This refers to the letters ‘Urdu’s decline’ (January 17, 2024) by Zainab Khalid and ‘Native tongues’ (January 18, 2024) by Ilyas MB Khan. Urdu was adopted by our founding fathers for unity and harmony within the nation.
However, as the country’s unity and harmony declined, so did the Urdu language. The ‘colonial complex’ infused in our system has contributed to the decline of our national language. Parents prefer to teach English to their children so that they can get admissions in elite schools. The rise of the O/A levels system of education has opened options for elite kids to opt for easy Urdu instead of Urdu Literature. Earlier this option was only available to foreign students.
This has resulted in young people being driven away from the richness of Urdu poetry and prose. The colonial complex infused in our cultural identity makes us mock those among our public figures who struggle to speak English well. It is about time that we began reviving the Urdu language. Our future generations must be made aware of the works of Iqbal, Ghalib and, at the very least, the readings of Mushtaq Yousufi and Zia Mohyeddin.
Sadia Malik
Islamabad
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