Forgotten legacy

Urdu was once the first language of Punjab. It has now lost its sheen and remains confined to the Malerkotla region only, writes Shariq Majeed 

After Partition of India, Urdu may not have been the first language of Punjab, but it continues to rule the hearts of the people who went through the trauma. The younger generation in the state also has love for the language. Krishen Betaab, who was born before Partition, has studied Urdu till the secondary level in the times when it was the first language of Punjab state.

Urdu continues to rule the hearts of people

Betaab, a writer of two short story books in the Urdu language — Lamhon ki Dastan and Dard ki Fasal — and 10 books of Punjabi, was born on August 1, 1933, in the erstwhile Jhind state (present Sangrur). He studied Urdu as the first language up to 1947, and later did matriculation in 1951, with Urdu as one of the main subjects.

Later, Betaab took up the job of a primary school teacher. He acquired the bachelor’s degree in the language in 1975 as a private candidate. Recipient of two awards, a state and national award for teaching, Betaab’s love for the language was so intense that after he retired in 1993 as education officer, he started teaching people Urdu. Seven years ago, when he got an offer from the Languages Department to teach Urdu, he grabbed the opportunity.`At present, he teaches Urdu to students in Sangrur.

"Urdu is not just a language; it is a way of life. It teaches us discipline and how life is lived. I developed intense love for the language since my childhood days when we were taught this language as the first subject," says Betaab, whose two books focus on the pain of Partition. "However, I feel saddened by the indifference of the government towards the language. It was the first language of the state, and now it has remained confined to the Malerkotla area only," he regrets. Sameer Fatta, a youngster who has studied the language up to class V from the Urdu centre run by Krishen Betaab, says that since his childhood he was quite impressed by the language. "My father is a big fan of Mirza Ghalib. I have been listening to Urdu poetry and literature since school days, which is why I have developed deep love for the language. I joined the centre run by Betaab sahib to learn this sweet language," adds Fatta.

A view of the Punjab Urdu Akademi, Malerkotla

Another octogenarian, Ram Singh Pulliwala who, along with his family members, migrated from the Bahawalpur Qilla area of Pakistan on August 30, 1947, during Partition, says Urdu has had a deep influence on him. Born on March 15, 1933, Pulliwala had studied up to the ninth standard in DAV School, Multan, where Urdu was one of the main languages. After migrating to India, Pulliwala continued his association with the language. Ram Singh sums up the events of Partition in these lines:

Woh bhi bichhad kar reh gaye..

"I miss my friends Noor Muhammad Khan, Aslam Sher and Jawahar Lal of Pakistan. The only link which I have with my past is that of this language, which continues to impress me all the times," adds Ram Singh.

A senior academician says though Urdu was the first language of Punjab before Partition, the language has lost its sheen due to the government’s indifferent attitude towards it. "The powers that be have not given due importance to this sweet language", he says.

Even as senior officials from the government could not be contacted, a junior-level officer has claimed that the Punjab Urdu Akademi will start functioning shortly. He maintains that the government is committed to promoting this language.