Ans: Urdu:
Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and also holds the status of a
symbol of national identity. It is a language of communication. During the
Muslim rule in South Asia people from different areas were recruited in the
army (lashkar) of those days. These people were Punjabi, Sindhi, Pathan,
Bengali, Baloch, Arab, Irani, Turkish, Hindustani, etc. These people spoke
different languages. While in the army, their mixing up with each other
created a new language, Urdu (lashkar). Urdu is a Turkish word which
means ‘army’.
Gradual Development of Urdu:
. In the beginning it was called Hindwi, Hindi and Hindustani. Later it was
called Reekhta. In this way Urdu acquired and changed different names in
different ages.
. During different stages as it changed names, it changed its nature as well
e.g. Amir Khusro is considered to be an ancient poet of Hindi.
. When it was called Reekhta, Mushafee was famous and at the time of its
being called Urdu-e-Muala, Mirza Ghalib and Zauq were its famous poets.
. When Shah Jahan made Delhi as his capital instead of Agra. This led to
people speaking Lashkari and Delhi languages living in the same market
(place). The emperor suggested that this market be called Urdu-e-Muala.
Therefore the language being spoken there was called Urdu-e-Muala or
Dehlavi language.
. When this language reached Deccan and Gujarat, it was also called Deccani
and Gujrati. Seeing its popularity, the rich people made special efforts for its
development. In this way it rose from being a language of daily
communication to the level of being a language in which literature was
Beginning of Urdu Poetry:
. According to modem research Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the ruler
of Golkanda, was the first poet who wrote divan (collection of poetry).
. The Deccan poet, Wali Deccani is included in the early poets of Urdu
. The poets who widened the scope of Urdu literature include Mirza
Muhammad Rafi Sauda, Mir Taqi Mir and Khawaja Mir Dard.
. Besides Delhi and Deccan, the popularity of Urdu spread to the states of
Oudh and Lukhnow. Along with Ghazal (collection of couplets) the art of
Marsiya telling (elegy) thrived as well. Urdu was blessed with poets like
Anees and Dabir.
. In the early decades of the 19th century, there was great development in
Nazm (thematic poem) writing. During this time, esteemed poets like Zauq.
Mirza Ghalib and Bahadur Shah Zafar were born. Along with his Ghazal,
Mirza Ghalib’s prose is an important treasure of Urdu literature.
. In this age Maulana Haali wrote the Musaddas (a poem of 6 line units) and
shook the whole nation to make them realize their great heritage.
. After this the sun of the philosophy and poetry of Allama Muhammad Iqbal
(poet of the east) rose. Through his poetry he tried to convince the Muslims
of South Asia that they were the inheritors of an esteemed cultural, civil and
ideological inheritance. Allama Muhammad Iqbal wrote his poetry in Urdu
and Persian both. His poetry was so popular amongst the people that some
persons had even memorized his lengthy poems. After Allama Muhammad
Iqbal, under the influence of modern literature, a progressive movement
started in Urdu literature.
The Role of Prose Writers in the Development of Urdu:
. After the 1857 War of Independence there was a prominent change in the
political and social conditions. This led to a new direction being taken by the
creative Urdu literature.
. Owing to the Aligarh Movement started by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, along with
Muslims social development, the prose of Urdu literature developed
prominently as well.
. Sir Syed and his contemporaries experimented with Urdu Nazm and prose
and introduced Urdu in new forms. In this age the nation’s pain and feelings
were presented collectively. At the same time Maulana Shibli presented
Islamic history in a new manner.
. During the struggle for independence and after the creation of Pakistan,
there was an atmosphere of freedom and confidence in the development of
Urdu literature. Different authors wrote prominent works in their forms of
literature. The forms worth mentioning include research and criticism, poetry,-
novel writing, drama writing and story writing.