Tracing Gandhi's love for Urdu

Little is known about Gandhiji’s affection towards the Urdu language. Most people are unaware of the fact that Urdu weekly 'Harijan Sevak' was one of the four publications of Gandhi. These newspapers used to be published from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

Hyderabad:Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated on October 2 every year to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. On this occasion, different aspects of Mahatma’s life are recalled and discussed.

Little is known about Gandhiji’s affection towards the Urdu language. Most people are unaware of the fact that Urdu weekly 'Harijan Sevak' was one of the four publications of Gandhi Ji. These newspapers used to be published from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

Gandhiji always loved the Urdu language and he was a great supporter of the language as well. Gandhi Ji started a weekly Urdu edition of ‘Harijan Sevak’ in 1946 to outreach the Muslim community of the country.

“After Gandhiji returned from South Africa, he was disheartened to see the pathetic condition of his country and its people. He decided to raise his voice against the suppression of his nation through the publication. He started publishing ‘Harijan Sevak’, in English, Hindi, and Gujarati languages. After some time of starting these publications, he also started the Urdu edition of the newspaper. The record of the Urdu publication is still available at Ahmadabad’s Navjivan press, where these newspapers used to be printed and published.” Kapil Rawal, Trustee, Navjeevan Press in Ahmedabad, told ETV Bharat.

The first issue of ‘Harijan Sevak’ was published by Navjeevan Press, in Kalupur Ahmedabad, on a Sunday in the year of 1947.

People used to buy copies of this newspaper with enthusiasm. In one of his articles about Urdu journalism, Gulam Mohammad Ansari, a literary scholar, has mentioned that Gandhi Ji had a great love for the Urdu language.

He wrote in his article, “Numerous books have been written about the life and activities of Mahatma Gandhi but, unfortunately, little has been written about his services to the Urdu language. During his fight against British colonial rule, Gandhi Ji also started the Urdu edition of the ‘Harijan Sevak’ publication from Ahmedabad. The newspaper was closed down due to financial crisis, after the assassination of Gandhiji.”

Gandhi Ji was familiar with the Urdu language to the extent that he used to write in Urdu as well. His love for the Urdu language can be gauged by the fact that he used to write letters in the Urdu language.

His letters with his Urdu signatures are also available, which shows that he adored the language. Clearly, much work needs to be done to bring about Gandhiji’s efforts and services regarding the Urdu language, to the fore.