IQBAL’S HINDU RELATIONS - Khushwant Singh  Khushwant Singh  

I am beholden to P.V. Rawal of Jammu for sending me a photograph of Allama Iqbal’s Kashmiri Brahmin family taken in Sialkot in 1931. At this time Iqbal was in his mid-fifties. He had already risen to the top as the greatest Urdu poet, at par with Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib. Although he

was proud of his Brahmin descent, he had nothing to say about his Hindu relations. In this picture, the elderly lady seated in the middle is his grandmother, Indirani Sapru, nicknamed Poshi, wife of Pandit Kanhaya Lal Sapru. The man standing on the left in a shawl is Iqbal’s cousin, Amarnath Sapru; note the close resemblance to the poet. The family traces its origin to one Birbal. They lived in the village of Saprain (hence, the surname Sapru) on Shopian-Kulgam road. Then the family moved to Srinagar where Iqbal and most of his cousins were born. Birbal had five sons and a daughter. The third one, Kanhaya Lal, and his wife, Indirani, had three sons and five daughters. Kanhaya Lal was Iqbal’s grandfather. His son, Rattan Lal, converted to Islam and was given the name Nur Mohammad. He married a Muslim woman — Imam Bibi. The Saprus disowned Rattan Lal and severed all connections with him. There are different versions of Rattan Lal’s conversion. The one given to me by Syeda Hameed, who has translated some of Iqbal’s poetry into English, maintains that Rattan Lal was the revenue collector of the Afghan governor of Kashmir. He was caught embezzling money. The governor offered him a choice: he should either convert to Islam or be hanged. Rattan Lal chose to stay alive. When the Afghan governor fled from Kashmir to escape its takeover by the Sikhs, Rattan Lal migrated to Sialkot. Imam Bibi was evidently a Sialkoti Punjabi. Iqbal was born in Sialkot on November 9, 1877. As often happens, the first generation of converts are more kattar than others. Iqbal thus grew up to be a devout Muslim. It is believed that once he called on his Hindu grandmother, then living in Amritsar. But there is no hard evidence of their meeting and of what passed between them; Iqbal did not write about it. Though he had many Hindu and Sikh friends and admirers, he felt that the future of Indian Muslims lay in having a separate state of their own. Iqbal was the principal ideologue of what later become Pakistan. Iqbal’s mother-tongue was Punjabi but he never wrote in it. He used only Persian and Urdu, as did many Urdu poets before him. There are many aspects of Iqbal’s personal life which have not been fully researched by his biographers. We know he married two or three times and that his favourite son was Javed, who became a judge of the Lahore high court. Iqbal’s affair with Atia Faizi of Bombay when they met in London is well-known. There must have been some correspondence between them to show the kind of relationship they had. When in Heidelberg, he was taken up by his young German tutor, Emma Veganast. This secret was divulged by the mayor of Heidelberg in a speech in which he named a part of the

bank of the river Neckar after him — Iqbal Weg. The Pakistani ambassador to Germany had the mayor’s speech mentioning the girl’s name suppressed. Iqbal and Emma continued to write to each other till the end of his life. The correspondence should be available in archives in Lahore and Heidelberg. Lovers of Iqbal, among whom I count myself, deserve to be presented with a fuller picture of their idol. We have biographies of Rabindranath Tagore revealing all his love affairs but none of the Allama telling us of the kind of man he was.  

  Standing (second from left): Late Amarnath Sapru, first cousin of Iqbal. Sitting (from left): Raj Kishori Rawal, d/o Amarnath Sapru; grandmother of Iqbal; and Pt. J.N. Rawal, h/o Raj Kishori 

Subject: Fwd: More Re. Fw.Comments:[Abdalian] India or Bust? -Iqbal:Two Taranas & New ...

Subj: Re: More Re. Fw.Comments:[Abdalian] India or Bust? -Iqbal:Two Taranas & New Temple    Dear Kalim, I know some of you feel very deeply about Iqbal - I myself used to attend the Lahore meeting on 21 April every year where some great singers recited his poems firing the audience with great passion and Islamic zeal.

 

However, with advancing years Iqbal become more and more a captive of his Islamic romanticism and there are poems advising people to submit without any questions to the dictates of the Sharia. I think the best work on Iqbal - Iqbal the progressive and Iqbal the reactionary - is by Wilfred Cantwell Smith (1946). I have read later writings too but they tend to be devotional and sometimes deliberately misleading because once Iqbal become  Rahmatulla- Alayheh - nothing can be said in criticism of him.

