New Delhi: A meeting of the Urdu Development Organisation (UDO) Delhi State was held under the chairmanship of Dr. Syed Ahmed Khan, National President, UDO, at the office of Allama Rafiq Trust, Suiwalan, here today.
In the meeting, Master Maqsood Ahmed said that the condition of Urdu in Delhi’s Urdu-medium schools is not satisfactory. Despite the availability of textbooks in Urdu, subjects like Science and Social Studies are being taught in English. This is in violation of the New Education Policy 2020, which makes education in the mother tongue compulsory for children up to the age of 14. He further noted that even parents, at the time of admission, often act carelessly, and admission in-charges end up marking some other language instead of Urdu.
Dr. Najm-us-Sahar Najmi, Secretary of the UDO Delhi State, said that the disappearance of Urdu from the Walled City is extremely astonishing and regrettable, since the language has deep influence on the hearts and minds of its residents. She further stated that the local leaders of the Walled City are showing indifference and apathy, as all their banners and posters are published only in Hindi, whereas they should be in both Urdu and Hindi.
Hakim Mohammad Murtaza Dehlvi said that the progress of the organisation requires the collaboration of both wealthy individuals and intellectuals.
On this occasion, Dr. Mufti Javed Anwar Dehlvi said that in today’s meeting, they have resolved to launch a grassroots campaign for the promotion and progress of Urdu. Special efforts will be made to meet local leaders and responsible persons to encourage them to end their neglect of Urdu. He added that Urdu, after emerging from the Red Fort, not only flourished across India but also gained recognition outside the country, becoming a language of national communication. Therefore, it is our duty to make every possible effort for the protection and survival of Urdu. Moreover, since Urdu has already been accorded the status of Delhi’s second official language, it is constitutionally our right to demand that the government establish and activate institutions for the promotion of Urdu, particularly the Urdu Academy, and also ensure that all vacant posts are filled at the earliest.
Prominent participants of the meeting included Ashfaq Ahmed Nafisi, Mohammad Obaid, Hakim Aftab Alam, Mohammad Owais, and Mohammad Imran Kanauji.
