Prof. Suresh Chander
Most of us are aware of linguistic issues in the country and various formulae leading to sometimes violent agitations in some parts of the country. Kashmir did not have a language issue but surprisingly had a script issue. It unfortunately created a religious divide.
In 1898, Maharaja Pratap Singh replaced Persian with Urdu as the official language.
Much later, the Government appointed a Committee of the following experts to consider the question of the medium of instructions:
I. Khawaja Ghulam Saiyidain, Director Education, Chairman;
2. Doctor Zakir Hussain, Principal Jamia Millia, Delhi; (He later became President of India)
3. Mr. Tyndale Biscoe, Principal, C.M.S. High School, Srinagar;
4. Mr. Ram Chand Mehndiratta, Inspector of Schools, Jammu;
5. Qazi Mohammad Ishaque, Inspector of Schools, Kashmir;
6. Pandit Nand Lal Kunzru, Headmaster, S.P. High School, Srinagar, Secretary.
The proposal before the Committee was about the introduction of the Devanagari script in addition to the Persian script already in vogue. The Committee did not favour the introduction of two scripts. It recommended that Persian script should remain compulsory but, at the same time, Hindus or others desirous of learning Hindi may be given facilities to do so from the third primary.
The Government did not agree with the recommendations of the committee. On 2l October 1940, the Government instead issued Council Order No. 989/C which laid down that:
I. The language should be a common one, i.e., simple Urdu but It can be written in two scripts, namely, the Persian as well as the Devanagari script.
2. All textbooks should be written in the same language, simple Urdu, and published in both the scripts.
3. Students shall have the option to choose either of the scripts for their education.
4. Wherever the number of students desirous of having education in Devanagari script or otherwise is fifteen percent or above, it shall be necessary for the teacher of the subject concerned in the school to be acquainted with both the scripts.
5. Such teachers who are not acquainted with both the scripts will be given a period of one year to learn the other script.
6. In future, a person who is not acquainted with both the scripts, would not be recruited as a teacher.
7. The teachers already in service, but awaiting confirmation, were not to be confirmed until they learnt the other script.
‘Hindi Urdu’
Sir Gopalaswami Ayyangar, then Prime Minister, ordered the replacement of the word ‘simple Urdu’ by the word ‘Hindi Urdu’ and also took pride in coining the term.The new word was opposed by Muslim masses including the Director of Education, Khawaja Ghulam Saiyidain. The order was withdrawn on the 4 February 1943.
On 8 February 1943, by a Council Order No. I13/C, it was enacted that in future, the language to be used as medium of instructions and named ‘simple Urdu’ was to have a common vocabulary consisting of words which were common to Urdu and Hindi. The draft of the vocabulary was prepared by Doctor Raghu Vira (He later became President of Jana Sangh) of the International Academy of Indian Culture, Lahore, and was referred to a ten-member committee. The draft was submitted in March1942. It submitted a report with an improved and much enlarged vocabulary as the common medium of Instruction. The Government divided the vocabulary into two parts. Part one consisted of simple Urdu words while part two of such Hindi words that were not included in part one but were considered necessary to enable students to take up Hindi after the 5th class. It was to be printed in two editions in the following manner:-
(a) Arranging the words in order of the Persian alphabet with their Devanagari rendering against each, and
(b) Arranging the words in order of the Devanagari alphabet with their Persian rendering against each.
In the language readers in either script, Hindi words taken from part II of the vocabulary, corresponding to simple ‘Urdu’ words in the main text, which were taken from part I, were to be given within brackets. A summary of part II Hindi words with their part I simple Urdu equivalents were also to be given at the beginning of each lesson in the language readers. Five percent margin of extra words outside the approved vocabulary were allowed to authors in the writing of all books including language readers; a ten percent margin being permissible in the case of the poetry section of language readers. The press note said:
“The work involved careful selection, consultation with experts and examination of the whole problem from all points of view. The object of the vocabulary is primarily to suit the requirements of the State but it may be taken that the pioneering work done in the State will be of value in some measure at least, in the solution of the problem from the All India standpoint.”
