For over a decade, Hindutva bigots have systematically attacked Muslims across India, sometimes for simply existing. Many of us in Hyderabad watched these incidents as mute spectators thinking, “It only happens in the north; it’ll never happen in the south, especially not in Hyderabad.”
A recent incident, however, should serve as a wake-up call for all those who assumed they were insulated from such violence. A Muslim school principal was assaulted, in police presence, by BJP’s Armoor president Vandula Balu, over allegations of teaching Urdu to non-Muslim students in a school in Telangana’s Nizamabad district. The principal later explained that the non-Muslim students were merely seated there due to ongoing construction in another class.This incident is a terrible sign of things to come. More troubling is the silence of Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy and other Congress leaders on the growing communalism in the state. It’s like there is a silent acceptance of communalism, which is only emboldening the right-wing.
But the incident is shocking also because Urdu is the second official language of Telangana. Not only is the language intrinsic to the very being of Hyderabad, but it also traces its origins back to Delhi. And even though Urdu is associated with Muslims today, some of the most notable Urdu poets have in fact been Hindus.Then why should anyone take issue with Urdu being taught in a school?Urdu was the official language of the erstwhile Hyderabad state under the Nizams from the late 1880s to 1956, after which Hyderabad was carved out on a linguistic basis.Grandparents of many Hyderabadis still share pleasant memories of studying in Urdu. Although Urdu has seen a gradual decline in Telangana after Telugu became the official state language and medium of instruction along with English, it continues to be relevant. The language still serves as a medium of communication for lakhs of people in the state.Urdu newspapers continue to be published and read while events are often held to celebrate Urdu literature.
