Dr. Haneef Shabab urges students to read classical, modern Urdu poets during Urdu Day celebrations in Udupi

Udupi: 07 November 2025 (Bhatkallys News Bureau) Salihat Educational Institutions celebrated Urdu Day 2025 on November 7, featuring speeches, poetry recitations, and competitions that showcased the richness of the Urdu language.

Senior journalist, poet, and writer Dr Haneef Shabab from Bhatkal, recipient of the Karnataka Urdu Academy Award 2024, was the chief guest for the event.

In his address, Dr Shabab urged students and teachers to preserve the spirit of Urdu culture and continue writing creatively in the language. “Preserve the culture and originality of Urdu,” he said, expressing happiness over the respect Urdu receives in Udupi. He also encouraged students to read both classical and modern Urdu poets.

The programme began with an inaugural address by Abdul Haseeb Tarafdar, who introduced the chief guest and spoke on the importance of preserving Urdu’s cultural values. He said Urdu Day was observed for an entire week at the institution with activities such as essay writing, speech contests, and other Urdu-related competitions.

Presiding over the event, Idrees Hoode highlighted Urdu’s strong roots in India, saying, “Urdu is the language that originated in India. It is not a language that came to India from outside.” He also noted that many great Indian leaders had studied through the Urdu medium.

The event included a presentation on the history of Urdu followed by prize distribution for winners of the week-long competitions.

On popular request, Dr Haneef Shabab concluded the programme by reciting his poem Aur Line Cut Gayi, which received a warm response from the audience, especially as one of the students had earlier performed the same piece.