Urdu Language

BJP welcomes CAT stay on Urdu mandate for Naib Tehsildar posts in J&K

The BJP on Monday welcomed the decision of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) for staying the government order making Urdu mandatory for applying to the post of Naib Tehsildar in Jammu and Kashmir. The CAT directed the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB) to accept applications from candidates who possess a graduation with knowledge of any of the five official languages Hindi, Kashmiri, English, Dogri, and Urdu. The Bharatiya Janata Party legislative party on Monday held a dharna in front of the Civil Secretariat and Assembly to lodge their protest and press for the revocation of the government order making Urdu mandatory for Naib Tehsildar examinations in Jammu and Kashmir. "We welcome the decision of the CAT to stay this illegal and discriminatory order of the National Conference government. It is our victory", Senior High Court lawyer and MLA R S Pathania told reporters here. The bench comprising Member (A) Ram Mohan Johri and Member (J) Rajinder

Updated On: 15 Jul 2025 | 10:10 AM IST

Delhi University blames glitch after 'Muslim' listed as language on form

DU sparked a row after listing 'Muslim' as a mother tongue while omitting Urdu - prompting criticism for conflating religion with language; university called it a clerical error

Updated On: 23 Jun 2025 | 5:12 PM IST

Chhattisgarh replaces Urdu-Persian words with Hindi in police functioning

The Chhattisgarh government has replaced Urdu and Persian words used in police official records with Hindi terms that can be easily understood by a layperson, in order to make policing more accessible, transparent and communicative, an official here said on Saturday. Replacing 'halafnama' with 'shapath patra' (affidavit), 'dafa' with 'dhara' (section), 'fariyadi' with 'shikayatkarta' (complainant) and 'chasmdid' with 'pratyakshdarshi' (eyewitness) are some of the examples of this. On the instructions of Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who also holds the home portfolio, the Director General of Police (DGP) has issued a letter to the district Superintendents of Police (SPs) in this regard stating that difficult and traditional words used in police functioning should be changed with simple and clear Hindi terms, an official statement said. A list of 109 words with their Hindi alternatives have been provided with the letter suggesting to be used in place of old difficult words, it .

Updated On: 14 Jun 2025 | 2:19 PM IST

Pratap: The 'conscience of India' and a chronicle of press freedom

The book chronicles the rise and fall of the Indian press over roughly a century. It is a valuable resource for students and researchers of journalism, politics, law and literature

Updated On: 29 Apr 2025 | 11:30 PM IST

Let's befriend every language: SC rejects plea to remove Urdu sign board

The plea had challenged the Bombay High Court's decision, which also ruled that the use of Urdu is not prohibited under any law in India

Updated On: 16 Apr 2025 | 11:24 PM IST

Supreme Court backs use of Urdu on Maharashtra Municipal Council signboard

Emphasising the cultural significance of Urdu, the top court remarked that the language, despite being born in India, had wrongly come to be associated with a particular religion

Updated On: 16 Apr 2025 | 11:38 AM IST

'CM has nothing to do with language, progress': Akhilesh Yadav hits CM Yogi

Yadav remark came after CM Yogi Adityanath in UP Legislative Assembly said that SP wants to promote Urdu to make the children Maulvis.

Updated On: 19 Feb 2025 | 2:03 PM IST

Delhi's new signages to display info in Hindi, English, Punjabi, and Urdu

The directive applies to metro stations, hospitals, public parks, and government offices, including the nameplates outside bureaucrats' offices

Updated On: 19 Dec 2024 | 3:55 PM IST

Urdu made mandatory for Anganwadi teachers' posts in 2 Karnataka districts

Congress government in Karnataka has made it mandatory for candidates to be proficient in Urdu for Anganwadi teachers' posts in Mudigere and Chikkamagaluru districts

Updated On: 24 Sep 2024 | 5:56 PM IST

Gulzar, Sanskrit scholar Rambhadracharya selected for 58th Jnanpith Award

Renowned Urdu poet Gulzar and Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya have been named the recipients of the 58th Jnanpith Award, the Jnanpith selection committee announced on Saturday. Gulzar is known for his works in Hindi cinema and is considered one of the finest Urdu poets of this era. He has earlier received Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu in 2002, Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013, Padma Bhushan in 2004, and at least five National Film awards for his works. Rambhadracharya, the founder and head of Tulsi Peeth in Chitrakoot, is a renowned Hindu spiritual leader, educator and writer of more than 100 books. In a statement, the Jnanpith selection committee said, "It has been decided to give the award (for 2023) to eminent writers from two languages: Sanskrit litterateur Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and well known Urdu litterateur Shri Gulzar." Goan writer Damodar Mauzo had received the prestigious award for 2022.

Updated On: 17 Feb 2024 | 5:13 PM IST

PM Modi, UP Dy CM condole renowned Urdu poet Munawwar Rana's death

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Monday expressed his condolences on the death of renowned Urdu poet Munawwar Rana

Updated On: 15 Jan 2024 | 12:38 PM IST

Rekhta Foundation, British Council foster cross-cultural poetry parallels

Event celebrates similarities between English and Urdu poetry

Updated On: 27 Sep 2023 | 4:08 PM IST

Iqbal composed 'Sare Jahan Se Acha' but never believed in it: DU V-C

After DU's Academic Council dropped a chapter on renowned Urdu poet Iqbal from its political science syllabus, Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh on said the poet is he never believed in Sare Jahan Se Achha

Updated On: 31 May 2023 | 9:36 AM IST

Unlocking an Urdu writer's treasure for scholars

The Sajjad Zaheer Digital Archive is the result of a collaboration between two varsities and the communist ideologue's family

Updated On: 28 Apr 2021 | 9:45 PM IST

Many departures from conformity

Book review of Off the Beaten Track: The Story of My Unconventional Life

Updated On: 27 Nov 2020 | 4:19 AM IST

Uttarakhand stations to replace Urdu with Sanskrit on railway signboards

Sanskrit was made the second official language of Uttarakhand in 2010 during the chief ministership of Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank

Updated On: 19 Jan 2020 | 2:19 PM IST

Fighting for Urdu

Among languages spoken by 10 million or more people, Urdu was the only one that registered a decline - falling below 4.2 per cent of the population.

Updated On: 07 Dec 2019 | 12:40 AM IST

Ghazal & friendship

The decision to include an entire section of Urdu poems translated into English is also, in fact, a political move

Updated On: 13 Sep 2019 | 10:07 PM IST

Jashn-e-Rekhta: Celebrating Urdu despite its consistent decline in India

Events like Jashn-e-Rekhta have done much to revive popular and elite interest in the language, but unless the younger generation embraces it, Urdu will continue to languish on the margins

Updated On: 24 Dec 2018 | 9:00 AM IST