This is a very foolish man.
February 18, 2012
The name of Pakistan
P =====> *P*unjab Province
A =====> *A*fghania Province (NWFP)
K =====> *K*ashmir Province
I =====> *I*ndus River Civilization that straddled all provinces and binds them together geographically
S =====> *S*indh Province
T =====> Baluchis*TAN* Province
A
N
An unintended but welcomed literal translation
Pak = Pure
Stan = Land
Pakistan = Land of the Pure
Concidentally, the word rolls off as Pak-e-stan. The transition e is often used in Urdu to relate two words. Paak is a persian word familiar to pakistanis.
The suffix -stan (-stân, -ston, -stān, spelled ـستان in the Persian alphabet) is Persian for “place of”,
a cognate to Pashto -tun and
to Indo-Aryan -sthāna (pronounced [st̪ʰaːna]) (स्थान in the Devanāgarī script), a Sanskrit suffix with a similar meaning.
In Indo-Aryan languages, sthāna means “place”, and is cognate to the Latin terms state and status (meaning “to stand”).
The reason there is no representation for East Pakistan with a B somewhere is because originally the Northwest or Indus region of British India was demanded as a separate country and civilization. Nobody really thought, even muslim leaders, that two regions separated by several thousand miles would be made into one country. sadly, as it turned out, B was not needed after all which is another topic covered elsewhere.
February 17, 2012
Pak Iran Pipeline
from dawn.com
ISLAMABAD: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was assured by Pakistani leaders on Thursday that they remained committed to the gas pipeline and electricity import projects despite international sanctions on his country.
Although he couldn’t get a firm timetable for making the energy projects operational, he appeared to have been satisfied with pledges of speeding them up and, in return, offered to enhance bilateral trade to $10 billion in a couple of months.
More importantly, the two sides commenced discussions on currency swap and barter trade arrangements to circumvent the US sanctions for doing business with Iran in the dollar.
“The President (Asif Ali Zardari) reiterated commitment for expeditious implementation of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, 1,000MW electricity transmission line and 100MW Gwadar power supply,” a statement issued by the presidency said.
The PM’s Office in a press-note on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s meeting with Mr Ahmadinejad said: “Both leaders agreed to pursue the energy projects including electricity and gas on fast-track basis. They also discussed the status of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline.”
Iran has been worried that Pakistan could abandon the gas pipeline and electricity import agreements under pressure from the West because of sanctions and has been seeking categorical assurances from Islamabad about its continued commitment to the projects.
In the meetings at the presidency and prime minister’s house the two sides discussed ways of enhancing bilateral trade, including proposals for currency swap, barter trade, removing tariff and non-tariff barriers and improved border coordination for facilitating businessmen.
The statement from the presidency said: “President Zardari proposed for considering encouraging barter and trading in local currencies between the two countries besides removing tariff and non-tariff barriers.”
US sanctions on purchase of Iranian oil in dollars have already made several other countries, including Russia, India and Sri Lanka, to make payments in gold or their own currencies.
During talks at the prime minister’s house, the Iranian delegation expressed its desire to import one million tonnes of wheat and 2,00,000 tonnes of rice from Pakistan within weeks.
Following fresh sanctions, Iran has increased procurement of grain from the international market bypassing the banking restrictions by paying in currencies other than the dollar and euro.
Measures for controlling drug trafficking and fighting terrorism were also discussed at the meetings.
Both sides agreed to boost mutual coordination for countering terrorism, drugs and narcotics control and human trafficking, an official said.
President Ahmadinejad thanked Mr Zardari for Pakistan’s “keen interest in further strengthening existing cordial equation with Iran.”
February 14, 2012
Modern Day Pakistanis – Proud Descendants of The First Civilization
Written by Graham Chandler
Photographs courtesy of Pakistan, Governmnet of, Department of Archeology and Museums
Dr. Mohammad Rafique Mughal leans back in a squeaky rattan armchair at Falletti’s, the once-sweated under a ceiling fan during the muggy hot summer of 1947, drawing up the borders of a new Pakistan. The dry smell of dust raised by a sweeper outside mingles with the scents of cumin and coriander from the hotel kitchen. Mughal reminisces about his early days searching for archeological sites in the dry hills of Cholistan near that very border, across from what is now the Indian Punjab.
“Cholistan was a natural opportunity,” says Pakistan’s retired director-general of archeology and museums. “Because of changes in river courses, the area had been undisturbed by agriculture for millennia.
Recently published as Ancient Cholistan: Archaeology and Architecture (Rawalpindi, Ferozsons, ISBN 9-690-01350-5), the account of his team’s exhaustive three-year exploration of that desert region in the early 1970′s revealed a telling pattern of abandoned settlements. The locations of the sites they found strongly suggested that the Hakra River, a tributary of the Indus, had changed its course many times before it eventually dried up about 4000 years ago. When it disappeared, it took with it most of the social and economic fabric of one of the world’s greatest and oldest, but least known, civilization, today called the Harappan or Indus Valley civilization.
Evidence uncovered to date delineates a peaceful, artistic, disciplined and materially successful civilization that arose in the fertile Indus River floodplain of present-contemporary with the Mesopotamian civilizations of the Tigris and Euphrates River extensively. The Harappan culture dominated the subcontinent for almost a thousand years before it mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind few direct traces of what happened, or where its large population went.
