India's cultural ambassador, Gopi Chand Narang's plea would help get Pak visa

By Firoz Bakht Ahmed*
Another heavyweight of Urdu has fallen. Prof Gopi Chand Narang was a pillar of Urdu. When he was bestowed upon the Padma Bhushan in 2004, he was the only Urdu critic to get the Padma Shri as well. There's hardly any Urdu forum that hasn't honoured him. So has Pakistan’s Iqbal National Open University. So many Urdu and Persian awards have been heaped upon the professor.
Interestingly, Prof Narang (February 11, 1931-June 15, 2022) happened to be the only Urdu critic from India interviewed most by Pakistan Television. Of the most sought after Indian figures in Pakistan, Narang was second only to former Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee. Incidentally, both were so popular in the country across the border that a mere mention or reference of their names helped a person attain a Pakistani visa!
In 1977 he was awarded the national gold medal of Pakistan for his research on Iqbal. Even today in Pakistan's literary circles, Gopi Chand Narang is known as India's cultural ambassador. Writers know that Narang had always raised his voice against parochialism, religious fanaticism and social injustice. Communalists, be they from the Hindi or Urdu lobby, had always tried to derail him. According to Narang, one may be an activist, but in a democracy one does not need a party card to enter the field of letters.
A writer's basic commitment is to the sanctity of shabda, concern for humanitarianism and a sense of nationalism. Sahitya Akademi, whose chairman he was, happens to be the biggest literary body anywhere in the world looking after 22 languages.
At the same time, he was also the consultant to the biggest ever government Urdu body, that is NCPUL (National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language). But according to him, the fact remains that even today it is extremely difficult for writers of Indian languages to make both ends meet by full time writing.
Narang took interest in formulating an Encyclopaedia of Indian Katha Sahitya and an Encyclopaedia of Indian Poetics. Renowned Bengali intellectual Sisir Kumar Das had completed the painstaking job. The National Bibliography of Indian Literature from 1954 till date is another enterprise that Narang has almost completed. Narang also happens to be that celebrated rare intellectual who had spurned the lure of office to pursue his scholastic work.
Narang, according to senior bureaucrat-cum-writer and now, politician Pavan K Varma, is noted for being brutally frank where the question of defending Urdu is concerned. His “literary adversaries” (of whom there is no dearth!) can do anything but ignore him.

Having been brought up in the dry, mountainous terrain of Balochistan and Narang’s mother tongue being Saraiki (a blend of western Punjabi, Sindhi and Pushto), his background conspired against him. Even at his school Musa Khail, Pushto was the medium but he held the fort for Urdu. His father Dharam Chand Narang too was a litterateur himself, and a scholar of Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit, who inspired Gopi's interest in literature
Some of Narang's famous and award winning books include — “Hindustani Qisson se Makhuz Urdu Masnawiyan”, “Urdu: Dilli ki Karkhandari Boli”, “Urdu ki Taleem ke Lisani Pehlu”, “Puranon ki Kahanian” and “Amir Khusrau ka Hindvi Kalaam”.
He finds Urdu to be one of the finest products of composite literature. Among comity of Urdu scholars, Narang is very highly regarded. Truth is that no one can match his stylistic vocabulary.
Narang also happened to be the unquestioned master of Urdu phonetics according to Dr Aqeel Ahmed, the director of National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, Delhi, Urdu, according to Narang, has been the language of inter-faith harmony and has served as a common bridge between Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims right from Amir Khusrau in the 13th century.
Narang believed that the politicization of Urdu has resulted in its downfall. The Urdu card played by politicians has resulted in its degradation. “Urdu is not the language of Muslims. If at all there is any language of Muslims, it should be Arabic,” opined Gopi Chand. Urdu belongs to the composite culture of India, truly.
Being an illustrious student of Delhi College (now Zakir Hussain College), Narang had taught in various universities, including the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota.
Once while speaking to his Pakistani poet friend Ahmed Faraz, he said: “Do not monopolize, fanaticize and politicize a language. Urdu is one of the national languages of India and not a natural language of even a single region of Pakistan from Karachi to Lahore and Quetta to Peshawar. The litterateurs of the two countries must interact with each other.”
---
*Former chancellor, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad; grandnephew, Maulana Azad

Comments

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani* India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor* Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas* November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad* On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad* The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor* Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.

Tributes paid to pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, who 'dodged' police for 60 yrs

By Harsh Thakor* Jagjit Singh Sohal, known as Comrade Sharma, a pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, passed away on October 20 at the age of 96. Committed to the Naxalite cause and a prominent Maoist leader, Sohal, who succeeded Charu Majumdar, played hide and seek with the police for almost six decades. He was cremated in Patiala.

Search This Blog