ast week, Lahore University of Management Sciences hosted the launch of the 14^th volume of Buniyad, a noted literary journal that is dedicated to research in Urdu. The master of the ceremonies was Dr Nasir Abbas Nayyer who along with his coven of Urdu luminaries introduced the journal as well as the themes and considerations in its creative foundation.

Buniyad, a research periodical published by the Gurmani Centre for Languages and Literature at LUMS, offers solid and contemporary research in Urdu language with the sole aim to modernise Urdu research and enrich the language and its discourse. It’s a biannual, double-blind peer-reviewed journal that seeks to publish high-quality research on Urdu literature, linguistics, criticism, history of literature, archival research and translation studies. It’s a platform for scholars from around the world to share their work and contribute to the advancement of knowledge about Urdu.

Buniyad’s awesomeness lies in its use of Urdu, refashioning the language to fit modern thought.

The vision of Buniyad is a reflection of LUMS’s commitment to promoting Urdu research and scholarship. As Dr Nayyer said at the launch, the journal is one of its kind in following merit and advancing the study of Urdu, making it more accessible to a wider audience.

The volume contains diverse voices. Two of the articles in the issue are by authors from across the border. An effort has apparently been made to further inclusivity. Names like Saqib Fareedi, Sajjad Baloch, Ibrar Khatak and Sarwer al Huda embellish the contents page pointing to its varied nature.

However, female representation has suffered this year. It could have been at least double the amount. Only one member of the second sex has published her work. Her article on the work of Edward Said argues that the latter’s vision of the critic is secular in nature and questions the dominant discourse in all its prevalence, hence holding a mirror to society’s hegemony. She holds that the exile of Said from his homeland is a major factor in his intellectual development and allows him to build an outsider’s keen gaze directed at both actual and adopted homelands.

Buniyad’s awesomeness lies in its use of Urdu, refashioning the language to fit modern thought.

Another article in the journal throws light on the phenomenon of John Shakespeare’s Urdu English Dictionary. In service of the East India Company, he compiled this tome to offer a pragmatic guide to those wishing to understand the Hindostani language. Hopefully, this article will bring a new perspective in our understanding of English hegemony as it also comments upon the relationship between the Company and its practice of ruling by perpetuating the discipline of Orientalism — deemed a tool for colonial control.

An important part of the volume is its revisiting of Mir Taqi Mir and his verse. Perspectives on how Mir expressed modern and progressive thought in verse are expounded. A rereading of the maestro’s work in the light of modern thinking indeed breathes new life into work that has always been aesthetically pleasing but now also offers the modern reader food for thought.

The evening ended with the host, Dr Nayyer, making a short speech to thank all speakers. They included Dr Shaista Hassan, the stage secretary; Dr Ishfaq Ahmed Virk, who very kindly read his column written on the launch of the journal; Dr Aurengzeb Niazi, Dr Ambreen Sallahuddin and Irfan Haider. The speakers mentioned that Urdu has suffered at the hands of a general public uninterested in scholarly endeavour or intellectual pursuit. This lack of interest has damaged our social fabric and caused the nation to become totally disenfranchised, divided into Urdu- and English-medium scholars.

The current state of society is reflective of a disinterest in its own mental growth as language ability has a direct link to intellectual growth. A journal like Buniyad is a call to arms for people to think, to connect to their linguistic heritage and reclaim the lost space of Urdu discourse.

The writer is based in Lahore .