This volume breaks new ground on the issue of the Urdu language with the backdrop of language politics in the pre- and post-Partition eras. It examines the problems faced by Urdu, and its survival as a functional language in the common civic space. The editor and the contributors argue that this language, despite its past glory and present nostalgia, has now been relegated to those Indians who profess Islam. But it is their opinion that Urdu can and will survive in India as a functional language only if it is taught in the educational curriculum as a modern Indian language. These essays by seventeen renowned Urdu litt?rateurs focus on the socio-political, educational and policy situation to assess how the teaching of Urdu can become a part of mainstream education. They opine that Urdu, denied its rightful place alongside other regional Indian languages, has also suffered the ire of the Hindu majority after the Partition of the subcontinent. Communal politics have played their own role in discriminating against Urdu. The only solution—integrating Urdu in the mainstream of secular education—would be a giant step forward for this minority community, as it would promote a more liberal and modern outlook.
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