Sheikh Muhammad Younis/Hyderabad

“My grandfather and father were respected Urdu speakers and loved the language. I would have liked them to speak with me in Urdu. My father wrote a diary in the Urdu language and because of my curiosity to read it and understand his immense love for the Urdu language, I could not restrain myself. I have a degree in Philosophy and am proud to have studied Urdu.”

Amar Nath Rahgeer said this about his acquired love for the Urdu language. Amarnath has completed his Ph.D. degree in Urdu from Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University, Hyderabad.

His research was on the topic of  "A Critical Analysis of Urdu short story after independence" and he successfully defended it under the supervision of Prof. Muhammad Naseemuddin Faris.

He defended his thesis on February 9. Interestingly, Amar Nath has a diploma in the Persian language; an Urdu Certificate Course from Delhi Urdu Academy, Diploma in Urdu from Delhi University, and an Advanced Diploma.

He is also successful in UGC Net from Urdu. His four articles have been published in UGC Care list magazines. He has presented his papers in eight national and international seminars.

Dr Amar Nath Rahgeer reading Urdu books

Dr. Amar Nath is a resident of Old Delhi. His grandfather Bihari Lal, father Hira Lal, and uncle Indrajith were Urdu speakers. Amar Nath listened to the Urdu language since his childhood and had aspired to be like them. However, it took a long time for him to fulfill his wish.

Dr.Amar Nath's daughter is a B.Sc. graduate in English medium education. She is also studying Urdu from her father. Amar Nath likes exercising and marathon running.

Amar Nath’s studies till graduation were in Hindi language and he completed his BA from Delhi University in 1991.

Thereafter, he completed an Urdu Certificate course from Urdu Academy, Delhi, by attending evening classes while he worked in a chemical factory.

Hira Lal passed away in 1997 and the responsibility of the house fell on Amar Nath. Whenever he looked at his father's Urdu diary, he remembered would go into nostalgia. Financial constraints at home didn’t allow him to indulge himself in studying Urdu back then.

However, his love and quest for the Urdu language never diminished.

After a long hiatus of 30 years, Amar Nath set out to fulfill his long-cherished desire to learn Urdu, completing a one-year diploma course in Urdu from Delhi University in 2010 and an Advanced Diploma Urdu course from the same University in 2011. Thereafter Amar Nath got admission in MA Urdu at Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad (Distance Education) in the year and cleared it in 2014. Amar Nath has also passed the NET in the Urdu language. He quit his job in Pune and got admission to Maulana Azad University for Ph.D.

Later in Delhi, under the supervision of Prof. Muhammad Naseem-ud-Din Farees, he presented a 369-page dissertation on “A critical review of Urdu short story in Delhi after independence” and was awarded the Ph.D.

Amar Nath is also a fiction writer and is currently working on many book projects.

Speaking to Awaz-the Voice, Amar Nath said that he was the first non-Muslim to complete his Ph.D. in Urdu from Maulana Azad University. He said that it was wrong to associate the Urdu language with any religion or class “Such thoughts are ignorance,” he said. “The survival of Urdu is the responsibility of all of us.”

Amar Nath said that Urdu is an Indian language and we all have a responsibility to promote it and ensure its survival.” He said that every child's primary education should be in their mother tongue.

Maulana Azad University and Dr Amarnath

Amar Nath said that we spend a lot of time on games, mobile, travel, and entertainment, so we can not take a little time to learn our own Urdu language. "I a person learns a language. It becomes his language. Similarly, the Urdu language belongs to everyone. There is a lot of material in the Urdu language related to our civilization and culture. We need to be familiar with Urdu to understand our culture and civilization."

Amar Nath admitted that the Urdu language is of not much use in terms of employment opportunities. 

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He said that Urdu University is a symbol of common and Ganga-Jamni (Inclusive) civilization where education is imparted in a pleasant environment. “I moved from Delhi to Hyderabad but I never felt that I have come to a new place.”

He said that his teacher Prof. Naseemuddin Farees is an expert as well as an excellent person.

Amar Nath said that the promotion of the Urdu language is obligatory for him and he will dedicate himself to the service of Urdu. He is also teaching Urdu to his daughter. He said that he was preparing for the post of Assistant Professor of Urdu.