At its height, archeologists believe, the Indus civilization included more than a thousand villages, towns and cities scattered throughout 725,000 square kilometers (280,000 sq mi) of territory—an area larger than Texas and smaller than Turkey—that stretched from what is now northern Afghanistan to Pakistan. The Harappan domain was twice the size of the Egyptian or Mesopotamian territory of the time, yet the Harappans appear to have had neither conquering emperors nor standing armies to enlarge or defend their homeland. As far as archeological evidence shows, they enjoyed excellent health and freedom from both violence and extremes of wealth or poverty. They developed one of the earliest written languages and built some of the world’s first planned cities, complete with individual household water supplies and sophisticated public drainage systems. And, as highly skilled craftspeople and enterprising merchants, they were one of the first major mercantile civilizations to trade far beyond the borders of their own territories.
Yet, though everyone has heard of the great civilizations of the Middle East, most of the world has never heard of the Harappans. “They didn’t leave behind grand temples and monuments or rich burials that fired people’s imaginations, as the Egyptians did,” says Mughal. “Rather, they seem to have been utterly content with their egalitarian, religious society, with its high standard of order and ethics, and kept themselves busy with agriculture, craft production and trade.”
The civilization’s first discovery by modern Europeans was in 1826 at the site of ancient Harappa, near the modern village of the same name, in Pakistan’s Punjab Province. The discoverer was a deserter from the British Army named James Lewis. The newly formed Archaeological Survey undertook initial excavations between 1856 and 1872, but intensive work didn’t get underway until the 1920′s and 30′s. The discovery of this unknown ancient civilization was announced to the world in The Illustrated London News of September 20,1924.
Large-scale digs teeming with hundreds of turbaned local workers, hot dusty scenes worthy of an Indiana Jones production, were the order of those days. Work focused on what are still the two largest sites, Harappa and, 600 kilometers (375 mi) to the southwest, Mohenjo-Daro. Though this century’s high water tables have prevented researchers at Mohenjo-Daro from digging down to the lower levels that might put a date to the site’s beginnings, their excavations soon revealed well-planned street layouts and water systems. Scholars of Mesopotamian history quickly recognized that numerous seals found at Mesopotamian cities such as Ur matched designs being discovered in the Indus Valley, attesting to long-distance contacts between the two empires.
But the Indus Valley civilization began neither in Mohenjo-Daro nor Harappa. Because it was first thought to have diffused from civilizations to the west, archeologists in the 1960′s sought clues to the Harappan genesis at Mehrgarh, a site at the foot of Pakistan’s Bolan Pass, east of the mountain city of Quetta. They found early indications of Harappan styles, such as pottery designs, but no discernable signs of outside influence: The Harappans, it appeared, were truly an indigenous civilization.
“Discoveries at Mehrgarh changed the entire concept of the Indus civilization,” says Ahmad Hasan Dani, professor emeritus of Islamabad’s Quaid-e-Azam University and author of several books on South Asian civilizations. “There we have the whole sequence, right from the beginning of settled village life.”
The excavations of Mehrgarh revealed that, as early as 7000 BC, its inhabitants were herding sheep, goats and zebus and planting fields of wheat and barley in small farming communities that they inhabited year-round. “They subsisted on a combination of domesticated and wild resources,” says Richard Meadow, Harvard archeo-botanist and director of the Harappa Archeological Research Project, based in the modern village of Harappa. “They first depended more on wild game such as rhinoceros, elephant and wild buffalo. That gradually gave way to raising their own animals and crops.” The Harappans have even been credited with the earliest known domestication of the jungle fowl that is the ancestor of today’s chickens.
By about 5500 BC, Mehrgarh’s citizens started to make and use pottery and ceramic figurines, and with these began an increasingly sophisticated craft industry. Manufacture of decorated ceramics and jewelry blossomed, and by 3500 BC Mehrgarh had grown into an important regional craft center, and settlements in other parts of the Indus Valley had developed parallel industries of their own. A few hundred years later, these villages and regions were trading technological innovations and products. The resulting social intercourse had a unifying tendency throughout the Indus Valley. Together with these industrial arts, the Harappans’ social hierarchies, their writing system, their large planned cities and their long-distance trade mark them to archeologists as a full-fledged “civilization.”
Indeed, commerce and trade appear to be the foundation on which the Harappans built far-reaching influence. Traders from the highlands of Pakistan’s Baluchistan and northern Afghanistan brought in copper, tin and lapis lazuli. The Makran and southern coasts of Pakistan provided decorative shells. Timber was floated down the rivers from the Himalayas and gold from southern Central Asia. Skilled Harappan artisans and specialized craftsmen turned such raw materials into useful and beautiful products for regional distribution and—as finds elsewhere have shown—for export by land and sea to Mesopotamia, Persia and Central Asia.
“It was an environment of economic symbiosis,” says Farzand Ali Durrani, a Pushtun archeologist and past vice-chancellor of the University of Peshawar, speaking over chapli kebabs at a Pashtun restaurant in Peshawar. “The southern states controlled the sea trade, just as Karachi does today. Ships from Meluhha [the Mesopotamian name for the Harappan nation] regularly sailed from Lothal near modern-day Karachi, Pakistan for the ports of Babylon.” And they evidently made stops all along the way: Indus River seals have been found in Oman, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
The modern city of Peshawar lies on what is thought to have been one of the Harappans’ main overland trade routes. That route is now a major highway that constitutes the eastern approach to the fabled Pakistani Khyber Pass and links the northwestern Indus Plain to the highlands of Afghanistan and Central Asia. An old branch of the route runs from Peshawar south into rugged tribal territory, through the modern towns of Pakistan’s Kohat and Bannu and the foothills of the Pakistan’s Sulaiman Mountains, and on down across the Gomal Plain to the early Harappan site of Rehman Dheri, where Durrani conducted an important excavation from 1976 to 1980.