The Committee;
Minister Incharge Education, Chairman;
Pandit Ram Chandra Kak;
Director of Education;
Mr. M.A. Shamiri;
Mr. Sampurananand; (He later became Chief Minister of UP and Governor of Rajasthan)
Mr. Mohammad Ibrahim, Principal;
Pandit B.M. Dattatraya Kaifi;
Doctor Abid Hussain;
Doctor Sidheshwar Verma; (Later he was appointed as first Director of Hindi Directorate by Pandit Nehru)
Doctor Raghu Vira. (He later became President of Jana Sangh)
The Committee was to suggest how text books in the approved vocabulary may be prepared and published.
As the existing Text-book committee was unable to arrive at a unanimous decision because of the difference of opinion between its Muslim and Hindu members, it was divided Into two committees, one consisting entirely of Muslim and the other of Hindu members. The Muslim members unanimously demanded that text books for Muslims should be In Urdu vocabulary and that Hindi words which were not part of the Urdu language, as normally spoken or written, should not be included in it. The Hindu members agreed that Urdu books may not contain any Hindi words, they recommended that Hindi text books should contain words termed as Hindi in the officially prepared list. This was opposed by Muslim members.
The Government rejected both recommendations and announced that the common vocabulary, prepared by it, shall be inserted in Urdu books also.
Earlier, the script orders of 2l October 1940, were condemned by NC leaders namely, General Secretary Maulana Mohammad Saeed, Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beg, Mian Ahmad Yar, Bakhshi Ghulam Mohammad and Khawaja Ghulam Mohammad Sadiq. Non NC leaders, Chaudhri Ghulam Abbas Khan, Mir Waiz Mohammad Yusuf Shah, Mr. A.R. Saghar, Qureshi Mohammad Yusuf and Chaudhri Hameedullah Khan, also issued statements condemning the script order.
The National Conference Working Committee on 28 November 1940, condemned the move as “ill-conceived, mischievous and definitely anti-national”. Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz suggested that the Government might be asked to make the knowledge of both the scripts compulsory for all students whether Muslims or non-Muslims. The Working Committee rejected the suggestion. All non-Muslim members led by Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz opposed the official resolution which was adopted by a majority vote.
The situation was summed up by the Tribune Lahore, in its comments on 29 November:
“We are not at all surprised that the script controversy has caused a rift In the ranks of the Kashmir National Conference. The attitude that the Conference or rather its Muslim members, who happen to be in an overwhelming majority in it, has taken up In this matter, is not only inconsistent with its professions of nationalism but has created feelings in the minds of non-Muslims that they cannot expect justice from the Conference Party In the matter of safeguarding their linguistic and cultural interests. The result is that the already few non-Muslims who are in the National Conference are one by one severing their connections with it. . . .And what the Kashmir Government had done Is to give recognition to both Devanagari and Persian scripts while keeping Urdu as the medium of instruction in educational institutions. Is there anything wrong or unreasonable in this act of Government? Was it not its duty to do so to satisfy the legitimate demand of the minority community? If anybody could have any grievance, it was the Hindus, because the Government, while conceding to them the right of having their children educated through the Devanagari script, still kept Urdu as the medium of instruction. But unfortunately it was left to the Muslim members of the National Conference Party, who were least expected to raise a controversy on this issue, to read a meaning into the official order which it did not convey.”
The purpose of this article is not to raise any fresh controversy but to bring out a forgotten chapter of history. It also answers as to why my books, in Hindi, in 50s had the Arabic/Persian terminology. In those days the text in both the scripts used to be the same.
(The author is former Head of Computer Engineering Department in G B Pant University of Agriculture & Technology)
(Feedback: suresh.chander@gmail.com)
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