Chartered Institute of Linguists
SPRING 2025 The Linguist 27
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priests, objected to the use of an Urdu term
in the Maha Kumbh Mela, a Hindu spiritual
gathering held every 12 years. The Shahi
Snan (Grand Bath) is a central ritual but Puri
argued that the Urdu word Shahi should not
be associated with Hindu culture.
6
In June 2024, the Central Board of
Secondary Education (CBSE) withdrew Urdu
as a medium for high-school exams, ending
a long-standing practice. In retaliation, in
the first week of January 2025, a District
Education Officer (DEO) in Bihar issued a
directive mandating private CBSE schools
to offer Urdu as a subject, only for it to be
withdrawn days later amid nationwide
political debate.
7
In 2022, 350 out of 407 schools in the
eastern state of Jharkhand were directed to
remove the word 'Urdu' from their names.
8
The year 2024 alone saw hundreds of events
in which Urdu words were questioned or
replaced with equivalents in other languages.
These included the removal of Urdu terms
from signboards, marriage certificates and
textbooks. Cities such as Allahabad, Banaras
and Aurangabad have been renamed (to
Prayagraj, Varanasi and Chhatrapati
Sambhajinagar respectively), partly to
separate them from their Mughal and Islamic
heritage. Such decisions prioritise one
cultural and linguistic identity over others.
Are we losing a shared asset?
These changes are shifting Urdu from a
shared cultural asset to a language perceived
as belonging only to Muslims.
9
Although the
policies may not reduce the number of
people speaking Urdu as their mother
tongue, they do greatly impact Urdu
literature and language. For Indians who wish
to pursue Urdu as a field of academic study,
it has become increasingly difficult to secure
stable employment.
This disenfranchises an entire linguistic
community, obstructing the intergenerational
transmission of shared language and culture.
The ramifications shape the way linguistic
identity is perceived and internalised. To
preserve Urdu as a vital component of India's
rich linguistic heritage, it is essential to move
beyond such policies. Only through a
commitment to pluralism can India maintain
its rich linguistic diversity and ensure that all
of the nation's languages remain a living and
integral part of its future.
Notes
1 Census 2001; https://cutt.ly/9rqxQA6T
2 Census of India 2011, Language Atlas;
https://cutt.ly/5rqoQ6Cg
3 Dé, B (2004) 'Abuse of Urdu'. In Economic
and Political Weekly, 39,48, 5085-5088;
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4415828
4 Ministry of Education, Government of India,
National Education Policy, 2020;
https://www.education.gov.in/nep/about-nep
5 Census, 2011; https://cutt.ly/orwC0WWg
6 '"They Will Spit, Urinate": Mahant Ravindra
Puri Opposes Non-Hindu Shops, Urdu Words at
Maha Kumbh'. In Times Now, 1/1/25
7 'DEOs Order on Urdu Teaching in Kishanganj
Stirs Row'. In Times of India, 1/1/25
8 '350 Jharkhand Schools Drop "Urdu" from
Their Name, 460 Change Weekly Offs'. In
Hindustan Times, 2/8/22
9 'Why Urdu language draws ire of India's right-
wing'. In BBC News, 16/5/22; https://www.bbc.
co.uk/news/world-asia-india-61199753
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