Urdu-Hindi Conflict: Hindi and Nagri Scripts in The Government Offices and Court

Urdu-Hindi Conflict
Introduction
 “The Hindus, because of their prejudice resist everything that may remind them of the Muslim rule.”
(Garcine-de-Tassi)
 The stance taken by the Hindus regarding Urdu language proves this statement.
 Urdu language had its seeds sown when the Mughals ruled India.
 Contrary to a common misconception, Hindus also played an important role in the development and
propagation of Urdu language.
 As a language, Urdu received tremendous boost when it was declared the official language in 1837.
 In 1863, out of 23 newspapers, 17 were in Urdu in U.P. alone.
 The Urdu-Hindi conflict played an important role in creating a feeling of ‘national identity’ in the Muslims.
 The movement against Urdu was in no way, an intellectual or a literary movement. It was, indeed, an
attempt to completely eliminate all the vestiges of the Muslim rule in India.
 In 1867, a campaign was launched from Benaras to replace Urdu and Persian script with Basha and Nagri
scripts in the government offices and courts.
 As a reaction to this campaign, an organization under the name of “Central Association” came into
existence, with a view to Safeguard Urdu language, at Allahabad.
 Simultaneously, various newspapers including Al-Absar, Benaras Gazette and Aligarh Institute Gazette
launched a counter-attacks movement in favour of Urdu.
 In March 1898, a Memorial was presented to the Lt.-Governor of U.P., Anthony Macdonnel, to introduce
Hindi and Nagri scripts in the government offices and court.
 Anthony Macdonnel was highly biased against Muslims, so, he proposed to the GG that the Muslims were
a threat to the British Empire and therefore, their position in the government service should be politically
undermined.
 He not only ordered the use of Nagri alongside Urdu in government offices and courts in U.P. in April
1900, but also notified the concerned departments that only those candidates should be given jobs who
know both the languages.
 The second part of the order was however changed by the Government.
Reaction of the Muslims

 The Muslims reacted strongly to the Macdonnell’s orders.
 Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk organized the Urdu Defense Association to counter this issue.
 In this connection, a meeting was held in Lucknow in August 1900.
 Addressing the Meeting Nawab Sahib said, “Though we do not have pen in our hands and there is no
power in our pen and because of it we are less visible in offices, we have, nevertheless, power to hold
sword in our hands.”
 At the end Nawab Sahib said, “Well, if the Government is bent upon destroying Urdu language, we will
cast the corpse of Urdu in the river Gomti and die with it.”
 The Governor was so terribly annoyed and threatened that Mohsin-ul-Mulk would have to choose
between the secretaryship of Urdu Defense Association and the government’s grant for M.A.O College.
 Nawab Sahib resigned the secretaryship of the M.A.O College.
Attitude of the Hindu Leaders
 The narrow-minded Hindu leaders started conspiring to impose Hindi on the whole of India.
 A slightly different attitude was adopted by Gandhi.
 In 1917, he declared that Hindi was the only language capable of becoming the national language of India
and that by Hindi he meant the language which was written both in Nagri and Urdu scripts.
 Later on, he modified his stance and started using the term ‘Hindustani’ for both Hindi and Persian
scripts.
 In 1925, INC adopted a resolution stating that Hindustani would be the only National language of India.
 However, 10 years later, Gandhi came out in his true colors and started using the term ‘Hindi Hindustani’
instead of ‘Hindustani.’
 In February 1938, the president of INC declared, “Only Hindi can be the common language of India and
those who have not learnt it yet should learn it because it will help them transforming into an Indian
nation.”
Urdu and the AIML

 As a reaction to naked partiality of the Government, Sir Syed, Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk and the AIML took
steps to protect the Urdu language.
 AIML kept building pressure and mobilized the public.
 In December 1910, Sheikh Zahoor Ahmed demanded Government not to encourage anti-Urdu
movements.
 Sayyid Nabi Ullah in his presidential address, declared Urdu as the national language.
 In the Lucknow session of AIML in 1916, Moulvi Wahid Hussain moved a resolution to express deep
concerns over steps taken by certain quarters to displace Urdu from the legitimate position it occupied.
 In 1937, at the session of AIML, Raja of Mahmoudabad moved a resolution which called upon all Urdu-
speaking people of India to safeguard the interest of their language.
Thus this conflict not only transformed the political ethos of sub-continent but also accelerated the pace of socio-
political polarization between Hindus and Muslims. According to a renowned Congress leader Tufail Ahmad, when
a resolution against Urdu was passed in the U.P. ,it caused deep agony among the Muslims and the Hindi-Urdu
controversy created a gulf of disunity between the two nations which widened day by day.

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Urdu-Hindi Conflict

Reaction of the Muslims

Urdu and the AIML

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