Hyderabad, Nov 15: The 3-day International Conference regarding bicentenary celebrations of Urdu journalism concluded at the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) here on Tuesday.
Several senior journalists and intellectuals including university professors addressed the closing ceremony. Very useful information and suggestions were obtained during the conference which culminated with conferring awards to media organizations and journalists for outstanding and valuable journalistic services.
MANUU Vice Chancellor Prof Syed Ainul Hasan thanked all the delegates. He said that Urdu journalism is one of the best in the subcontinent. “The future of Urdu journalism is very bright,” he said, adding, “The only requirement is that this language should be adapted to the requirements of the present time.” He also advocated the full use of digital platforms for promoting the “beautiful language.”
He also thanked all the journalists and proprietors of media organizations who participated in the conference from across the country. He also expressed optimism of holding such conferences in the future.
Prof. Ehtesham Ahmad Khan, Dean School of Journalism & Mass Communication MANUU, thanked all the delegates and experts.
He said that it was a “historic conference” and a lot has been achieved. He announced that a plan will be drawn up for the promotion of Urdu journalism in the light of the views expressed by the experts and senior journalists here
“The university also plans to organize such international conferences in those regions which are known for Hindi language.”
He said that languages do not belong to any particular religion or region. “Everyone has to work together to promote it”. He said that Urdu is the historical language of India and it is used by every class of India.
The editor-in-chief of the well-known newspaper of South India, daily Siasat, also expressed his views regarding the promotion of Urdu journalism and the problems and future of Urdu media.
He said that “inclusive efforts” are needed to get support from the government for the promotion of the Urdu.
Most speakers said that the past of Urdu is inspiring, the present is “okay” and the future is bright.
Some renowned journalists and parliamentarians said a language cannot be regulated.
Society itself adapts to various languages, the speakers underlined. The future of Urdu journalism, most speakers underlined, is in digital media as the media is independent of the script.
Finally, an award ceremony was held in which several top journalists and media organizations were honored for their best efforts and role. Tameel-i-Irshad was honored for playing a significant role in promotion of journalism, especially for keeping the newspaper publication alive during the floods of 2014.
It was informed on this occasion that the daily Tameel-i-Irshad has achieved a prominent position in Urdu journalism in Jammu and Kashmir for more than three decades and this daily has access to the cities and remote villages being widely accepted by the public. During the floods of 2014, when Kashmir was completely under the flood, daily Tameel-i-Irshad kept Urdu journalism alive in Jammu and Kashmir and did not allow the publication of the newspaper to stop. On behalf of the newspaper, editor Raja Mohiuddin received the award.
