Urdu Day Celebration Slated at Ghalib Academy on Nov. 9: World Urdu Day Organizing Committee

New Delhi: An important meeting of the World Urdu Day Organizing Committee was held under the chairmanship of veteran journalist Jalaluddin Aslam at Joshi Colony, Delhi. On this occasion, Dr. Syed Ahmad Khan expressed his happiness that some government-funded institutions of various state governments, particularly the Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy, and large sections of the public, organize ‘Urdu Day’ on November 9, commemorating Allama Iqbal’s birth anniversary.
It was decided in the meeting that, as per tradition, this year too, the World Urdu Day Organizing Committee will hold an Urdu Day celebration on November 9, 2025, at Ghalib Academy, located in Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi. The event will be presided over by Professor Emeritus Dr. Abdul Haq, an expert on Iqbal studies.
On this occasion, Jalaluddin Aslam appealed to the Urdu-speaking community to organize Urdu Day celebrations in areas where such events are not yet held, to help promote Urdu language and literature. He emphasised that it is important not only to celebrate it in traditional Urdu-speaking regions but also in non-Urdu areas, in order to dispel misconceptions about Urdu.
He further stated that Urdu speakers need to build relationships with people in non-Urdu regions as well.
Senior journalist Suhail Anjum said that the continuous celebration of Urdu Day for the past 28 years by the Urdu Development Organization is a significant achievement. He added that, thanks to the organization’s appeal, the event is now celebrated not only in India but also in foreign countries, which is an encouraging development.
Journalist Javed Akhtar noted that the programmes of the Urdu Development Organization have inspired other institutions to organise their own Urdu celebrations. He cited the example of The Wire’s Urdu festival as a notable instance. Such events, he said, help bring the younger generation closer to the Urdu language.
Participants in the meeting included Israr Ahmad Ujjaini, Dr. Mufti Javed Anwar Dehlavi, Hakeem Muhammad Murtaza Dehlavi, Hakeem Aftab Alam, Syed Niyaz Ahmad Raja, Mohammad Imran Qanouji, Zeeshan Ahmad, Dr. Abu Zaid, and Faizan Ahmad, among others.