 Iqbal married many times. One of his wives was the sister of Khawaja Ferozuddin. Iqbal never attended to her and she died at her brother's place after years of neglect. Khawaja Ferozuddin's son was the famous music director Khawaja Khurshid Anwar. Our house on Temple Road Lahore was one removed from that of Khawaja Ferozuddin. In between was a hay and cattle fodder shop. That was the Temple Road of the 1950s and up to the 1970s.

 Aftab Iqbal was Iqbal's son from his first wife. He also lived on Temple Road for a while. He used to tease women even when he was middle aged and was expelled from there by the people. I am told that Iqbal had liasion with the German governorness he hired for Javid Iqbal but it can be just a rumour deriving from envy but who knows.

 Best regards,Ishtiaq

The writer is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stockholm University. He is also Honorary Senior Fellow of the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. He can be reached at 

 

Subj: RE: Re. Fw.Comments: Fwd:[Abdalian] India or Bust? -Iqbal:Two Taranas & New ...

 It is natural that Iqbal's views, attitudes and works were influenced by the various events of his life. It is impossible for us to know of all that he experienced. While he was in Europe he sure was busy as during a three year stay he completed a bachelor's degree from Trinity Collage Cambridge, A law degree from Lincoln's inn London and a PHD from University of Munich besides entering politics!. He wrote his dissertation on the development of metaphysics in Persia and as this was in German he also learnt German during this time.

 Iqbal had been married at the age of 15 and while we can assume he never had any mental compatibility with his first wife he did father a child by the age of 18.In Europe he was close to a young German lady (perhaps only platonic) and a Muslim student Atiya Faizi (possibly romantic). What exactly was the relationship with Faizi and how did it influence him would be interesting to find out.

 Why Iqbal did not publish anything in Urdu till 1924? Well it is possible that he considered Persian to be a superior language for literary expression and thought Urdu more of a means for verbal

communication (and thus he frequently recited his Urdu poetry at meetings). Only in later years he decided that as there is not enough Persian literacy among the people of India it is important to have his Urdu poetry published as well.

 Aamir

 

Subject: Fwd: Re. Fw.Comments: Fwd:[Abdalian] India or Bust? -Iqbal:Two Taranas & New ...To: 

 

 Sent: 10/11/2010 8:46:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight TimeSubj: Re: Re. Fw.Comments: Fwd:[Abdalian] India or Bust? -Iqbal:Two Taranas & New ...

 Kalim

 I wonder if our group realizes whats been happening in the mail-trail. When I wrote that line innocently which I highlight below, little did I realize where this would lead to. We are clearly 360 degree away from the origins of India or Bust?....and are we not all glad that we went on a tangent?

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 Saray jahan se achcha Hindustan hamaraHum bulbulein hein iske ye gulsitan hamara

 Unfortunately many, if not most, Indians find it somewhat difficult to comprehend that this tarana has been originally written in a puritan's Urdu (actually in a ghazal format) and the poet/creator of this unofficial national anthem of India, is indeed Allama Muhammad Iqbal. That it has often been called by many as Tarana-e-Hindi is a subject in itself.

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 Despite the extensive research and information available on Iqbal, much still remains a mystery. The Shaer-e-Mashriq lived a life outwardly of which there is little to be said, and inwardly of which little is known. e.g. irrespective of the fact how much his mental ourlook changed pre-Eurpoe and post, I will share with the group two of my observations which intrigue me most about his work:

 1. Despite his extensive work in Urdu from his early days, he did not publish his first Urdu collection, Baang--Dara until 1924, at which time he was approaching 50 years of age. 

 2. In 1933, Iqbal became a victim of a throat ailment which no doctor could really figure out. He seemed to have realized that death wasn't far away, and he started to put things on fast-forward. He packed up his law practice in 1934 and his Bal-e-Jibril, acknowledged as his masterpiece in Urdu, was published in 1935. This was followed right after by Zarb-e-Kalim in 1936. The latter was was a collection of short epigrams, critical rather than lyrical in spirit. His health deteriorated rapidly after that and he died in April 1938. Armaghan-e-Hejaz, containing his last works in both Urdu and Persian, was published posthumously.

 Others may please weigh in on the above. I hope and pray that our vibrant exchange continues, leading up to Iqbal Day which approaches us on November 9th.