“Our discoveries there clearly showed that the Harappans meticulously designed and laid out streets prior to 2800 BC,” he says. “They outclassed the Egyptians and Mesopotamians in terms of planned cities.”
Harappan city planners were indeed far ahead of their time. Unlike most settlements of the ancient world, whose winding streets and randomly placed buildings suggest haphazard growth, all Harappan municipalities expanded by design—indeed, by the same design: A west-facing citadel in the city center, and a north-south and east-west grid of streets. Municipal drainage systems included covered “manholes” for clearing out debris, and all construction used standard-sized fired or mud bricks, depending on the structure. Neighborhoods were individually zoned for residences, shops, markets and manufacturing activities.
Mohenjo-Daro, the largest of the ancient Indus Valley cities, lies 575 kilometers (350 mi) south of Rehman Dheri on an old course of the Indus River. Where its citadel once stood, there is now a Buddhist stupa, but the old city plan is clear. “It is evident that Harappan cities like Mohenjo-Daro were largely governed by strong civic discipline,” says Durrani. “And the streets and houses were purposely arranged to let the prevailing winds keep them clear and ventilated. It’s the earliest example of civic environmental planning.”
That planning included management of water and waste. Researchers have found that nearly every Harappan home had a bathing platform, with a brick drain and a sloping floor made of fired bricks and waterproofed with gypsum plaster. At Mohenjo-Daro there was at least one well supplying water to each housing block, and many houses had their own wells. Many also had private latrines, with individual drains that connected to covered or underground conduits that carried waste water, as well as excess rain from the streets, down to the river. And there is even a water-related structure archeologists have dubbed the Great Bath. Steps lead down into the swimming pool-sized complex lined with tightly fitted brick, sealed with a bitumen under-layer, and served by a massive drain with a corbeled vaulted ceiling, big enough to walk through. It has been interpreted as a public bath or ritual bathing area.
Whether in the workshops that were part of some houses in Mohenjo-Daro, in separate shops or in the fields, the Harappans’ working lives and their commerce were regulated by well-established standards: Archeologists have found standardized cubical stone weights, for example, in ratios of one, two, four, eight and 16 units. Accounting may have been done using a complex and still-undeciphered script. (See sidebar, page 40.) The Harappans also left behind tiny seals, up to two or three centimeters (1″) square, elaborately carved in soft stone such as steatite and used to make impressions in wet clay, probably to signify ownership of goods or shipments. Depicted in detail on these miniature works of art are animals such as “unicorns,” hump-shouldered zebu bulls, elephants, hairy-eared rhinoceroses and crocodiles, as well as symbols in the puzzling Harappan script. Archeologists surmise the motifs may have served to identify individuals or clans of merchants, or organizations holding interests in commercial activities.
Excavated skeletons show evidence of industrious work and healthy diets that led to soundness of body. Apart from some evidence of trauma to Harappan women’s spines, caused by carrying heavy loads on the head, there are few signs of disease or malnourishment. The high-carbohydrate diet typical of early sedentary societies contributed to some tooth decay, but most Harappans whose graves have been excavated apparently died of natural causes.
A two-hour bus ride down another ancient trade route, now part of the Grand Trunk Road, leads from the acrid blue cacophony of downtown Lahore, Punjab Pakistan to a pit where archeologist Jonathan Mark Kenoyer is sweating over a large clipboard, shaded from the burning sun by a woven mat. He’s drawing a stratigraphic cross-section of an excavation here at the site of ancient Harappa. A helper periodically sprays water on the sides of the pit to highlight its features. “There’s only about a two-hour period each morning when we can work, while the light is just right and before it gets unbearable down there,” says Kenoyer.
A professor of archeology at the University of Wisconsin, Kenoyer is field director of the Harappa Archeological Research Project. It’s early May and already getting much too hot for fieldwork. But Kenoyer has stayed longer than the rest of his crew this year because he’s pretty excited about this excavation in the so-called Great Granary. In 1924, the area was of special interest to John Marshall, director-general of the Archaeological Survey, who called the puzzling structure a granary because of its similarity to Mesopotamian finds. But Kenoyer thinks the “granary” has nothing to do with agriculture—it has no parallels to other structures in the South Asian grain-storage tradition, he points out.
Kenoyer and other scholars hypothesize that it may have been a public building used as a gathering place for government officials. In such an organized culture, there must have been public officials, the argument goes, and they must have met somewhere, at intervals, to coordinate the many aspects of Harappan culture that have been found to be similar or identical in widely separated sites. Among the handful of digs active in the Indus Valley, these “granaries” have been found only at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, and Kenoyer hopes that his investigations and those of others will lead to understanding of Harappan political systems.
Kenoyer takes a break and we sit under the shade of a spreading pipal tree, often depicted on Harappan pottery. We’re overlooking the granary excavation. Colorful kingfishers sing overhead and a light breeze from the wheat fields freshens the spot—probably one where Harappans also sat, discussing their day’s work just this way, more than 4000 years before. “We’re finding a lot of continuity in the archeological record here,” says Kenoyer, author of the recent book Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization (Karachi, Oxford, ISBN 0-19-577940-1). “It’s what Mughal theorized in his thesis back in 1971: Elements of this culture—writing, cubical weights—were around much earlier than we had first figured.”
I ask him about the Harappans’ demise. “It never happened,” he responds. “The cities shrank in the second millennium BC, yes, but people still lived in places like Harappa long after that. The continuing prosperity of the bigger cities, like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, may have made them grow too large and unwieldy to administer, and so groups may have split off into smaller settlements. But those settlements were held together by their common culture,” he says. Perhaps the dispersal was a way of providing flexibility to deal with the oft-changing and unpredictable rivers, he adds.
