Mauritius is a laboratory for sociolinguistic studies. In a small country of 720 square miles, over a dozen languages belonging to various families co-exist. In the course of time, some have gained in status while others have suffered from both internal attrition and external pressures leading to language loss and shift. This phenomenon requires investigation. Mr E H Edun's "Urdu Studies in Mauritius" contributes towards such investigation and goes much beyond.
Urdu Studies have been existing in Mauritius with their own ethos and interests from the time of indenture. A number of individuals and institutions has selflessly struggled to promote Urdu and its culture. Mr EH Edun has been an active participant in the promotion of Urdu for more than three decades. As a colleague and close collaborator of Mr Cassam Heerah, former Head of the Urdu Studies Section and Head of Department of Languages at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Mr Edun has significantly influenced the teaching/learning of Urdu at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. It is, therefore, befitting that his reflections and research be brought together to enrich the existing corpus of literature on Urdu Studies.
"Urdu Studies in Mauritius" provides an intellectual scrutiny directed towards understanding the development of Urdu language in Mauritius and those who were behind such development. Through chapters entitled "An Important Urdu Manuscript" and "Books of the Early Days", the author provides the readers with a wealth of information on the study of Urdu during the indenture and post indenture periods.
Substantial references are provided in the body of the text to lead the readers to further study and investigation. The important role played by the National Urdu Institute in the promotion of the language and contextualizing the maintenance of Urdu in a situation of multilingualism are significant contributions to an understanding of the linguistic landscape of Mauritius.
Mr E H Edun deserves to be commended for this work. It my sincere wish that others will probe further from there so as to enrich the existing corpus of literature on language studies.
This book presents a collection of articles and papers written on different occasions. They deal with a variety of topics which shed light on the situation of Urdu and other related issues in our island home.
There is much scope indeed, for research and specific studies in the domains of Urdu socio-linguistics and pedagogy. These papers and articles have also been written with the intention of allowing others to come forward and probe into the subject with more depth.
While writing their dissertations and essays, students of the tertiary sector at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute do not get the information needed about Urdu in Mauritius in one specific book. These papers and articles have been published in different magazines at different times. But for the encouragement of my wife, Rehana, and my sons, Zaheer and Nadeem, who urged me to get them published in one book for the benefit of students and the general public, this publication would not have seen the light of the day.
The nature of the papers and the specific occasions for which they have been written have caused some overlapping. This was inevitable. On the other hand, I could not help referring to my personal experience and involvement. I beg indulgence.
The article dealing with the National Urdu Institute will provide genuine information about its creation and the purpose behind the activities held there. It will avoid exposure to distorted facts. Sir Abdul Razack Mohamed and Mr Abdulla Ahmed have been closely associated with the Institute. As its General Secretary I had the privilege to interact with them very often. This book allows me to pay them a fitting tribute for their contribution to the dissemination of Urdu in Mauritius.
While going through the speeches of Sir Abdul Razack Mohamed in the Hansard, I came across a meaningful statement of his. On the 31st May, 1960, while mentioning his inability to discourse in French with the "same facility as my French speaking friends", he said, inter alia, "I have not got the facility of making myself understood in this House in my own language which is Hindustani, but I hope the time will not be long when I will be able to do so." This statement shows that even great leaders cherished Urdu as a language of great importance in those days. Unfortunately, twenty two years have sufficed to change the socio-linguistic landscape. The notion of Creole as the national language started putting into doubt the validity of Indian languages, especially Urdu. "The place of Urdu in Mauritius" read during the "National Seminar on Language Issue" in October, 1982, at the University of Mauritius lays emphasis on the relevance and need for the maintenance of Urdu in our country.
There has been a close link between Islam and Urdu in Mauritius since the very beginning of Indian Immigration. "Urdu and Islam in Mauritius" deals with the teaching in Madrassas, where Urdu has played an important role while "Books of the Early Days" gives an idea of Urdu books used either as textbooks or for general reading purposes. Many of the indentured labourers were able to read Urdu. One of them even composed poetry in Urdu, Khari Boli, Bhojpuri and Persian. A few of his poems are reproduced in the article entitled "A Valuable Manuscript." They will enable readers to get an idea, among other things, of the poet's sensibilities and art.
"Development of the Teaching of Urdu in the Primary Schools in Mauritius" gives an idea of the several stages which have led to the present status of Urdu in the primary schools. Further research is needed in this field.
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