Languages do not develop or flourish with government patronage, by harping on minority rights or tomtoming grievances. What is needed is a change in the attitude of its professed votaries. They must ensure that children of the community which "owns" the language study it. Otherwise Urdu will go the way of Sanskrit, Pali and Persian. Objectively speaking, Urdu is getting banished not only from the educational system but the househoids too ...

True, the government's policies have a lot to do with the present plight of Urdu but what is the attitude of those whose livelihood, politics and standing in public life hinges on it? They are equally culpable as politicians and administrators. These rank opportunists espouse the cause

of Urdu as long as it benefits them.

"Link Urdu with livelihood", is one of the slogans employed by these self-seekers. Dr Khaleeq Anjum of the Anjuman Tarraqi Urdu (Hind) has posed the question: "If the study of Urdu does not entail economic benefits, does it mean that we should shun our mother tongue? Can one

deny that Urdu is not a mere language but a way of life for us? To preserve our culture we must preserve our language. If our children have to know our cultural heritage we must make them study Urdu. If people make their children learn their regional language should we not do the same? We complain about the government's attitude but do not look at our insensitivity to Urdu". I cannot improve on his exhortation.

Urdu departments in educational institutions and organisations ostensibly devoted to preservation and promotion of Urdu are only meant to solve the roti-rozi (gainful employment) problem of the chosen few. Crores of state funds are spent on these outfits the majority of which organise conferences, seminars and publish below-par journals ...

Muslim intelligentsia laps up meaningless gestures like Bihar and U.P. giving the second language status to Urdu. Why do they not see that announcements like these are made with an eye on the Muslim vote bank? This is borne out by the absence of follow-up action in both states ... Another grievance commonly voiced is that parties do not implement the promises about Urdu in election manifestos. Critics who are derisive about 'politics of Urdu' either do not appreciate or choose not to do so that this is another vote-catching gimmick ..

Muslims must realise that since they chauvinistically own up the language they must bestir themselves not only to preserve it but also develop it and spread it. Otherwise Urdu may survive as a spoken language but in its written form it will be extinct. (A) former Vice-Chancellor of

Aligarh Muslim University, was shocked to notice that to 70 per cent of AMU students the Persian script was alien. What does this portend for the future of this language is not difficult to foresee. (Sonrce: The Hindustan Times, 30 June, 1999)