There is, in fact, overwhelming evidence that the Indus Valley civilization underwent a large-scale transformation early in the second millennium, when it ceased its commercial activities and long-distance trading. After 1900 BC there are no longer references to Meluhha in Mesopotamian writings, and no Indus seals are found in Mesopotamia after that date. All other remnants of the great Harappan commercial enterprises, including the factors-of-16 weights and use of the script, simply vanish from the record.
Sir Mortimer Wheeler, the British archeologist of military background who first dated the Indus Valley civilization, also proposed the first popular hypothesis to explain its demise: an invasion by Aryan armies from southern Central Asia. But no evidence of warfare or violent attacks has ever been uncovered at any Indus site. Another theory was that the Harappans succumbed to disease—but their skeletons show no indications of that.
The general consensus among scholars is now that the decline was gradual, the result of a combination of factors in which both incoming Aryans and changes in river courses played a leading part. “The Aryans were a rural, nomadic tribal people with no written language, unlike the Harappans,” explains Dani. The social and commercial upheaval caused by their migration into the subcontinent, he suggests, “may have choked off much of the supply of raw materials from south Central Asia around 2000 BC.”
Upheaval of a different kind may have been another factor. The Indus Valley is a seismically active zone, and even minor changes in land levels can cause large shifts in river courses, especially on a broad, flat alluvial plain. Mughal’s evidence, supported by more recent Landsat imagery, has shown there were in fact major shifts in the courses of the Indus and some of its tributaries, such as the Hakra and the Ghaggar, around this time. The Cholistan region surveyed by Mughal, in particular, had been an important breadbasket for the larger Harappan cities, supplying wheat and other grain. When the flow or the course of the Hakra River changed, Cholistan might no longer have been able to meet that demand, and traditional riverine trade routes would have been severely disrupted as well.
Under these circumstances, the Harappans would have found it difficult to maintain civic order, for, to the bafflement of scholars, they appear never to have developed any sort of standing army; neither has any evidence been found of militarism, battle damage, or even defensive fortifications in the Harappan domains. Instead, Kenoyer and others believe, the elite seems to have kept order by controlling and promoting trade, commerce and religion. Once the civilization had begun to break down, maintenance of civil order by military coercion would have been an unavailable option; many Harappans began to abandon their large cities.
Kenoyer has made an observation that, with further study, may prove to be a key element in tracking the course of the Harappans after the collapse: the “unicorn” motif on the seals. He says that 64 percent of seals found carry this creature—probably an ox depicted in profile, thus appearing to have a single horn—and were probably used by the most affluent of the trading merchants. But what’s intriguing, he notes, is that the “unicorn” motif first appears in Harappan sites around 2600 BC, when the civilization had reached its apogee, and disappears about 1900 BC, just when it starts a rapid decline. “Other motifs continue, but the ‘unicorn’ is expunged completely from all South Asian iconography after that: It seems to lose its value,” he says.
Yet the “unicorn” motif continued to be used in Mesopotamia well after the Harappan collapse. This raises the possibility that the richer and more powerful Harappan merchants and traders, familiar with Mesopotamia, moved there when the basis of their economic power and influence began to fade. “We have modern analogies right next door,” says Farzand Ali Durrani. “When Afghanistan was invaded in 1979, families with means had no problem leaving and finding a new country in which to live.”
Well-off residents of Hong Kong also flooded into Canada, Britain and the United States in the last years before that territory reverted to Chinese control.
Without the urban elite, who held the reins of the civilization’s mercantile system, Harappan craftspeople and workers may have had little option but to embrace the simpler Aryan way of life and the Aryan religion. There was no longer a need for commercial support systems like accurate weights and financial accounting records. And, as the Aryan’s Vedic language was strictly oral at the time, Harappan writing might have been forgotten within a few generations. Says Dani, “Once you destroy the basis of industrialization, you destroy a civilization.”
What does study of the Harappans mean for the larger understanding of human civilization? For an answer to that question, I turned again to Mohammad Mughal. “For over a century,” he replied, “it was thought that civilization began in Western Asia, in Mesopotamia and Egypt. I would say that the most important contribution of Harappan study is that it shows conclusively, for the first time, that this just wasn’t so. We have proof right here.”
Dr. Graham Chandler is an archcologist and free-lance writer based in Calgary, Alberta. He specialized in early Harappan ceramics in his studies at the University of London.
FALSE CLAIMS ON INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION BY INDIANS
There is this thing called dignity. And obviously Indian so called Historians don’t have much.
If you go to Wiki and search for IVC you will notice something. India is mentioned on average 20 times more than Pakistan. This is an attack on Pakistan more lethal than dozens of Indian tanks rolling towards Lahore.
There is a huge India map to go with it, and whenever a location has to be provided, you will see it as South Asian Sub cont even though 95% is in Pakistan.
The Brits invaded India and ruled the place. Before then India was known as Bharatavarsha, and was ruled my Muslim Moguls, Muslim Turks, and Muslim Arabs, After British rule India was broken into Modern Pakistan and India, both got their independence as New nations.
Therefore Pakistan never belonged to India. It did once belong to Bharatavarsha, which was never ruled by Hindus as it was a mixture of a lot of communities and religions. The unity was only caused by British rule, hence IVC doesn’t not belong to India, and never did.
The 3 Major IVC cities are all located in Pakistan. One in West Pakistan, one in South and the last one approx in central Pak.The Indian scholars however refuse to even mention Pakistan in their articles about IVC.
