Minorities’ Urdu is in major demand

Popularity of the Urdu language is not restricted to the Muslim community. Large numbers of non-Muslims are learning Urdu as a second language.

“Of the 18,000 adult learners registered at our learning centres, 50% are non-Muslims,” said an official of the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), New Delhi.

The council teaches the language through 306 centres across the nation. “The number of centres is growing by 15% and the number of students is expected to rise by 30% next year,” he said.

 Two-third of the students in Mumbai University’s department of Urdu are non-Muslims. “Our two-year diploma course is especially popular with students from other religions,” said Saheb Ali, HoD, department of Urdu.

Students are taught Urdu through English and Hindi translations.

At Akbar Peerbhoy College too, 60% of the Urdu class comprises non-Muslims. “Persons from creative fields like writing, acting and music join our courses,” said lecturer Firoz Ahmed, Akbar Peerbhoy College. 

In fact, Bollywood is the destination for students of Urdu. “Even today, knowledge of Urdu is mandatory for a writer or lyricist to be successful,” said Ali. “After all, eminent writers like Javed Akhtar use Urdu in their work,” he pointed out.

Students aspiring for careers in film, television, mass communication opt for the language. “Learning Urdu adds finesse to the personality and improves communication skills,” said Jagdish Chandra, a budding lyricist and Urdu scholar.

On the other hand, persons in law enforcement and businessmen too are learning Urdu. “Policemen who are posted in predominantly Muslim areas learn the language to communicate better.

Businessmen whose workers are Muslim also attend our classes,” said Ahmed.

Passion for poetry drives many to learn the language. “I am a fan of poets like Ghalib and Ghulam Ali. Since most ghazals and Indian poetry originate in Urdu, I am learning the language to understand them better,” said Mihir Desai, a student of Urdu and businessman by profession.

Language aficionados find Urdu easy to learn. “Since the vocabulary is similar to Hindi, spoken Urdu is easy to pick up. Only the script has to be learnt,” said Revathy R who also speaks Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Marathi and English.