I love urdu
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Our national language poet and prose writer Egyptian writer narrates the story of his relationship with Urdu
Can you tell me something about yourself How did you learn
Urdu? How did you turn to Urdu? Why and how do you write poetry in Urdu? When
did the lion say? Etc etc
These are the questions people keep asking me. So I thought
I'd write down the answers to these questions.
I am of Arab descent, from Egypt. Be Egyptian by birth and
by education. My mother tongue is Arabic. Urdu is my acquired language. Early
in my education, I wanted to enter the medical faculty to fulfill my father's
wish. But at that time I could not get the required number for admission in
medical. Then I enrolled in the Department of Urdu at Ain Shams University,
Faculty of Arts. I started studying Urdu.
Although I had no background in the language and had never
heard of it before, because we did not have it in newspapers, radio or
television. On the contrary, if I speak Hindi, I have been watching Hindi
movies on TV since my childhood. I used to enjoy listening to Hindi songs.
As a student, I learned that Hindi and Urdu are two sides of
the same coin. There is not much difference between the two at the level of
rules. The only difference is the content and the script. While reading Urdu,
when people used to ask me what do you read? And what is this Urdu? So I was a
little hesitant to answer, because the common Egyptian people do not know the
name of Urdu, I was one of them. Urdu was not very popular in Egypt because of
its name. Very few people knew it. Unlike other languages, it is not attributed
to any nation or region or territory, but the people here know Hindi because of
their connection to India.
Anyway, I studied Urdu for four years and when the result
came out, I got the first position. I was appointed in the Urdu department in
2004. And I started my journey with Urdu language and literature. I got my MA
and PhD in Urdu Language and Literature. Completed a dissertation in MA in 2009
(Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's Ethical and Corrective Essays: A Critical Study) and a
dissertation in PhD 2013 entitled (Fehmida Riaz's Poetry). After her doctorate,
she started teaching Urdu as a lecturer.
Between 2015 and 2019, I wrote six articles on Urdu
literature, the topics of which are: alienation in the poetry of Munir Niazi,
satire and humorous poetry of Dilawar Figar, Hussaini poetry in Urdu and Arabic,
nature painting in the poetry of Allama Iqbal , Concepts of nationalism and
patriotism in Urdu poetry and contemporary issues in Ghazanfar's novel
(Manjhi). Praise be to ALLAH. I have progressed. I am now an Associate
Professor and continue to provide teaching services.
Regarding poetry in Urdu, I can say that experimenting in
poetry or other creative genres is a divine gift. From infancy she was endowed
with natural creativity. I have been interested in reading and doing Arabic
poetry since childhood, but due to my education and other engagements, I
suspended writing for a while and focused only on education. I have no
hesitation in admitting that writing Urdu poetry started after my first trip to
India. I went to India on a week-long trip to attend an international
conference two years ago in February.
Professor Khawaja Ikramuddin of JNU Delhi invited me and
three other Egyptian teachers to visit India. The first part of the conference
was in Delhi and the second part in Calcutta. During this trip, I met many Urdu
language teachers. In the same way, I met some people there whose kindness I am
very proud of. There I did not realize that I was out of Egypt. I am indebted
to the love of these people. They provided all the facilities for me. I sat
with him, went to his house, and met his family. Truth be told, I made the most
of my trip to India.
We find stories of magic all over the world. When I went to
Calcutta in February, I was enchanted. After returning to Calcutta, this magic
stayed with me. I had a feeling and an idea
Started with and wrote his first poem titled
"Magic." Initially, put your poems on your Facebook profile, which
received a lot of praise from some Urdu people. Until then, I did not know that
I could write poetry in Urdu. It was a very different and amazing experience
for me. It seems almost impossible for me to be able to write in Urdu. This
experience was a challenge and I learned a lot. Despite the pressure and mental
confusion, I kept writing. Here in Egypt, I was less encouraged than those who
knew Urdu. And so far people are asking questions like how does she write in
Urdu?
Urdu is not his mother tongue !! When does he get time with
his personal responsibilities? Most people are surprised. Also, the attitudes
of the people around me were too strict to stop writing or to control. She felt
sad and helpless because of all this, but she was worried about writing. I
couldn't even sleep at night, until I could write a poem with my pen. I was not
ready to give up writing at any cost and I endured a lot for that.
Alhamdulillah, Allah was watching my hard work, so he stayed
with me and he was so kindHe blessed me with two friends, whose sincerity and
love was a beacon for me. He always said that in you
Ability exists and God has given you this ability, believe
in your ability, write and trust. Don't care too much about people. That kind
of thing encouraged me. These friends
My poems and articles were being published in some Urdu
magazines and newspapers. I remember that after my first poem, the novelist,
columnist and poet Mr. Fahim Akhtar (London) got me right.
He suggested that I write a poem every week. Similarly, Mr.
Imtiaz Gorakhpuri (Mumbai), a writer and editor of the magazine Urdu Aangan,
considered my poems worthy of publication.
About a year ago, I had the opportunity to travel to India
again. Also went to Bangladesh. The trip was only for a week. Went to Dhaka to attend
a conference. After that I went to Calcutta, I got an invitation from Mr. Fahim
Akhtar. There was a reception for me. Then she went from Calcutta to Mumbai.
Mr. Imtiaz Gorakhpuri received an invitation to participate in an international
festival. And I am fortunate that my book "Samandar Hai Darmiyan" was
launched in Mumbai under the auspices of Urdu Aangan Mumbai. There I received
the Zafar Gorakhpuri Award for Encouragement. This award is a great honor and
joy for me. After returning from this trip, I started reciting ghazals and
writing fiction in Urdu. So far I am busy in these works. Reading, writing,
translation, research and teaching. Five of my books have been published and
the sixth is under publication.
I also want to say that I write what I personally think. I
write down what I feel and consider poetry as a means of love and friendship
between nations and countries, which is necessary to clarify the closeness
between civilizations. Poetry is a voice that seeks comfort and solace. To me,
every human being has a dream. My dream is that we all live in peace and love,
where we have no fear or danger.
Just as the ocean is full of water, so my writings are full
of surprises, questions and objections. In my articles, I have tried to promote
the culture of my country in Urdu so that it can be conveyed to the people of
the subcontinent and show them a new culture, a new world. I love the
subcontinent because of the beauty of civilization and culture. I am very fond
of Urdu language and believe me I love Urdu. Be convinced of the cultural
heritage of Urdu. Of course, Urdu is a great language in terms of culture or
history. When I meet Urdu people, I only speak Urdu. It is very nice to hear
Urdu from them too. I end my article with a poem:
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