The people of IVC were not Hindus. This has been proved. Even though that was the case, you will see a constant comparison of their rituals to Hinduism. I admit Indian scholars don’t say IVC was a Hindu Civilization, but the comparison is based on no evidence and vague drawings of sacrificed animal. On the Main India article, Indus valley civilisation is listed as part of Indian history even though:
India didn’t exist during IVC, and their Religion had nothing to do with IVC, and finally IVC settlements are not even located in India. Indians still refer to India as the “Home of Indus Valley Civilization”.
“Why is it called Indus?”. Well, Indus is a common name through out the entire South Asian subcontinent due to the more recent sizeable Hindu population of the sub continent. IVC was named purely because of its location. The people of IVC did not refer to themselves as IVC. Just like South America is not a part of United States of America, the IVC is not Indian. I am not Pro Pakistan. We as humans should have a responsibility that History is recorded as damn exact as possible. This is the reason Wikipedia is such a failure and is open to easy vandalism, the obvious kind and the patriotic vandalism which is supported by most ignorant people who have declared war on common sense.
Pakistan and India, neither of them which existed through IVC era.
Islam and Hinduism. neither of them existed in the era if IVC.
Common sense would suggest IVC belongs to the country in which 95% of their settlements are located.
Please note. Iran and India both have an odd small-time IVC settlement. But Iran has common sense enough to not claim it as Iranian.
Agreed many who travelled to the reclaimed liberated land we call Pakistan today were reverts and from South Asian stock but we the vast majority, Kashmiris, Baloch, Pakthun, Sindhi and Punjabi were the IVC and we denounced Hinduism an alien foreign primitive barbaric brutal concept that attacked us. We found liberation and soul revival in Islam and it is and will forever be our cherished religion. The IVC were not Hindu, neither did they ride horses like your Mahabharata stories, they ate beef not like your Dhal Hors, they were ethnically different to the Dravids primitive pygmies that ran around semi clad in the primitive backwater jungles along the Ganges. The IVC never spoke Sanskrit let alone wrote it, they wrote via pictogrqms like the other great civilisations of that era, mesopotamia and The Nile civilisation. I know it is hard for you to grasp but we are completely different to you, we find your language, your culture, religion and history repulsive and we are a different ethnicity, geography and history to you. Just because you have the sons of Abdali, Ghauri, Nadir Shah, Zaman Shah and Aurangzaib as your bollywood heart throbs it does not mean you and I are the same. Look around you, most Indians do not look like the Khans or the Kapoors who hail from the land of beauty and beautiful people -Pekhawar. In a shameful past and everyone has one the Indian girls at my University were struck by how different we Pakistanis boys looked to Indian boys and realised we truly are different ethnicities and yes we were the more attractive because we look like the very people you Indians place on pedestol in Bollywood.
Pakistani “Indus Valley” predated Indian Hindu Aryan culture’
The noted epigraphist Iravatham Mahadevan made some sound observations which echo the writings of one of the most prominent historians of our time Dr. Dani. Like Dr. Dani Dr. Mahadevan clearly says that the Hindu Aryan culture was distinctly different than the culture of the Indus Valley Civilization which was not Hindu. The IVC did not worship the “Hindu” Pantheon in any sense of the word. The IVC was mostly restriction to the valley of the Indus—however at the tail end of the civilization some of it dispersed into areas beyond the IVC. The map of the original IVC resembles the map of Pakistan as it exists today.
TIRUCHY: The Indian society was composed of elements inherited from groups speaking different languages, because of which it was a composite entity, observed Iravatham Mahadevan, noted epigraphist.
Delivering the History Congress endowment lecture at Tiruchy on Friday, he said that the Indus Valley civilisation predated the Aryan civilisation. While this civilisation was urban, the Vedic culture was rural and pastoral, he added. The Indus seals depicted many animals, like horses and chariots with spoked wheels, which were defining features of the Aryan-speaking society.
Religious worship in the Indus valley focussed on a buffalo-horned male god, mother goddesses, the pipal tree and the serpent, he said.
He added that these practices were known to have been derived from the aboriginal population and were totally unknown to the religion of the Rig Veda.
He explained that the Aryan mode of worship was centred on the fire altar, while the Dravidians had water as the base. He said the Great Bath at Mohenjodaro was a direct forerunner of the temple tanks of Hinduism.
The decline and fall of the Indus valley civilisation is generally attributed to natural causes, such as adverse climatic conditions, tectonic upheavals, changing and dried-up river courses, lowered fertility due to over-exploitation and increased salinity of the soil, he explained. Loosening of social and ideological bonds and internal strife could be other factors that had contributed to the eventual disintegration of the Harappan community, he added.
He said there had been fewer Aryans who had migrated and that they were considerably less in number to the vast indigenous population of the Indus valley civilisation. But, he added, the Aryans became dominant when the Harappans fragmented into smaller units in the absence of a central leadership.
A part of the Harappan population also migrated southwards from the Gangetic region, which is recorded in old Tamil literature, he said.
They gained prominence among the late Neolithic people in south India and later founded the Megalithic and Iron Age civilisations, which formed the base for the Chera, Chola and Pandya kingdoms, he said.
He discussed Aryan and Dravidian legacy in the linguistic sense, without a racial or ethnic connotation. The two cultures intermingled and merged, giving rise to a composite society, he said.
He said that some experts pointed to the presence of only a few Dravidian words in the later sections of the Rig Veda and as such it was deduced that the Indus valley civilisation was Dravidian.
Explaining this anomaly, he said that the highly trained priests of the Vedic age would not have preferred loan words in sacred hymns.
