-walas needed to use simple words but ironically the text books that ought to be simple and easy to understand are most unattractive, boring and written in the toughest possible language, as if the aim is to daunt the student.
Though I never studied Urdu in school, I remember I was told words like miqyasul haraarat for thermometer and mukabbur-us-saut for loudspeaker and it was fun to remember them as a hobby. But I think it is no longer fun when you have to learn dozens of difficult words at a tender age.
It is not a bad idea to simplify the language at least for the beginners. At college level (especially Medical and specialised streams) where it is necessary, tougher istilaahaat (terminologies) can be used.
Ironically, Baba-e-Urdu Abdul Haq tried all his life to simplify the language. His terminologies like aksi shoaa for ‘X-ray’ (aks=image) and saaye-numa for cinema were never used. I had sometime back heard Bhajan Lal recalling Abdul Haq’s contribution.
Languages are tools of communication. Text books must be attractive and written in a language that appeals to the student, rather than aimed at harassing him. It is the irony of this country that no two languages, as beautiful and as intrinsically linked to each other, have developed in the same geographical region and are surviving.
But we tried to kill them by trying to stuff alien words. The result is that a kid looses interest in learning in his mother tongue. He is at loss to acquire the simple and natural language through which the toughest phenomena can be understood easily.
Over the last 60 years Hindi was systematically taken away from the masses, especially the uneducated rural lot and it became a Jinnati zabaan in its homeland.
Pictures: Hindi Sign by John K, Urdu Sign by Elephant Kitty
{ 1 comment }
It is against the State machinary which is being utlised to smear the face of Urdu. I studied urdu medium and has been a brilliant student but the over simplification means that Urdu will be summarily killed. This demand is like asking Urdu to be read and written in Devanagri or Roman. I still remember and use ‘tapish paima’ for thermometer and the wordings given in the report are misleading and not conversant with what is taught in Urdu schools. What a sordid plan which defines what language we need to speak. Urdu has been associated with Muslims and they should take it for being their own. It never means that Kashmeeris and Keralites need to use Urdu but it means that only muslims bother for it and the reality is so. We need not to think that a language is difficult or that English is the only remedy. The disuse of Urdu is a problem and we as Indians, Asians and Muslims, should be ashamed that a language spoken practically by a billion in India only (those who call it Hindi are obviously ….) is treated like this. We need to emulated Maldives and Malaysia, that they use their own language and are prosperous. Information is language independent and those who think that this is the intellectual property of the Westeners are uneducated and slavish to the extent that they are ready to make the locals fools if they get money from the colonists.
I am sounding very harsh becuase I feel that no language should be forced to adopt to over simplification. I am hopeful that I will not be labelled either a Fundamentalist, Jehadi or Obcurantist because I have achieved so much even after being educated through Urdu. Lets be practical and prevent the loss of Urdu, permanently. A language depends on the populace and not on State patronage, as we have practices for convenience. Those who feel otherwise should be allowed to change their mother tongue.
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