Mirza GHALIB would have nailed the debate with this couplet: ‘Har ek baat pe kehte ho tum ki tu kya hai, tumhin kaho ki ye andaz-e-guftugu kya hai.’ Panjab University has courted needless controversy with the proposal to bring its Urdu Department under the School of Foreign Languages. The very idea of considering Urdu as a foreign and not an Indian language defies logic and reeks of insensitivity, no matter the administrative considerations. The department’s strong objection to the move highlighted how Urdu was ‘born, nurtured and cultured in India in the 13th century by Amir Khusro. From that moment onward, Urdu and Hindi languages have not looked back. Not only this, even Punjabi language was put on the path of development by Baba Farid Ganj Shakar’.

India’s composite way of life, where languages, religions, belief systems merge, coexist and nurture each other is a cherished idea. In the unique Hindustani communication fibre that binds India, and indeed the subcontinent, Urdu holds a pride of place. There has alongside been undeniable curiosity and eagerness to engage with this language of poetry and prose, and seek out more than just the meaning of lyrics and dialogues Bollywood so indulgently rests its standing on.

The contentious PU proposal gained traction after Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s tweet expressing concern. Language can be a great unifier and carries the potential to create irredeemable divisions where none existed, as witnessed following the recent remarks by Central ministers on exploring Hindi as the language of the country. If teaching of Indian languages like Urdu needs support, the State needs to step in, not distance itself from a national project. Some tasks demand affirmative action, this is one of them. Seeing language through the prism of religion, or even giving such an impression unknowingly, is fraught with danger. Just days before his death, Mahatma Gandhi had admonished those opposing Urdu. Cherish it, he counselled, ‘you will only gain’.