February 11, 2012
Do you speak real URDU or HINDI?
| Hindi | Urdu | English |
| Chinta | Fikir | |
| aagentuk | ajnabi | stranger |
| akaash, aakash | aasmaan | sky |
| Aaksmik | achanak, Bewaqta | suddenly |
| aam papad | aampapad | dried mango squash |
| aan | izzat | Prestige |
| aansu | ashque, ashk | tear |
| achakan | sherwani | long shirt, long coat, a party wear gents dress |
| adbhut | anokha | wonderful |
| adrashya | andekha | unseen |
| agni | aag | fire, flames |
| ahanstantarniya | jo wapas na ho sake | non-transferable |
| amulya | anmol | priceless |
| anamika | binanaam | name less (fem.) |
| ananya | ||
| Prem | Ashiqui | Romance |
| ank | ??? | marks, numbers |
| ansh | hissa | portion, part |
| ant | aakhir | end |
| antakshri | ??? | song-follow game |
| antar | fark | difference |
| antariksha | arsh | universe, space |
| antatah | aakhirkaar | at last, finally |
| antim | aakhiri | last one |
| apavitra | napaak | not clean (unholy) |
| astitva | shakhshiyat | individuality |
| atak | phuns | stuck |
| avinaash | ??? | indestructible |
| netra; chakshu | aankh | eye |
| pratibimb | aks | reflection |
| Prem | Mauhabat | love |
| premi | aashiq | lover |
| Samanjasya | apasdaari | Understandings; Balance |
| visamya | ajeeb | strange |
| visamyakaari | ajooba | wonder |
| Mukt, Mispronounciation “Ajaad” | azaad | Free |
| Baal, HIndi Mispronounciation “julf” | zulf | hairs |
| Baala, Baalika | Larki | Girl |
| Baalak | Larka | Boy |
| Vyakti | Banda (Bande) | Person (s) |
| baahein hmp. Baaju | Baazu | Arm (s) |
| Bahen | Behen | Sister |
| bail | bail, bijaar | Bull, Ox |
| Vyakul | Betaab | Eager |
| Bansi | Baansuri | Flute |
| Balwaan | Takatwar | Powerful, Macho |
| Baarish | Barsaat | Rain |
| Maali | Baghbaan | Gardner |
| Upavan | Bagicha | Garden |
| Bajaar | Bazaar | Bazaar, Market |
| Barah | Baraa | Twelve, 12 |
| Bhora | Bhanwara | Big black moth (Fly) |
| Bhanwar | ?? | |
| Bindaas | ?? | Fearless |
| Vivaha | Byah | Marriage |
| Baanjh | Be Aulaad | |
| Bimaar | Beemaar | Patient |
| Bimaari | Beemari | Disease |
| Balidaan | Qurbaani | Sacrifice |
| Baingan | Beingan | Brinjal |
| Daan | Bakhsheesh | Tip; Give beg |
| Shikhar | Bulandi | On Top, Achivement |
| Putri | Beti | Daughter |
| Putra | Beta | Son |
| Badhaai | Mubaarakbaad | Congratulates |
| Mehmaan-Nawaz | ||
| Varsh | Baras | Year |
| Patni | Biwi, Begum | Wife |
| Satta | Baazee | Bet, gamble, compete |
| Budhhu; Bawla | Baawla | Mad, Crazy |
| Bandhak | Quedy, Kaidi | Hostage, Jailed |
| Billi, Bilota, Bilaw | Billi, Billaw, Billota | Cat |
| ?? | Badtameez | unmannered |
| Bigadna | Bigarna | spoil |
| Bhaya | Darr, Khatra | Threat; Fear |
| Bhrata | Bhai | Brother |
| Bhaalu | Reachh | Bear |
| Bhagwaan | Khuda | God |
| Bhayabheet | Dara hua | Afraid; Threatened |
| Bhagya | Kismat | Luck; Destiny |
| Bhagyashaali | Kismat wala | Lucky |
| Bhagyawaan | Gharwali, Kismat wala | Wife; Lucky |
| Bheemkaaya | Bahut bada | Giant |
| Bhiksha | Bheekh | Beg; donation |
| Bhikshu | Bhikhaari | Beggar |
| Bhavishya | Qismat | Fate; Future |
| Vishwaas | Bharosa | Faith; Believe |
| Bhaabi | Brother’s wife | |
| Bhains | Bheins | Buffalo |
| Bheed | Crowd; Mob | |
| Bhasma | Jala hua; Raakh | Dust of fire; burned |
| Bhool | Bhoolna | Forget |
| Bhaala | Teer | Large Arrow |
| Bhala | Acha | Good |
| Bhatakna | Guum | Lost |
| Bhrasta | Rishwat-khor | Corrupt |
| Bhangda | Bhangra | Punjab’s folk dance |
| Bhola | Masoom | Innocent |
| Bheeshana | Bahut Jyada | Too Much; Huge; Heavy |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Ichchha | Chahah | Desire; Urge; Wish |
| Chatur | Chalaak | Smart; Cunning |
| Aenak | Chashma | Eye Glasses; Goggles |
| Chakraviewha | Jaal | Trap |
| Chakra | Paiya | Circle |
| Chulha | Choolha | Mud Stove |
| Chootad | Chootar | Hips; Buttocks; Butts |
| Chamak | Chamkeela | Shine; Bright |
| Chakamdaar | Chamkeela | Shiny; Brighter |
| Champa | Yasmine? | Jasmine |
| Chameli | Mogra | White Flower; Jasmine |
| Champakali | ?? | Cute (Esp. Prostitute) |
| Chandrama | Chaand | Moon |
| Chandramukhi | ||
| Moon face (lady) | ||
| Chauka-Bartan | Chulha-chauka | Routine kitchen work |
| Chaaku; Chakku | Chhuri; Chhura | Knife |
