Wast-e- Hind Mein Urdu Adab’ a book that traces Urdu history in central India was released here on Tuesday at a gala function held at Rotary Club at Banganga. National Council for Promotion of Urdu language Director Khwaja Ekramuddin, internationally acclaimed Urdu poet Manzar Bhopali and eminent educationist Professor Afaq Ahmed released the book penned by Mehtab Alam, noted electronic media journalist of ETV Urdu.
later, a seminar on the same subject was also held on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion Khwaja Ekramuddin said, “The book is a major work that brings to fore the role of Urdu writers and poets from the region.” Professor Afaq Ahmed said, “Mehtab Alam has done extensive research in finding out the origins of Urdu language and literature in this region over the past seven centuries.”
Professor Afaq further said that the fact is that there were writers and poets including Sufis, who were writing here in Urdu much before the eighteenth century, are not recalled often. Internationally acclaimed Urdu poet Manzar Bhopali addressing the gathering on the occasion said, “The book penned by Mehtab Alam digs out the contribution of forgotten writers from the entire region which is now divided into Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.”
Zia Farooqui, Saifi Sironji, Karishma Pradhan and SM Shakil also spoke at length on the work of Mehtab Alma and the role of Urdu language and literature in central India. The speakers were of the view that Central India was not only ignored by the historians but also by the Urdu critics but Mehtab Alam’s voluminous book that is spread over 1100 pages is an excellent attempt to correct the historic neglect.
After the seminar some prominent educationists and journalists were also felicitated by the organisation ‘Hum ek Hain’ that organised the book release programme, those felicitated on the occasion include Skand Kumar Trivedi, Suryabali Suraj, poets Zafar Sehbai and Naseem Ansari, Journalists Arif Aziz of Urdu daily Nadeem, Aleem Bazmi of Dainik Bhaskar, Sharad Diwedi of Bansal channel, Sajid Rizvi of Door Darshan and Shams Ur Rehman Alavi of Hindustan Times.