Muristek
Ravi S Singh
New Delhi, June 2
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haque from West Bengal, who leads a team of public-spirited members from different faiths and regions, has decided to take an initiative to popularise Urdu as a language of Indian origin across the country.
After organising a well-attended event last week in Kolkata to promote Urdu, Haque said the team would soon organise an event in Hyderabad.
People of different faiths from various cities in the country have expressed a wish to hold such events, he said.
"Urdu is a Hindustani language. Some mischief-mongers with vested socio-political and religious interests have tried to portray it as a foreign language belonging to the Middle-East," Haque said.
"For centuries, these mischief-mongers and Hindu right-wing activists have been pulling all stops to relate Urdu exclusively to Islam," he said.
He said the aim of the initiative is to dispel wrong notions about Urdu and to impress upon countrymen that it is of Indian heritage and legacy.
Haque said the drive is to strengthen the unity and the secular and cultural fabric of India.
He said Urdu language has been nurtured by non-Muslim luminaries, especially in literary and social realms, making it an organic part of the country's storied history.
Haque is vice chairman of Kolkata-based West Bengal Urdu Academy.