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Whose Urdu Is It Anyway?: Stories by Non-Muslim Urdu Writers
Is Urdu the language of Muslims? Or, to be more precise, the language of Indian Muslims?
In modern-day India, is Urdu a language of Upper India? What of the Deccan plateau, then, which was once the cradle of Urdu? Can the India south of the Vindhyas lay claim to Urdu? What of the sweet cadences of the Urdu of the Malwa region or the princely states of Bhopal and Hyderabad or even the rural hinterland of present-day Telangana, which has suffused Urdu with a lilting charm over a period of slow distillation spanning several centuries?
So, whose Urdu is it anyway? As long as Urdu is yoked to a religion—Islam—and a certain community—the Muslims—it will never be understood in its entirety.
This collection of sixteen short stories, entirely by non-Muslim Urdu writers, is an attempt to bust stereotypes and address a persistent that Urdu is the language of India’s Muslims and that it addresses subjects that are, or should be, of concern to Muslims, and Muslims alone. It locates Urdu in its rightful place—in the heart of Hindustan.
Krishan Chander * Rajinder Singh Bedi * Mahinder Nath * Devinder Satyarthi * Kanhaiyalal Kapoor * Ramanand Sagar * Sarla Devi * Devendar Issar * Surendra Prakash * M. K. Mehtab * Ratan Singh * Balraj Komal * Joginder Paul * Deepak Budki * Renu Behl * Gulzar
In modern-day India, is Urdu a language of Upper India? What of the Deccan plateau, then, which was once the cradle of Urdu? Can the India south of the Vindhyas lay claim to Urdu? What of the sweet cadences of the Urdu of the Malwa region or the princely states of Bhopal and Hyderabad or even the rural hinterland of present-day Telangana, which has suffused Urdu with a lilting charm over a period of slow distillation spanning several centuries?
So, whose Urdu is it anyway? As long as Urdu is yoked to a religion—Islam—and a certain community—the Muslims—it will never be understood in its entirety.
This collection of sixteen short stories, entirely by non-Muslim Urdu writers, is an attempt to bust stereotypes and address a persistent that Urdu is the language of India’s Muslims and that it addresses subjects that are, or should be, of concern to Muslims, and Muslims alone. It locates Urdu in its rightful place—in the heart of Hindustan.
Krishan Chander * Rajinder Singh Bedi * Mahinder Nath * Devinder Satyarthi * Kanhaiyalal Kapoor * Ramanand Sagar * Sarla Devi * Devendar Issar * Surendra Prakash * M. K. Mehtab * Ratan Singh * Balraj Komal * Joginder Paul * Deepak Budki * Renu Behl * Gulzar
- GenresShort Stories
187 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 17, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 11, 2025
”For as long as Urdu is yoked to religion—Islam—and a certain community—Muslims—it will never be understood in its entirety.”
- Rakhshanda Jalil, Whose Urdu is it Anyway?
’Whose Urdu is it Anyway?’ is a movement of debunking the myths associated with language through a series of fragments tethered together by personal narrative, cultural critique, and a refusal to conform to linguistic purity or hierarchy.
’I have done My Bharatiya-Karan’ by Kanhaiya Lal Kapoor has a satirical tone on ’Indianness’ that runs in the veins. The story set during early Independence era, sways between identity and nationhood mirroring the state of extremes that is prevalent even today.
’Flowers of Mustard’ is an intricate portrayal of how a state which bleeds from insurgency survives on humanity symbolised through the metaphor of golden mustards. A journalist who's writing a piece on communal violence has a change of heart when he encounters a family of Jats who give him refuge for the night.
Jalil's carefully handpicked stories that centre on belonging are sensitively aware of the cultural divide separating Hindi and Urdu wrongly perceived as the languages spoken by the majority and the minority communities.
”Urdu is not the language of the Indian Muslims, alone. It is not confined to any state or region. It belongs to whoever is willing to embrace it and in their capable hands, it is willing to be moulded like pliable clay.”
- Rakhshanda Jalil, Whose Urdu is it Anyway?
’Whose Urdu is it Anyway?’ is a movement of debunking the myths associated with language through a series of fragments tethered together by personal narrative, cultural critique, and a refusal to conform to linguistic purity or hierarchy.
