Mumbai: The Maharashtra Urdu Sahitya Kala Academy celebrated its Golden Jubilee, marking 50 years of literary and cultural excellence, with a three-day grand festival held from October 6 to 8 at Worli Dome, Mumbai. The event showcased a rich blend of literary, musical, and cultural programs including a book exhibition, mushaira (poets’ meet), Sufi music, and felicitation of eminent journalists, poets, and writers.
Govt to Build Modern Urdu House
The festival was inaugurated by Minister for Minority Development and Aukaf Adv. Manikrao Kokate, who announced that the government will soon build a modern and upgraded Urdu House to promote cultural exchange between Marathi and Urdu literature. He also assured positive steps to increase the number of Urdu schools and hostels across Maharashtra and announced that a new committee of the Urdu Sahitya Academy will soon be formed.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Kokate said that the progressive thoughts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar laid the foundation for inclusiveness, education, language development, and cultural preservation in Maharashtra. “Urdu is not just a language—it is the fragrance of culture, a bridge of ideas, and the voice of the soul,” he remarked.
Highlighting the Academy’s contributions, he noted that over 450 literary programs, 250 mushairas, 150 workshops, and 100 book launches** have been organized over the years, reaching Urdu enthusiasts even in rural Maharashtra. The Urdu language, he said, is spoken by around 7 crore people as their first language and 10 crore as their second, while in Maharashtra, about 7 percent of the population speaks Urdu. The state also has over 25 active Urdu newspapers.
Maharashtra Expands Urdu Education Network
Under the Urdu Ghar Scheme, construction is underway in Nanded, Malegaon, Jalgaon, Solapur, and Nagpur. Maharashtra has 1,800 Urdu schools with around 9 lakh students, and through the Urdu Learning App, nearly 50,000 students receive online education every year. In the last three years, 100 district-level literary conventions have been organized.
The Minister also said that the government is committed to providing additional development funds for various minority welfare schemes, including those for Urdu literature, as well as training and educational initiatives for minority women and youth.
The ceremony was attended by former Minority Development Ministers Nawab Malik and Anees Ahmed, MLA Sana Malik, Former MLA Ishan Siddiqui, Punjabi Sahitya Academy President Mark Singh, lyricist and Aukaf Board Chairman Sameer Qazi, screenwriter Javed Akhtar, department secretary Ruchesh Jaywanshi, commissioner Pratibha Ingle, and noted artists Sachin Pilgaonkar, Rumi Jaffery, Shekhar Suman, Naim Ejaz, and Sarfaraz Arzoo. Two booklets titled “Let’s Learn Urdu” and “Let’s Learn Marathi” were also released on this occasion.
Urdu Academy Founded by Shankarrao Chavan
Academy Secretary Ruchesh Jaywanshi shared that the Academy was established in 1975 by former Chief Minister Shankarrao Chavan to promote creative exchange between Marathi and Urdu literature and to preserve the state’s linguistic and cultural heritage. Over the past four years, the Academy has honored 200 poets and writers and awarded 48 books under various categories including Best Emerging Writer, Best Journalist, Wali Dakhni Award, and Mirza Ghalib Award.
The celebrations also featured enthralling performances by Sabri Brothers, Anup Jalota, and several veteran and new artists, adding melody and charm to the grand Urdu literary festival.
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