We have rejected Urdu poetry, Katju laments

Speaking at a function here, Katju said he had read poetry of many countries but felt that the delights that Urdu poetry had to offer were unmatched.

"Look at the great tragedy, we have rejected the world's best poetry. This shows how foolish we are. We have rejected our treasure," Katju said

India has Sanskrit-Urdu language culture which is spread to all corners of the country, he said.

"Sanskrit represents ancient India and Urdu represents modern India...The two represents the continuity of our culture. The relationship between Sanskrit and Urdu is like that of grandmother and granddaughter," Katju said.

Katju said there had been propaganda in the past which linked languages to religions -- something which was not correct.

The Press Council chairperson also said that a majority of people who lived in India were descendants of immigrants over the centuries, which explained the diversity of languages and cultures in the country.