Concerned representatives from various organisations are set to meet on January 25 to address the growing challenges and threats to the survival of the Urdu language in Telangana. The meeting, organised by Mohibban-e-Urdu (Urdu Lovers), will take place at 2:00 pm at Media Plus, Gun Foundry, Abids, Hyderabad. The session will be presided over by Mohammed Mushtaq Mallik, President of Tahreek Muslim Shabban, and aims to address critical issues impacting Urdu and its institutions in the state.
One of the major concerns highlighted by the organisers is the acute shortage of Urdu teachers, which has led to the closure of many Urdu-medium schools. Despite a seven-year wait since the last teacher recruitment notification in 2017, the recent DSC-2024 process has filled only 517 of the 1,183 reserved positions for Urdu-medium schools, leaving 666 vacancies unfilled due to reserved category constraints. This shortage has dealt a severe blow to the Urdu-medium education system and has raised fears about its future.
Further exacerbating the crisis is the government’s failure to fully implement Urdu as the second official language, despite the passing of the Telangana Official Languages (Amendment) Bill in 2017. The bill, which recognised Urdu as an official language due to the state’s 12.69% Urdu-speaking population, has had little practical impact. Official signboards in Urdu are scarce, press releases and communication rarely feature the language, and only 66 Urdu translators have been recruited since the bill’s passage—far from enough to support the widespread use of Urdu in governance and official matters.
Also Read: “Nations that do not remember history are wiped out”: Professor Aqeel Ahmed
The neglect of Urdu institutions in the state has also come under scrutiny. Organisations such as Idara-e-Adabiyat-e-Urdu, once significant cultural institutions, are facing exploitation, with land belonging to the society being sold off to private parties at low prices. Similarly, vital institutions like the Urdu Arts College in Himayatnagar and Urdu Ghar in Moghalpura are struggling with inadequate funding and official indifference, threatening their ability to preserve and promote Urdu’s rich cultural and educational legacy.
Prominent leaders from religious, social, and literary circles, as well as writers, poets, and journalists, are expected to participate in the meeting to deliberate on these issues and find collective solutions to ensure the survival and growth of the Urdu language in Telangana. With the stakes high, the session is anticipated to spark a renewed commitment to preserving Urdu’s legacy and its integral role in the cultural identity of the region.
(This story is sourced from a third-party syndicated feed. Raavi Media takes no responsibility or liability of any nature. Raavi Media management/ythisnews.com can alter or delete the content without notice for any reason.)