 We are trying to organize an event in Boston.

 Siraj

 

Subject: Fwd: Re. Fw.Comments: Fwd:[Abdalian] India or Bust? -Iqbal:Two Taranas & New ...

 Dr. Aamir has shared an excellent link if one wished to further explore Iqbal, his poetry, commentaries and 'Collection Of Selected Urdu Poetry Of The Author In Devnagri And Original Urdu Script.' There are many many choices.

 Take your pick as to what you are looking for, depending on the intensity of your "tajussus". It is an immense source to tap for lovers of Urdu poetry. Since it is impossible to suggest just one or the other, I will only suggest the one that I myself  have been reading for the last few months, (here I must stress this is but one of the many); and it is: 

 Tulip in the Desert: A Selection of the Poetry of Muhammad Iqbal

 Mustansir Mir has done a superb job of bringing to life selected works of Iqbal to a generation of Indian and Pakistani Muslims who do not read, write or speak Urdu fluently. (or Farsi -K)

The author has gone into a detailed analysis of the work of Iqbal. Each poem is introduced with text and there are plenty of foot notes to grasp the meaning of each verse. It is said that poetry loses its charm when translated and is not as good as the original. In Mustansir Mir's case, I cannot subscribe to this view. His work has made me appreciate the true nature of Iqbal work in full force that even my parents who were well versed in Urdu and read his work did not enjoy.For this invaluable gift to us, that is Indian Muslims, I offer a collective thank you! 

As reviewed by Nadir Ali Mir; and I fully concur with his comments. Now, of course one can search deeply and find any other book that one finds more appealing to one's taste and thirst. That  brings to mind a Farsi verse by poet Urfi Shirazi Dehlavi (1600s–1700s):

خورد نہ  سراب  جلوہ  از  گر  دلتفریب  مناز، خویش  عقل بہ  دان  لبی  تشنہ  نقش  ز[A free translation]: " Don't take such pride in yourself (or boast) of your superior intellect if you were not deceived by the sight of a mirage, it was so, only because you were not suffering from an intense enough thirst! "It is one of the rare Farsi verses quoted in one of Iqbal's English lectures (The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, a compilation of lectures delivered by Muhammad Iqbal on Islamic philosophy; it was published in 1930. These lectures were delivered by Iqbal in Madras, Hyderabad, andAligarh. The last chapter, "Is Religion Possible", was added to the book from the 1934 Oxford Edition onwards.*In Reconstruction, Iqbal called for a re-examination of the intellectual foundations of Islamic philosophy. The book is a major work of modern Islamic thought. It calls for a radical reinterpretation of the Islamic thought, pointing out that the classical schools of Islamic thought were merely human constructions developed in the middle ages. Iqbal considers the abolition of the Islamic caliphate was legitimate and argues that democratic government is now a necessity. He also calls for reform regarding the rights of women and criminal penalties, such as the hudood laws. It was a major influence on Iranian sociologist Ali Shariati and other contemporary Muslim reformers, including Tariq Ramadan. -Kalim* to read more, source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reconstruction_of_Religious_Thought_in_Islam. 

 

 

Sent: 10/11/2010 4:26:20 P.M. Eastern Daylight TimeSubj: RE: Re. Fw.Comments: Fwd:[Abdalian] India or Bust? -Iqbal:Two Taranas & New ...

 Yes what happened to Iqbal during his stay in Europe is worth finding out. Maybe it can give a clue as to how Pakistani's who go to the Western free society come back radicalized.Interestingly I have seen some Pakistani's who were rather right wing becoming agnostic after a few years in Pakistan. Ram and Nanak can be read in Urdu following this link: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JPFlqDO41jEC Aamir

  

Subject: Fwd: Re. Fw.Comments: Fwd:[Abdalian] India or Bust? -Iqbal:Two Taranas & New ...