| Choodi | Choori | Bangle |
| Chup | Khaamosh | Silent |
| Chakshu | Aankh | Eye |
| Changaij Khan | Changez Khan | Rude; Ghangis Khan |
| Chilam | Hookah | Small Fire; Hookah |
| Chilman | Raat | Night |
| Champi | Maalish | Head Massage |
| Chabootra | ?? | Squire stone (to sit on) |
| Chahu aur | Chaaro taraf | all around |
| Cheekh | Chillana | Scream |
| Chakotara | Kharbooze jaisa Fal | Melon fruit |
| Chakotar | ?? | Bird that watches moon |
| (Kuchh) Vishesh | Chuninda | Selected |
| Chain | Sukoon | Relief; Comfort |
| Chandaal | Jallad | Who hang/Kill people |
| Aankh | Chashm | Eye |
| Raah Takna | Chashme-Barah | Waiting (With love) |
| Jharna | Chashma | Fountain; Fall |
| Samarpit | Chishti | Dedicated man |
| Veshyalaya | Chakla | Prostitute’s Place |
| Chanchal | Shareer | Naughty |
| Chinti | Choonti | Ant |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Chhaata | Chhatri | Umbrella |
| Napunsak | Chhakka | Impotent |
| Chhad | Chhari | Stick |
| Saya | Chhaaya | Shadow |
| Chhal | Dhoka | Cheat |
| Chhaaliya | Chhaali | Beatle fruit seed |
| Anuj | Chhota (Bhai) | Younger |
| Chhokri | Londiya | Girl (esp. young) |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Dam | Himmat | Power; Life |
| Pal | Dam | Moment |
| Daman | ?? | Dominate |
| Aanchal | Daaman | Skirt like portion of dress |
| Daaru | Sharaab | Alcoholic drinks; wine |
| Pravishta | Daakhil | Admit; Enter |
| Pravesh | Daakhila | Admission |
| Daya | Tars; Reham | Pity |
| Dayawaan | Rehmaan | Merciful |
| Dayaneeya | Pitiful; Piteous | |
| Dilli | Dehli | Delhi City |
| Manoram | Dilkash | Gorgeous |
| Priyatama | Dilruba | Darling (Feminine) |
| Priyatam | Dilbar | Darling (Masculine) |
| Premi | Deewana | Lover; Keen |
| Diwanapan | Deewanapan | Love |
| Hriday | Dil | Heart |
| Deeksha | Seekh | Lesson; Learning |
| Dono | Dauno | Both |
| Dau | Do | Two |
| Mitra | Dost | Friend |
| Var | Dulha | Groom |
| Vadhu | Dulhan | Bride |
| mp Namaaj | Namaaz | Prayers |
| Mitrata | Dosti | Friendship |
| Dugdha | Doodh | Milk |
| Dukh | Gham | Sorrow; Pain |
| Dukhi | Ghamgeen | Sorry; Sad; regretful |
| Daal | Daali | Branch of a tree |
| Daak | Khat | Post |
| Dakait | Daaku | Dakota |
| Dharm | Imaan | Religion |
| Dhaakad | Shaandaar | Graceful |
| Dhanyavaad | Shukriya | Thanks |
| Dhan | daulat | Wealth; Money |
| Dharmaatma | Pakke Imaan wala | Great religious person |
| Dharam pita | ??? | God father |
| Dharamshila | Imaan ka pathar | Stone of religion |
| Dharamshaala | Saraay | Charitable Inn |
| Dhaarmik | ||
| Eekh | Ganna | Sugar kane |
| Eeshwar | Allah | God |
| Dharam | Eemaan | Religion |
| Aawishkaar | Eezaad | Invention |
| Manushya | Insaan | Human |
| Hadh | Intehaa | Extreme; Edge |
| Pratikshaa | Intjaar | Await |
| Imaandaar | Honest | |
| Nivedan | Iltijaa | Request |
| Aarop | Ilzaam | Blame |
| Nakaar Dena | Inkaar | To say no; deny |
| Prem | Ishk / Ishque | Love |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Faal | Gota | Decorated corner of traditional dresses |
| Laabh | Faayeda | Profit |
| Paarsi | Faarsi | Persian |
| Jhatpat | Fatafat | Quick |
| Faatak | Phatuk | Gate; Railway crossing |
| Fefade | Phephrey | Lungs |
| Falsafa | ||
| Faaka | Faaqa | Staying hungry for having no food |
| Garva | Fakra | Proud |
| Phal | Fal | Fruits |
| Fal | Dhaar | Edge; Sharpness |
| Film | Filam | Movie; Film |
| Filmaankan | Filmaaya Jaana | Cinematography |
| Jeet | Fateh | Victory |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Apshabda | Gaali | to Abuse |
| Gambheer | Sanjeeda | Serious |
| dukh | Gham | Sorrow |
| Gunjan | Bhinbhinaahat | buzzing |
| Geet | Gaana | Song |
| Geela | Gheela | Wet |
| Kajraa | Gajraa | Jasmine floral tag |
| Gajab | Gazaab | Great; something bad |
| Gaalib | Ghaalib | a historical poet |
| Gulaab | Rose | |
| Phool | Gul | Flower |
| Guldawari | Guldaawadi | Calendula shrub |
| Vaatika | Gulistaan | Garden (Full of flowers) |
| Gul; Adarashya | Gaayab | Invisible |
| Gau | Gaay | Cow |
| Goumutra / Gomutra | Gaay ka peshaab | Cow pee |
| Gaupaal / Gopal | Gaay ka rakhwala | Cow keeper |
