A five-day workshop on capacity building of Urdu journalists and students of journalism in Kashmir started here at University of Kashmir on Tuesday.
The workshop has been organized by Educational Multi-MediaResearch Centre (EMMRC), University of Kashmir in collaboration with NationalCouncil for Promotion of Urdu language (NCPUL), New Delhi.
Vice-Chancellor Central University of Kashmir ProfMehraj-ud-din Mir during inaugural session called for promotion of Urdulanguage and keeping it alive as a necessity for being in sync with Kashmir’srich heritage, tradition and history in particular and with the history of theIndian -Sub continent in general.
“However,” Prof Mir lamented:”Despite Urdu beingour official language we failed to give it the kind of respect which itdeserved and gone are the days when our entire revenue records and officialcorrespondence would take place in Urdu and same is being replaced by Englishnow.”
Prof Nilofer Khan said:”It is our moral duty to make effortsfor the promotion of the Urdu language which is the official language of Jammuand Kashmir UT.”
Registrar KU Dr Nisar A Mir in said “Urdu journalism hasplayed a great role in the freedom struggle of India and at that point of timeUrdu was the language of the common masses. However these days we have confinedand attributed it as the language of a particular community only which initself is a big stereotype and discrimination.”
Director EMMRC KU Dr Shahid Rasool said “Urdu is still thethird most important language in the Indian subcontinent after Hindi andEnglish and Urdu newspapers are presently getting published from 18 states ofthe country. It is with this aim that the present workshop has been organizedso that Urdu journalists and students of journalism should go all out in takingadvantage of new technological advances that are radically changing the wayinformation is reached to masses for the promotion of Urdu language.”
Director NCPUL Dr Aqueel Ahmad deliberated upon the roleplayed by NCPUL for promotion and preservation of Urdu language across thecountry and said that NCPUL conducts such camps and workshops round the yearfor refining the skills of the Urdu working journalists and sharpening theirskills.
Columnist, writer, producer EMMRC KU Mr Ajaz-ul-Haquedelivered the keynote address during which he highlighted the problems and challengesfaced by the working journalist in Kashmir and said that “only such languagesprosper which have the official patronage from the governing regimes and as faras Urdu is concerned it has faced discrimination on that front from a long timenow.”
The proceedings of the inaugural session were conducted byProducer EMMRC Mr Tariq Abdullah.