World Urdu Conference begins in Bangalore

BANGALORE: Though theWorld Urdu Conferencestarted on Wednesday to celebrate the sweetness of the Urdu language, it hit a bitter strain too. Organizers complained that numerous letters to chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, asking for support to hold the conference, fell on deaf ears.

Though the letters were forwarded to the Kannada and culture department from August, the pleas were not recognized by the department. "We had written several times to the CM and the Kannada and culture department, but nobody took any interest. We did not get any financial support either. We had requested for Rs 3.5 crore to organize this international meet. On the contrary, the department decided to dissolve our Academy," said chief patron, AllIndiaUrdu Manch, Khaleel Mamoom.

The meet saw several eminent Urdu poets from the US,United Kingdom,PakistanandBangladesh. Swaying to the sweet sound of lyrical Urdu shayari, governor H R Bhardwaj appeared to be in a completely different mood on Wednesday. He addressed luminaries of Urdu poetry and literature in chaste Urdu, and told the audience how integral Urdu was to the culture of the country.

Making an arch reference to thepoliticization of religionin the state, "I will not let depression overtake Karnataka. Nobody is above the law. Let the sword of Tipu Sultan be present in your mind. In a beautiful land like Karnataka, all the mess is because of politics," Bhardwaj said in Urdu.

He also said that he would be approaching the central government, asking for support to promote Urdu in Karnataka. Bhardwaj recollected that the music, architecture and art in India has Muslim and Persian influence. "Religious tolerance is the key to sustain democracy. You cannot push any minority to do something. They are very much a part of our culture. Hindus and Muslims are the right and left eyes of India," he said.

Former chairman, Sahitya Akademi, Gopi Chand Narang also reiterated that the apolitical message of Urdu should reach the people. "We should give the pluralistic message of Urdu to Karnataka. It goes along with Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Rajasthani or Punjabi. We will not allow politicization of language here," he said.

The inauguration also saw speakers reciting some shayari and the audience responding with `wah-wah' and claps.

DEPT REACTS

Asked why the department had not helped fund the conference, a senior official said: "I will have to go to office and check."

ALL-NIGHT MUSHAIRA

The objective of the two-day conference and mushaira is to provide a platform for Urdu litterateurs to exchange ideas with regard to the status of Urdu in India and abroad, various measures to be adopted for the protection of the language and the culture associated with it.

The mushaira will be held from 8.30 pm on Thursday into the early hours of Friday, at Shivajinagar stadium. Many international Urdu poets will recite their poetry here.

URDU NEWSPAPERS IN TOWN

* Daily Siyasat, Daily Salar and Daily Pasban are some of the leading Urdu newspapers in town

* A lot of Urdu poetry and literature is published in the Sunday features of these newspapers

* Also carry civic, state, national and local politics, crime, and quotes from the Quran during Ramzan

* Papers are linked to agencies

* Mushaira is a poetic symposium -- describes an event, called mehfil, where poets gather to perform

URDU SPEAKING POPULATION

* 15% in Karnataka

* More than 25% in India

* Urdu second language in MP, Bihar,Hyderabad

-- TOI