I don't know of a single pair of different languages that are completely mutually intelligible other than Urdu and Hindi. When spoken, they're basically two dialects of the same language.
The geopolitics between India and Pakistan has seriously harmed the subcontinent's shared culture. The tribalism is maddening.
I must just take issue with Javed Akhtar's claim that Pakistan imported Urdu from India. There was no "India" before August 15, 1947. Both the nation-states of "India" and "Pakistan" were created at the exact same time. What existed before was BRITISH India which was a colony and not a nation-state.
Urdu was chosen as Pakistan's national language because it was seen as the prestige language of the Muslims of British India (obviously this didn't work out so well as we saw with the separation of East Pakistan in 1971). Urdu was also the mother tongue of the leaders of the Muslim League so they naturally favored it as the language of the new country.
Asides from that minor quibble, I really appreciated this essay. As you point out, the linguistic consensus is that Urdu and Hindi are two registers of one language that linguists call Hindustani.
Hey Kabir, I think Akhtar's claim is in a similar vein as yours that Urdu was imposed on the masses of Pakistan when no major chunk of the population spoke it as the first language. Thanks for your appreciation by the way :)
What I am taking issue with is the Indian nationalist assumption that "India" was always there and Pakistan is artificial. Javed Akhtar is an Indian nationalist and his claim about Urdu seems to me to reflect that thinking. It is in this context that we must remember that there was no nation-state called "India" until August 15, 1947.
Urdu was the prestige dialect of the area around Delhi (which was the imperial capital). Urdu's heartland was arguably Agra (where my paternal grandmother was from) and Lucknow.
I wouldn't say Urdu was "imposed" on the masses of Pakistan. Urdu serves Pakistan as a lingua franca. It is the only way that someone from Peshawar can communicate with someone from Lahore (unless both people are members of the English speaking classes). If Urdu were not the state language what would take its place? Punjabi? That is the native language of 60% of Pakistanis. Presumably, the choice of Punjabi as the official language would upset the smaller provinces even more than they already are.
Anyway, I basically do agree with your claim that Urdu is a shared heritage of both India and Pakistan. It is really sad how in the current Hindutva regime, it is being "othered" as the language of Muslims.
Beautifully said.
I don't know of a single pair of different languages that are completely mutually intelligible other than Urdu and Hindi. When spoken, they're basically two dialects of the same language.
The geopolitics between India and Pakistan has seriously harmed the subcontinent's shared culture. The tribalism is maddening.
A poignant read!
Great essay.
I must just take issue with Javed Akhtar's claim that Pakistan imported Urdu from India. There was no "India" before August 15, 1947. Both the nation-states of "India" and "Pakistan" were created at the exact same time. What existed before was BRITISH India which was a colony and not a nation-state.
Urdu was chosen as Pakistan's national language because it was seen as the prestige language of the Muslims of British India (obviously this didn't work out so well as we saw with the separation of East Pakistan in 1971). Urdu was also the mother tongue of the leaders of the Muslim League so they naturally favored it as the language of the new country.
Asides from that minor quibble, I really appreciated this essay. As you point out, the linguistic consensus is that Urdu and Hindi are two registers of one language that linguists call Hindustani.
Hey Kabir, I think Akhtar's claim is in a similar vein as yours that Urdu was imposed on the masses of Pakistan when no major chunk of the population spoke it as the first language. Thanks for your appreciation by the way :)
What I am taking issue with is the Indian nationalist assumption that "India" was always there and Pakistan is artificial. Javed Akhtar is an Indian nationalist and his claim about Urdu seems to me to reflect that thinking. It is in this context that we must remember that there was no nation-state called "India" until August 15, 1947.
Urdu was the prestige dialect of the area around Delhi (which was the imperial capital). Urdu's heartland was arguably Agra (where my paternal grandmother was from) and Lucknow.
I wouldn't say Urdu was "imposed" on the masses of Pakistan. Urdu serves Pakistan as a lingua franca. It is the only way that someone from Peshawar can communicate with someone from Lahore (unless both people are members of the English speaking classes). If Urdu were not the state language what would take its place? Punjabi? That is the native language of 60% of Pakistanis. Presumably, the choice of Punjabi as the official language would upset the smaller provinces even more than they already are.
Anyway, I basically do agree with your claim that Urdu is a shared heritage of both India and Pakistan. It is really sad how in the current Hindutva regime, it is being "othered" as the language of Muslims.