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Urdu Academy California
Urdu Academy California
- by A. S. Ghazali
(Revised by Rakhshi Khan)
MOUNTAIN VIEW: To promote Urdu language among the South Asian population of Bay area, a California Chapter of the Pakistan based Urdu Academy was established and its first inaugural meeting was held on April 14, 2001. Iqbal Zaheer Tashie, a real estate professional with Caldwell Banker hosted the gathering. He paid rich tributes to Professor Anwar Anjum, Professor Arsh Siddiqi and Mr. Fayaz Tehseen, who in 1965 founded the Urdu Academy at Multan; and their contribution to Urdu Literature is greatly admired in Pakistan. He pledged to continue their mission here in the USA. It should be noted that the original Urdu Academy in Multan continues to be a very active and strong organization.
The meeting began with the recitation of a poem of Professor Anwar Anjum, who had distinctively contributed with his thought-provoking poetical works to the contemporary Urdu literature. Prof. Anjum, who died at the young age of 25, did his work on Meeraji, which is considered as one of the best research books on the subject. Poems were recited from Prof. Arsh Siddiqi's collection, which reflect that poetry is a matter of life, not just a matter of language. With his imagination Prof. Arsh combines two great loves in his poetry: the love of words and the love of life.
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A group photo of the participants
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Iqbal Zaheer Tashie, was of the view that language plays an important role in maintaining cultural identity. There is a large population from South Asia that speaks Urdu and it is very important to teach Urdu language to the children, in order to maintain their cultural identity. He also pointed out that Urdu is an international language that is spoken and understood throughout South Asia as well as in the Persian Gulf, a region that hosts almost one quarter of global population.
The Urdu Academy California has an ambitious plan to establish an Urdu Library and a school to teach Urdu. The Academy will sponsor Urdu literary activities. It will also help poets and authors from South Asia in publishing their literary works. The Academy will hold its next meeting and mushaira on June 23. Ms. Noshi Gilani, an internationally renowned poetess, will be the chief guest at the mushaira.
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