 

 

 Here is a verse from Iqbal from his Tarana-e Hindi (with English translation):

 "madzhab nahin sikhata aapa mein' bair rakhna, hindi hein' ham, watan hay hindostan hamara"

 [religion does not teach you enmity among yourselves,Hindi (indians) we are, and hindostan is our home]

 Also it would be great if some one could share two other poems of Iqbal in Urdu: "nanak' and 'raam"

 

 -Kalim

 ----------------------------

 From: 

 "Naya shiwala"   (New Temple) -March 1905

 

 an English translation (available on the web): O Brahman! Should I speak the truth if you don't mind?The idols of your temples have gone antiquated.You've learnt, from the idols, to harbor animosity towards your own people;the God too has taught his preacher the ways of violence and war.Having got fed-up I left temple as well as mosque;[I] left attending the lecture of the preacher as well as your story-sessions.You think that God resides in the stone idolsEach speck of the motherland is God to me.Come, let's, once again, remove the curtains of unacquaintedness;let's help the separated beings meet again [and] remove the motif of duality.The territory of heart is vacuous for a long time.Come, let's make a new shrine in this land.Our shrine should be taller than all the shrines of the world!We should make its spire touch the edge of the sky.

We should sing, each morning, the amiable hymns[and] make all the worshippers drink the wine of love![Both] power and peace are implied in the songs of the disciples.The salvation of the people of the world lies in love!

 ---------

 From: billumian@gmail.com

 Dear Kalim, Then, my admiration is for the taranas he wrote before he left for Europe. What happened to Iqbal in Europe remains a mystery. It is equally intriguing that when Jinnah decided to set up house in England after the Second Roundtable Conference he began to plead the privy purse cases of the princes before the British government and thus became captive to the interests of the landowners - a break with his liberal past and afterwards he championed Muslim separatism just as Iqbal did after returning from Europe.Cheers,Ishtiaq

 

From: saleem_mir@yahoo.comTo: Kirfani@aol.comSent: 10/11/2010 8:18:39 A.M. Eastern Daylight TimeSubj: Re: Re. Fw.Comments: Fwd:[Abdalian] India or Bust? -Iqbal:Two Taranas & New Temple

 Kalim,It is generally believed that Iqbal of pre european era was different from Iqbal afterwards i.enationalist Iqbal versus "militant" Iqbal. As I understand these are two aspects of same person as we see him from their own mind set. There are many shades incorporated in the mind of a poet like in all of us. Iqbal's Nya Shwala is a culmination of a scintilating mind bringing forth a ruby out of the cobweb of contrasting hues that you and I confuse at it's apparent face.It's an on going refinement of thought that keeps it in the sphere of wonderment we get to like.This is how Iqbal thought of himself:Iqbal bhi  Iqbal  say aagha  nahiN  haykuchh is meiN tamaskhar nahiN Wallah nahin hay.

 Keep seeking!

 Saleem Mir 

 

 

Sent: Mon, October 11, 2010 7:51:21 AMSubject: Re. Fw.Comments: Fwd:[Abdalian] India or Bust? -Iqbal:Two Taranas & New Temple

 From:  

  It seems that both Tarana-a-Hindi and Naya Shiwala belong to the same era (Before Iqbal left for Europe).  Both were published in Abd ul-Qadir's journal 'Makhzan';  taraanah-e hindi  in Oct. 1904 and nayaa shiwala in March 1905. Aamir FromSent: 10/11/2010 6:19:25 A.M. Eastern Daylight TimeSubj: Re: Fw.Comments: Fwd:[Abdalian] India or Bust? -Iqbal:Two Taranas & New Temple

 Dear Kalim, When did Iqbal write this third poem. It is truly humanist. The timing is important because if it was followed by all the poems that appeal to the reactionaries and they keep quoting him then this one poem would be like Jinnah's 11 August speech - neither precedent nor followed immediately by consistent advocacy of humanism and patriotism which is inclusive. There is no doubt about Iqbal's genius as a great poet.

 Best regards,Ishtiaq

The writer is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stockholm University. He is also Honorary Senior Fellow of the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. He can be reached at 

   With apology to those unfamiliar with Urdu script. Iqbal's three poems: Tarana-e Hindi, Tarana-e Milli and Naya Shawala (New Temple),

 "Here he comprehensively rejects religion as outdated and a root cause of violence"

 -Kalim

Sent: 10/11/2010 4:01:04 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time

Subj: RE: Fw. Comments: Re: Fwd: Re. Fwd: [Abdalian] India or Bust?

 Iqbal wrote his Tarana-e-Hindi in 1904 and it is emphasizes his love for his country (Hindustan) which was under foreign occupation. From 1906-9 Iqbal spent 3 years in Europe. Somehow this changed him and this change is reflected in his less known Tarana-e-Milli (1910).Here he seems to have moved from being an Indian nationalist to a pan-muslim visionary with hints of militancy: 

 

 

 Another poem of his Indian nationalist frame of mind is Neya Shawala (New Temple). 