’I have done My Bharatiya-Karan’ by Kanhaiya Lal Kapoor has a satirical tone on ’Indianness’ that runs in the veins. The story set during early Independence era, sways between identity and nationhood mirroring the state of extremes that is prevalent even today.
’Flowers of Mustard’ is an intricate portrayal of how a state which bleeds from insurgency survives on humanity symbolised through the metaphor of golden mustards. A journalist who's writing a piece on communal violence has a change of heart when he encounters a family of Jats who give him refuge for the night.
Jalil's carefully handpicked stories that centre on belonging are sensitively aware of the cultural divide separating Hindi and Urdu wrongly perceived as the languages spoken by the majority and the minority communities.
”Urdu is not the language of the Indian Muslims, alone. It is not confined to any state or region. It belongs to whoever is willing to embrace it and in their capable hands, it is willing to be moulded like pliable clay.”
September 2, 2025
“Whose Urdu is it anyway?” edited and translated by Rakhshanda Jalil, is a subtle call to action against the politicization of the Urdu language, one which starts from the subtitle of the book, which says it is a collection of “Stories by Non-Muslim Writers”—a strange thing to read if one is not aware of the generalized notion in India that Urdu is a language solely of the Muslim community. There is an “othering” of Urdu and Muslims in India that is quite against the very essence and history of Urdu writing in the country.
As someone who has studied Urdu language and literature in university, I have been subjected to my share of questions and odd glances for choosing Urdu as a minor paper when I had the option to perhaps study French or Mandarin—what is the scope of Urdu, and who even speaks it beside “them” was what people wondered around me. But as I studied this language in my class as one of two students, I realized that my purpose of studying this language would never exceed the joy I had in learning it—in mastering something that was so foreign yet so close to the language of my heart. Jalil urges readers to pick up this book in her introduction of it, saying Urdu is, after all, a language not confined to borders or religion, but for anyone who wants to delve into literature that has as wide a range of experiences to offer as any language that holds significant works of literary value, politics, and resistance.
The collection is rich and the stories of different sensibilities, which is perfect for a beginner of Urdu literature in translation—as it provides an essence of the gems in it. My favorite one in this collection is “A Cup of Tea” (Chai ki Piyali) by Mahindar Nath, a witty portrayal of the dynamics of the relationships between men and women in the society and a jab at the equational change that marriage brings to a relationship. From partition to the nitty-gritty of life in India and the feelings of nationalism and cultural complexities, the stories in “Whose Urdu Is It Anyway?” come up with plenty to charm its readers.
Thank you @simonandschusterin for the copy.
As someone who has studied Urdu language and literature in university, I have been subjected to my share of questions and odd glances for choosing Urdu as a minor paper when I had the option to perhaps study French or Mandarin—what is the scope of Urdu, and who even speaks it beside “them” was what people wondered around me. But as I studied this language in my class as one of two students, I realized that my purpose of studying this language would never exceed the joy I had in learning it—in mastering something that was so foreign yet so close to the language of my heart. Jalil urges readers to pick up this book in her introduction of it, saying Urdu is, after all, a language not confined to borders or religion, but for anyone who wants to delve into literature that has as wide a range of experiences to offer as any language that holds significant works of literary value, politics, and resistance.
The collection is rich and the stories of different sensibilities, which is perfect for a beginner of Urdu literature in translation—as it provides an essence of the gems in it. My favorite one in this collection is “A Cup of Tea” (Chai ki Piyali) by Mahindar Nath, a witty portrayal of the dynamics of the relationships between men and women in the society and a jab at the equational change that marriage brings to a relationship. From partition to the nitty-gritty of life in India and the feelings of nationalism and cultural complexities, the stories in “Whose Urdu Is It Anyway?” come up with plenty to charm its readers.
Thank you @simonandschusterin for the copy.
July 24, 2025
A beautiful collection of short stories that expose the reader to the genius of so many talented writers that we must not let fade away with time.
I particularly enjoyed the stories of Kanhaiyalal Kapoor, Ramanand Sagar, and Deepak Budki.
I particularly enjoyed the stories of Kanhaiyalal Kapoor, Ramanand Sagar, and Deepak Budki.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews