KOZHIKODE: Badtha rahe ye Ilaaka…
Jaari rehe he ye hukumat
Ghaamsal rehe ye halkha
Fathahiyab rehe ye umid vaar....
Says the Urdu poster of UDF candidate P.B. Abdul Razak in Majeshwaram, which means, “the state should progress, the government should continue, the constituency should progress and the candidate should win.” Urdu has come alive for the electioneering in the northern tip of the state.
A section of Muslims, known as Hanafi Muslims, whose mother tongue is Urdu or Hindustani language, reside in Uppala in Manjeshwaram constituency. There are around 35,000 of their members in Manjeshwaram taluk whose lineage can be traced to the Thurkan sect among the Muslims of Maharashtra.
The state government’s declaration of setting up an Urdu academy at Uppala is the reason behind the new-found love for the language. The UDF is making it a campaign theme whereas the LDF and the BJP have woken up late to counter it by erecting Urdu posters and banners.
“Promotion of Urdu language, be it during election time or other occasions, is welcome. Kasargod is known as the confluence of seven languages and the growing acceptability of each language is a positive development,” felt Mr N. Moideenkutty, former Urdu research officer at SCERT who prepared the draft proposal of the academy.
“It’s true that the UDF government has given its nod for the academy. It proves our commitment to the Urdu speaking people,” claimed UDF candidate Abdul Razak. But BJP district president K. Sreekanth said that Urdu love was nothing but yet another electoral gimmick. “The academy remains on paper. This is the same government which shifted the state maritime institute from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram,” he said.