 

 

Here he comprehensively rejects religion as outdated and a

root cause of violence.I think the salvation for India and Pakistan lies in reverting to the Iqbal of Tirana-a-Hindi and Naya shawala.For indeed only love can bring peace and salvation.

Subject: Fw. Comments: Re: Fwd: Re. Fwd: [Abdalian] India or Bust? To: 

 Re: Fwd: Re. Fwd: [Abdalian] India or Bust?From: Kalim

 I read with interest the comments from Mehul Kamdar and I was impressed by his analysis on the regional dynamics of the languages.

 My grandparents are a combination of Lucknow and Allahbad and while I was born in Pakistan well after partition, spoken and written Urdu has always continued to be the main form of communication at home, which continues to this day. Urdu literature (specially poetry) is one of my areas of interest.

 Firstly, the name Hindustani (as a language at least) has died a natural death. Over time, the use of the word Hindustani itself has become fairly restricted. In the last 30 years or so, I have heard it in use more in context with the Hindustani style of Indian classical music, prevalent in northern India than in other aspect of life. Hindi as a language now has been the spin-off from the historical Hindustani and one can argue about this being a result of political, religious or simply regional acceptability.

 While colloquial Urdu and Hindi may draw many similarities, being off-springs from the same origins, they differ vastly in literary and formal vocabulary. Urdu is heavily influenced by Persian, Arabic and Turkish words and even dialects, while Hindi has been steered, by some quarters, to draw a lot of words from Sanskrit and other regional languages, with progressively decreasing Persian flavor. Script-wise too they are poles apart with traditional Urdu written in Nastaaliq while Hindi is written and read in the Devanagri format of script. 

 Saray jahan se achcha Hindustan hamaraHum bulbulein hein iske ye gulsitan hamara

 Unfortunately many, if not most, Indians find it somewhat difficult to comprehend that this tarana has been originally written in a puritan's Urdu (actually in a ghazal format) and the poet/creator of this unofficial national anthem of India, is indeed Allama Muhammad Iqbal. That it has often been called by many as Tarana-e-Hindi is a subject in itself.

 Another interesting aspect of the Urdu script (as Arabic) is that while the script in narrative is written from right to left, but numerics go from left to right, similar to English...1234567

 Strangely, what has brought these two languages closer than perhaps anything else, has been the recent affects of technology and Bollywood. Our young folks are texting and sending SMS in basic Roman Urdu and basic Hindi. Some creative minds have started to call this as Hinglish. In Bollywood-produced movies (not south or elsewhere in India) Urdu and Hindi have interfaced hand-in-hand. Urdu (often diluted to taste) still holds firm ground in the song lyrics and dialogs in films which have a backdrop of north India. The new Indian TV dramas are also more tilted towards Urdu and this may have been, in part, from the affect of Pakistani TV dramas and plays, which haven been hugely popular in India as well.

 The bottom-line, however, is that we need to communicate in whatever works for us and in whichever way we can understand each other best, so that we are on the same page. Unfortunately, we often shy away and loose many great opportunities of exchange, due to inner apprehensions and preconceived notions. Poet Neda Fazli has expressed this message for us with an amazing poetic clarity, which I reproduce here in Roman Urdu:

 Faasla nazron ka dhoka bhi to ho sakta haiWo milen ya na milen hath barrha kar dekho

 Siraj

 

 --------------------------

 

 From: 

 Dear Kalim/Mehul,

You always raise very interesting issues, no doubt.  I hope and wish there were others like you both in India and Pakistan.

At times, I do feel as if we are ignoring the ground reality amongst us.  You may call me a "sample of one", not "routine".

Mehul, while discussing the switch from Hindustani to Hindi, why did you exclude Patel and Tandon.  Similarly, while discussing the role of SRC (State Reorganization Commission), why didn't you include other "goals" that the "shrewd" Nehru wanted to achieve by drafting "Fazle Ali" (Muslim, by name at least) in that commission.  Didn't he want to "destroy" the legacy of the old Hyderabad, Aurangabad, and other mini-kingdoms, zameendars, and whatever little was left as

remnants in those former stooges of the Britishers or so-called "nawabi".  The same Nehru left J&K untouched. Why?

