For those who worry that the absence of Urdu literature in the city is an indication that the language is on the wane, there is good news. The 13th All India Urdu Kitab Mela organised by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) has a treasure trove of more than 20,000 titles by 60 major Urdu publishers in India. A huge turnout, that comprised of students, teachers, professionals and book lovers, were seen flipping through the pages of their favourite tomes at the Saboo Siddique Engineering College in Byculla on Saturday.
“If the language was on the decline, would thousands be flocking to an event like this,” said lyricist and poet Gulzar, who inaugurated the 9-day book fair. "My only concern is that while Urdu is spoken and understood widely, it is rarely seen in schools or colleges," he added.
Gulzar said that contrary to popular belief, Urdu does not belong to a specific region or religion. "In fact, it is one of the most secular languages in our country and its speakers come from all over India — Deccan, Punjab and the northern states. Of course, it has been Sanskritised or Persianised according to the region in which it is spoken, which is a good sign since a live language is constantly evolving."
The 60-odd stalls at the Kitab Mela display everything from poetry penned by Mirza Ghalib and Allama Iqbal to popular fiction writers like Ibn-e-Safi, Sadat Hasan Manto and Ismat Chugtai. One can also find books by contemporary poets and writers such as Kaifi Azmi, Sahir Ludhianvi and Gulzar.
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