Urdu is not going anywhere
That in my humble view is the conclusion of the conference in Karachi on the state of Urdu language, literature, journalism and performing arts held last week. Urdu is not…
Who is Urdu-speaking?
Will someone help me find the origin of the term ‘Urdu-speaking’ – not in academic terms for people living across South Asia or elsewhere but its use in Pakistan’s social…
Urdu vs the local languages
In his article, “The bill to kill Urdu” (March 5), Mushfiq Ahmad made some interesting arguments in favour of Urdu. The writer first argued that the bill pending in parliament…
An elegy for Urdu
I am not much of a talker – never has been one. And my wife never lets an opportunity pass to rub it in. While I read or endlessly flip…
What ails public-sector education?
I asked 12 year-old Sultan (pseudonym) to read from his Urdu textbook. He struggled to read a simple sentence (“more sher ki tarha jungle kaa badshah hai”). While he eventually…
Crime and police
The Arabic word ‘noor’ has multiple meanings. Depending on the context, it can mean brightness, divine light, or simply ‘light’. ‘Raushnai’ is a Persian word having similar meanings, but it…
How a language dies
A language dies when nobody speaks it anymore. Why a language dies is a pertinent question asked by linguists and activists alike. Linguists and activists across the world have shown…
HEC finds tampered documents, grave irregularities in 235 Fuuast appointments
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has found gross irregularities in the appointment process of 235 faculty members of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (Fuuast) by its…
Golden moments of cricket
Cricket has a long history. According to the ICC website, the first we hear of it is in 1611 and it was then described as “Boys Sport”. The game caught…
