Thursday, April 30, 2015

Recognizing my work, the Urdu Academy of Delhi had also given me its Award for Urdu Translation for the year 2013. Now I am feeling ashamed and disgusted that I accepted it from an Academy which also gives awards to the works of theft......Having said so, as a mark of protestI am returning this award (A cheque of rupees 50,000 drawn on SBI, No 694685, dated April 25, 2015, Shield, Citation and a shawl)

مکرمی

دہلی اردو اکادمی نے 2014کی جن کتابوں کوانعام سے نوازا ہے، اور جن کے لیے ایک جلسہ آج 27اپریل 2015شام پانچ بجے منعقد ہونا ہے، ان میں ایک کتاب ’اردو میں فنِ ترجمہ نگاری‘ گزشتہ کئی مہینوں سے تنازعے کا شکار ہے، اور اس پر مسلسل بات ہو رہی ہے کہ کتاب کے بیشتر ابواب معروف ادیبوں کے مضامین اور کتابوں سے ہو بہونقل کر دیے گئے ہیں۔ اور اس موضوع پر سید تنویر حسین کاایک تفصیلی مضمون موقر جریدے ’اردو بک ریویو‘ کے جنوری تا مارچ 2015کے شمارے میں شائع ہوچکا ہے۔
ایسی کتاب کو ایوارڈ سے نوازنے کے فیصلے کو شرمناک اور اردو کی بدبختی اور رسوائی کے سوا اور کیا نام دیا جائے؟ ہم جیسے لوگ اپنے صدمے کا اظہار کس طرح کریں؟ اکادمی نے 2013کا ترجمے کا ایوارڈ راقم الحروف کو بھی دیا تھا۔ چنانچہ بطور احتجاج میں میں نے اکادمی کے چئیر مین کو خط لکھ کر یہ ایوار ڈ واپس کر دیا ہے۔ ایوارڈ میں پچاس ہزار رویے، شیلڈ، توصیفی سند اور شال شامل تھی۔ یہ تمام چیزیں اور پچاس ہزار کا چیک آج اردو اکادمی کو واپس کردیا گیا ہے۔ 
براے مہربانی احتجاج میں انعام واپس کرنے کی خبر کواپنے موقر اخبار میں مناسب جگہ دیں۔اردو اکادمی اس سے قبل بھی متنازعہ کتابوں کو انعامات سے نواز چکی ہے اور سرقہ کرنے والے پروفیسروں اور ادیبوں کوکسی نہ کسی صورت میں نوازتی رہی ہے۔ اس سلسلے کو اب رکنا ہی چاہیے۔ امید ہے آپ اردو اکادمی کے غلط فیصلے اور اردودنیا میں فروغ پارہی اکادمک بدعنوانیوں کونمایاں کریںگے۔ 
مخلص

ڈاکٹر ارجمند آرا


اس خط کے ساتھ چیئرمین کے نام میرے خط کی کاپی منسلک ہے۔

-- 
Dr. Arjumand Ara
Assistant Professor
Department of Urdu, Faculty of Arts
University of Delhi, Delhi-110007                                  

Dr. ArjumandAra

Assistant Professor in Senior Scale

April 25, 2015
The Chairman
Delhi Urdu Academy
Kashmeri Gate
Delhi-6


Subject: Returning Urdu Academy Award for Urdu Translation
in protest over awarding a plagiarized book.


Dear Sir,

Today I received an invitation card from Delhi Urdu Academy for a programme to be held on 27 April 2015 to give away award for Urdu books published from Delhi. In the list of awarded books I was shocked to see the name of Dr. Mushtaq Qadri and his book ‘Urdu men Funn-e TarjumaNigari. Urdu Academy selected this book for award despite the fact that it is in controversy since it was published some months ago. In an article published in ‘Urdu Book Review’,a prestigious Urdu quarterly, in January-March 2015, Dr. Syed Tanvir Husain has pointed out that the book is nothing but a collection of stolen articles from a few well-known books and writers. He pointed out the names of original writers and has given details what parts of their writing has been plagiarized by Dr. Qadri. The whole Urdu circle of Delhi knows this fact very well and has been talking about it. Therefore, I was shocked to see that Delhi Urdu Academy decided to bestow award over such a book.

The unfortunate decision of Delhi Urdu Academy is a telling comment on the functioning of government institutions, and how corruption is plaguing them. The Academy is supposed to encourage genuine writers and promote and propagate the best works of Urdu among the readers so that this language gets a boost. By encouraging fraudulent works, the Urdu Academy is actually indulging disservice to the language and its speakers.

Recognizing my work, the Urdu Academy of Delhi had also given me its Award for Urdu Translation for the year 2013. Now I am feeling ashamed and disgusted that I accepted it from an Academy which also gives awards to the works of theft. I feel that in the present situation the award given to me is a blot on my honest work. And therefore, I should return it. Having said so,  as a mark of protestI am returning this award (A cheque of rupees 50,000 drawn on SBI, No 694685, dated April 25, 2015, Shield, Citation and a shawl).




If my protest succeeds in drawing your attention to such deep-routed ills of Urdu Academy, and if you decide to free it from this plague, I would be the happiest person and would think that—this is really an award for me!


Yours sincerely


(Dr. Arjumand Ara)

Haryana has also played very significant role in the nurturing of vernacular languages

Prof. R.C. Kuhad
Vice Chancellor
Central University of Haryana,
Jant-Pali, Mahendergarh
Haryana Pin: 123029
  
   Sub: establishment of Urdu department in Central University of Haryana  

Dear Vice Chancellor,
I am writing to you with regard to the School of Languages in your esteemed University. As we are aware that Central University of Haryana has very strong reason to promote Urdu because Haryana has been a land of Khari Boli, which later developed as two stream of languages---Urdu and Hindi and this state has also played very significant role in the nurturing of vernacular languages. We are also aware that Urdu is a language of peace and harmony and the great heritage of India. It’s role in our freedom struggle is well known, and as a language, Urdu regularly promotes cultural and communal harmony, which is spoken and understood across the globe especially it is lingua franca of South Asian Countries.

I therefore, urge upon you to start the teaching of Urdu in Central University of Haryana as soon as possible.

With regards,


 Yours sincerely,  



(Dr. Jawaid Rahmani)
        President




Copy to:
1.       The President of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan,New Delhi - 110 004 
2.       The HRD Minister, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi
3.       The Secretary Higher Education, MHRD, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi
4.       The Joint Secretary, Central Universities and Languages, MHRD, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi