Mahfoz Alam/Patna

"I do not believe that Urdu is the language of a particular religion. Urdu is the language of common culture and civilization of India, Urdu Ganga Jamni is the foundation of Indian culture, Urdu is the language of Premchand, Raghupati Sahay Faraq Gorakhpuri, Gulzar, Krishan Chandra Bedi and Gopichand Narang.

“In India, Hindu poets, and writers have their works in Urdu which is a bright chapter in the history of India. Yes, today some people say that Urdu is the language of Muslims, I feel sorry for them.”

These thoughts are of Chandra Bhushan, an Urdu aficionado and research scholar. He was initiated into the language by his grandfather and the imam of a mosque. Chander Bhushan admits his friends are surprised by his choice of research.

Chandra Bhushan told Awaz-the Voice, “I was quite young, had not even started studying. My grandfather  Ram Nandan Singh was a government middle school teacher in Jehanabad, Bihar. He was a science teacher but he was fond of Urdu language.”

Ram Nandan Singh had many students studying Urdu medium but the school had no Urdu language teacher. “My grandfather made a lot of efforts to get an Urdu language teacher for the school but nothing worked. He appointed an Urdu teacher and paid him a salary from his pocket.

Chandra Bhushan and his grandfather (Inset)

The teacher came to the school for 15 days each month and taught Urdu. At that time, my grandfather conjured up a dream that his grandchild would also learn this language.”

Chandra Bhushan’s father Arun Kumar was unemployed after completing his graduation. He tended the family’s farm and passed away in 2000.

“My grandfather trained all three brothers and taught us Urdu from the beginning. As it happened my two brothers passed away I was the only one who fulfilled Dada’s wish to become a Urdu-lover. Today I am enrolled in PhD in Urdu.”

He credits Hafiz Sarafuddin, the imam of the Shri Bagha Shakurabad village in Jahanabad, of Sitamarhi district for initiating him into the beautiful language.

“I read Urdu books up to fifth grade from Imam Sahib. When I reached 12th, I opted for Urdu as a language and scored 100% marks. I completed my MA in Urdu and am doing PhD in Urdu from Magadh University Bodh Gaya.”

Chandra Bhushan says that the journey of learning and reading Urdu has been beautiful. “I cannot describe it. I have a dream to promote the common language of India which truly represents the Indian culture to the world.

Chandra Bhushan says that my grandfather not only taught children at home Urdu but also encouraged other children to study it. He believed that languages ​​do not belong to any particular nation or religion, rather languages ​​are the best means of expressing one's emotions and feelings and Urdu is the most unique in this regard.” A person who knows Urdu can put his words very well and the special thing is that this language is a part of our heritage which has the honor of being the pioneer of Ganga civilization.”

Chandra Bhushan says, “I can undoubtedly say that I have learned Urdu, studied it and now I have developed a passion for bringing Urdu home to home. He says I am sure that one day I will be successful in this regard.”

Chandra Bhushan says that Urdu language is a sweet and smooth language. A great store of knowledge exists in this language. The Urdu knowing people will benefit from these books.  Urdu is not the language of any religion and it is wrong to say that Urdu is read only by Muslims.” I believe that the Urdu language must be read by every Indian. By reading Urdu comes the ability to speak,

Chandra Bhushan

"Urdu is the name of a civilization. By studying this language, the Ganga-Jimni civilization is promoted. From Premchand to Gopichand Narang, many Hindu poets and writers studied the Urdu language and did very important work in this language. Today the world knows and recognizes him because of Urdu. So I say that every person in this country should learn Urdu and there should be a proper arrangement for teaching Urdu in schools.”

Chandra Bhushan says Urdu is a living language, the language of Indian culture, and it doent’s have to be associated with religion.

Chandra Bhushan feels the future of Urdu is bright. “There are many places in our country where Urdu is urgently needed. There is a demand for Urdu teacher translators; many jobs in departments of the Government of India and State Government. Also, what is most important is that this language is very important for India as it promotes our civilization. There are a large number of Muslim as well as Hindu writers whose works are in Urdu language. If people don't read it, how will they know about these books.”

Chandra Bhushan says that people are surprised to know that he has done an MA in Urdu and is doing a PhD. “ My friends praise me and also criticize me at the same time. Some friends said why are you studying in Urdu? And some expressed their happiness and said that you are doing very well. The friends who asked the question why are you studying in Urdu?”

Chandra Bhushan says that it is important to study Urdu just as it is necessary to study Hindi or any other language. “Some people said that you are a non-Muslim and you are studying Urdu, so I told people that no, religion has nothing to do with it, Urdu is everyone's language and everyone should read it. I have awakened many people towards Urdu.

Chandra Bhushan said his effort to connect people of different religions with Urdu is aimed at nourishing “our common culture and Ganga Jamni civilization.”

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Chandra Bhushan says that a lot of students are opting out of  Urdu because they are keen to know which language would make them more job-worthy. “People see whether we will get a job or not. A student studying Urdu also leaves Urdu from the 12th onwards. Parents are also not aware and there are not many Urdu teachers in schools.