Lahore, 3 May: Oxford University Press launched its publication From Hindi to Urdu: A Social and Political History written by the eminent linguist, Tariq Rahman. This book is the first of its kind on the socio-political history of Urdu. It analyses the historiography of the language narratives about its names, linguistic ancestry, place of birth and relates it to the politics of identity-construction among the Hindus and Muslims of India during the last two centuries. A historical account of the use of Urdu in social domains such as employment, education, and print and electronic media has been provided for the first time. Evolution of Urdu from the language of the laity of the Indian subcontinent to its standardization into two languages: Persianized Urdu and Sanskritized Hindi are also highlighted in this book. .
Dr Tariq Rahman is an HEC Distinguished National Professor and Professor Emeritus, and Dean, School of Education, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore. Since June 2007, he is the Director of National Institute of Pakistan Studies (NIPS) in Islamabad. He is a highly published scholar and has authored ten books. His most well-known books include Language and Politics in Pakistan; Language, Ideology and Power; and Denizens of Alien Worlds. He has been the recipient of several awards including the national Pride of Performance Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The launch ceremony was held at the Oxford Bookshop in Lahore. The speakers at the launch included Dr Mohammad Waseem of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lahore University of Management Sciences, and Dr Shahid Siddiqui, Head, Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences, Lahore School of Economics. They both lauded the author's efforts in providing a fresh analysis of the linguistic history of Urdu with reference to its political and ideological dimensions. Dr Tariq Rahman gave the concluding remarks. Earlier in his welcome address, Tariq Haq, Regional Sales Director, Oxford University Press Pakistan, introduced Dr Tariq Rahman.