Kalim, I have lived in Westchester County for almost fourteen years, and in this country for almost 44 years.  Most of our social friends, who invited us and whom we invited to our homes for dinners, snacks, functions came from the Urdu-speaking/knowing crowd.  Unfortunately, we felt everywhere that my country of origin also had a lot to do.  We never felt as coequals to our Pakistani-origin Urdu-speaking/knowing crowd.  The same can be said about the Indian Hyderabadi crowd who also claim to know Urdu.  Nehru, a Kashmiri Brahmin, as our present Lata Haya (poetess), called that "Deccani Urdu".  What is the explanation for these?  I am not talking about experiences in India, but all in the States.

If my comments sound cynical, weird ignore them.  But if you can educate me further I shall be thankful for that learning.

Best regards,

Zahir 

From: Date: Sat, 9 Oct 2010 23:43:51 -0400Subject: Fwd: Re. Fwd: [Abdalian] India or Bust?To:

 A very enlightening and informative e-mail from Mehul on Urdu/Hindi/regional language issues in India. In such a vast highly populated mass of land, large enough to be called 'sub-continent', a variety of dialects, accents, pronunciations and interjection was bound to be inevitable, and of necessity ought to have been accepted as an inseparable fact of natural, cultural, evolutionary, anthropological phenomena. Problem is when you inject 'religion' (and/or race), as an 'absolute' ingredient, which it is not, but on the contrary happens to be an inextricable evolutionary phenomenon, then, you create and invite all kinds of irrational supremacist schisms leading to language riots, discriminations, blood sheds and pogroms. As if religion alone was not enough to do immense harm and had not caused enough damage and senseless blood letting over and over, all without any remorse, self doubt or a self questioning conscience, an integral part of being humans if one were human. It has been demonstrated that even the lower mammals such as rats and the rodents have a sense of empathy, if not conscience, which I suspect is perhaps not so unique or exclusive to human beings. 

 -Kalim

 

Sent: 10/9/2010 6:04:29 P.M. Eastern Daylight TimeSubj: Re: Fwd: Re. Fwd: [Abdalian] India or Bust?

 

Dear Dr Irfani,

 

A note for Mr Siraj - until very recently, in India, Urdu was known as Hindustani, the implied suggestion being that the language was an Indian one. In fact, both Gandhi and Nehru wanted Hindustani to be India's national language, but the Hindu fundamentalists in the Congress party like Pandit Gobind Ballabh Pant and Moturi Satyanarayana insisted on a language that was closest to Sanskrit - Hindi with the Devanagari script, instead. They even ignored versions of Hindi that were closer to Hindustani than they were to Sanskrit in their push. The resulting problem in India saw a huge commotion when several states protested vehemently including Tamilnadu (my former home state) against what they saw as the imposition of Hindi upon them. India very nearly broke up at the time and Nehru had to perform a deft act by reorganizing India's states on a linguistic basis in order to keep the country together. Hence the state names you have today - Tamilnadu means "Land of the Tamil people," Andhra Pradesh means "Nation of the Andhra people" and so on. The original Presidencies that existed under the British and which were a part of India's administrative makeup until the 1960s, died out because of the Hindu fundamentalists and their zeal to impose Hindi on the country.

 A major part of the problem with Urdu in India lies in the two distinctly different versions of the language as spoken and written there - Lakhnavi and Dakhani Urdu. While it is possible for someone speaking one version to understand most of what someone speaking the other version says, they are not identical and have many differences which can be confusing to people who are only familiar with one version or the other. Any Pakistani friends who may have visited Hyderabad or Bangalore (or some of the Muslim majority cities in the Deccan including Bijapur, Ambur, Vaniyambadi or Arcot) would understand what I mean. Dakhani Urdu absorbed a lot of the vocabulary, grammar and inflections of the local languages (mostly Tamil, Telugu and Kannada) that it came in contact with. The late Indian comedian Mahamood used to be much loved for his delivery of Dakhani Urdu in many of his films, especially where he played South Indian roles.

 Best wishes,

 Mehul Kamdar = =    =   

-- Rashid Latif Ansari

 -----------------------------------------------------"Morality is doing what is right, regardless of what we are told;  Religious dogma is doing what we are told, no matter what is right." All human beings are equal. No one deserves to be revered more than others.No piece of earth or earthly object is more sacred than the rest. All days of a year have equal importance. None is superior or inferior to others.----------------------------------------------------