Chennai: The Urdu Development Organisation (UDO), Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Chapter, held a meeting here today under the chairmanship of Dr. Mohammed Obaidullah Baig, Chairman of UDO for Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, to finalise preparations for the upcoming World Urdu Day celebrations on November 9. During this meeting, prominent personalities were selected for this year’s World Urdu Day Awards in recognition of their contributions to Urdu literature, education, journalism, and poetry.
The committee decided to honour Dr. Amanullah M.B., Head of the Urdu Department at University of Madras, with the ‘Allama Iqbal World Urdu Day Award for Urdu Literature.’ V.M. Habib Rehman, Block Education Officer (BEO) from Chennai, will receive the ‘Maulana Abul Kalam Azad World Urdu Day Award for Promotion of Education and Training.’
Other distinguished recipients include Hafeez Mohammad Hameedullah Baig for promoting the Urdu language, Azam Shahid from Bengaluru for journalism, and Dr. Ijaz Hussain and Anwar Jaleelpuri for their contributions to Urdu poetry.
Additional honourees include Shahid Madrasi, Kaatib Hanif, Asan Ghani Mushtaq Rafiqui, and Akbar Zahid, with awards recognising their contributions to Urdu literature, poetry, and journalism. Educators such as Dr. Hayat Iftikhar, Dr. Nikhat Naz from Queen Mary College, Saira Naseem, M. Karamatullah, Siraj-un-Nisa, and several others from Tamil Nadu will be recognised with World Urdu Day Awards for their dedication to teaching and promoting Urdu in schools and colleges.
A special highlight of the celebration will be the launch of two books by Dr. Amanullah M.B. of the University of Madras, titled Thirukkural in Urdu and Challenges and Opportunities in Urdu Essay Writing.
Dr. Md. Ubaidullah Baig, Chairman of the World Urdu Day Organising Committee (Tamil Nadu and Karnataka), and Dr. Syed Ahmad Khan, Convener of the World Urdu Day Organising Committee (New Delhi), extended their congratulations to all awardees. They expressed hope that these awards would further support the growth and recognition of the Urdu language and literature. The award ceremony is expected to spotlight the cultural and literary significance of Urdu, reinforcing its value across various fields.
