If the sub-continent’s history was not so chequered, Urdu and Hindi could have been one language called Hindustani. Unfortunately though, due to the divide and rule policies of the British Raj, Urdu has come to be identified with Muslims and Hindi with Hindus, over the last century or so.

But one New Zealand organisation – with membership of Indians, Pakistanis, and even Pakeha, has been challenging those notions, over the past 12 years.

“Our goal is to promote harmony between various communities of the Indian Subcontinent, as well as preserve and promote the linguistic heritage of the two great languages coming from that part of the world – Urdu and Hindi. I believe these two languages are like sisters, with so much of shared origins and overlapping linguistic traits,” says Roopa Suchdev, who was recently re-elected as the President of the Urdu Hindi Cultural Association of New Zealand.

Last weekend, her Association, organised its annual three-in-one event – Mushaira, Kavi Sammelan and Sham-e-Ghazal – which over the past eight years of its existence has grown leaps and bounds. So much so, that from next year, the members are planning to separate the three gatherings, and organise these one after the other, every three months.

Apart from this event, the Association – as mentioned by Syed Mujeeb, Secretary of the Association in a Facebook post – also conducts “regular classes in Urdu and Hindi for younger members of various communities and for the benefit of language enthusiasts in Auckland”.

He also acknowledged the 18 participants who were mainly from Auckland, some from Hamilton, and one even from India. The evening also saw a Lifetime Achievement Award being conferred to Bal Madan, for his services to the two languages, as well as the launch of Association’s annual publication – Dhanak 2019, which is essentially “a platform for local poets and writers in Hindi, Urdu, as well as Punjabi, to get their work published and reach the wider audience”, concluded Suchdev.

-Gaurav Sharma