| Gaumukhi | ?? | Rectangle shape with one side smaller |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Grah | Ghar | Home |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Hast | Haath | Hand |
| Hastakshep | Beech mai aana | Interference |
| Praapt | Haasil | Receive; Get |
| - | Hashim | Synonym of “Allah” |
| Hastantar | Fer-badal | Exchange |
| Hastmaithun | ?? | Masturbation |
| Aakraman | Hamlaa | Attack |
| Aakramankaari | Hamlaawar | Attacker |
| Harjaai | Sukhdil | Stone heart |
| Priyatam | Humdum | Spouse; Lover |
| Shubhechchhu | Hamdard | Well wisher |
| Sehvaas | Hum-bistar | Bed Partner esp. to Sex |
| Saathi | Hum-saaya | Together; Close |
| Seh-Yaatri | Humsafar | Co-passenger; spouse |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Jaa | Chullo | Go (Order) |
| Jaap | Tilaawat | Reading Religious quotes |
| Jaal | Fanda | Trap |
| Kroor | Jaalim | Cruel person |
| Praan | Jaan | Life; Soul |
| Streeyon ke liye | Janaana | Feminine |
| Vyangya | Jumlaa | Taunt; Quote |
| Hatyaara | Jallaad | Assassin; killer |
| Aakrosh | Josh | Energetic; |
| Jagraata | ?? | Awake all night long |
| Jagran | Uthna | Awakening |
| Sansaar | Jahaan | World |
| Shareer | Jism | Body |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Jharokha | Roshandaan | Small Window |
| Jhatpat | Foran | Quick |
| Jhapat | Chheen lena | Snatch |
| Jhak | Machhali | Fish |
| Jhakjhor | Hila ke rakh dena | Shake up; Awaken |
| Jhaarkhand | Jharkhand | A state in India |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Kaal | Waqt | Time |
| Kaarya | Kaam | Work |
| Kaaryakaram | ?? | Program (Programme) |
| Kriya | ?? | Verb |
| Kriyaa-karam | Kafan-dafan | Crematory |
| ?? | Kafan | Dress for the dead |
| Kuff | Baaju | Sleeves |
| ?? | Kambakhta | abuse – shameless; one who die soon |
| Toolika | Kalam | Pen; Pencil |
| Kasak | ache (in love) | |
| Kaamuk | ?? | Erotic |
| Kaamasutra | ?? | Indian guidelines for performing sex |
| Kamottejak | ?? | Which increases lust |
| Kaamatur | ?? | Horny; Eager to sex |
| Kaamandh | ?? | Blind for sex |
| Kaamdhenu | ?? | Epic cow that gives money by worshiping it |
| Kalpavraksha | ?? | Epic tree of money |
| Kalpana | Soch | Imagination |
| Kalpit | Socha hua | Imagined |
| Kavi | Shaayar | Poet |
| Kavita | Nazm | Poem |
| Shaant | Sukoon | Inner Peace? |
| Khadoos | ?? | Mean; Bad person |
| ?? | Khwaaza | Holy man |
| Privaar | Khaandaan | Family; Anchensters |
| Swapna | Khwaab | Dream |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Laa | Lao | Give; Bring |
| Charan | Laat | Leg |
| Laagat | ?? | Cost |
| Laghu | Chhota | Small Scale |
| Rakt | Lahu | Blood |
| Laal | Surkh | Red |
| Laal | Jaan | Son; dear child |
| L | ||
| Lagataar | Barambaar | Continuous |
| Mata; Maa | Ammi | Mother; Mummy |
| Mantra | Kalma | Spell; Religious quotes |
| Matrabhumi | ?? | Motherland |
| Maap | Naap | Measurement |
| Nipun | Maahir | Trained; perfect |
| Lakshya | Manjil | Target |
| Tal | Manjil | Floor |
| Ichchha; Vichar | Mansooba | Wish; Thought |
| Vivash | Majboor | ?? |
| Kathin | Mushkil, Mushkilaat | Tough; not easy |
| Muhim | ?? | Campaign; project |
| Mukh | Muh | Mouth; Face |
| Machhli | Machhali | Fish |
| Mama | Maama | Mother’s Brother |
| Maum | Mome | Wax (esp. candle’s) |
| Main | Mein | I |
| Mann | Dil | Heart; mind |
| Mayeka | Mekha | Bride’s mother’s house |
| Majdoor | Mazdoor | Labor |
| Mausi | Khala | Mother’s Sister |
| Mausa | Khaalu | Husband of Mausi |
| Madhumakkhi | Bee | |
| Pati | Miya | Husband; Mister |
| Madhya | Beech | Middle; Between |
| Manmauji | Manchala | A person who do what he wants to do |
| Maina | Meinaa | Dove |
| Maindhak | Mendak | Frog |
| Mahatma | ?? | Great (Person) |
| Mahashivratri | ?? | A Hindu Festival |
| Matra-pita | MaBaap | Mother & Father |
| Atithi | Mehmaan | Guest |
| Mahayudhha | Bahut badi ladaai | Great War |
| Mahabharat | - | An Epic book of war |
| Mahayodhdha | Fikirmund | Great Worrier |
| Maharaja | Badshah | Emperor |
| Maharani | Raani, Shehzaadi | Queen |
| Swaami | Maalik | Owner; Master |
| Murli | Baansuri | Flute |
| Murlidhar | - | A name for Krishna; one who play flute |
| Mool | Asal rakam | Principal Amount |
| Machhardaani | Machchhardaani | Mosquito shed |
| Panni | Momjama | Polythene Sheet |
| Prem | Mohabbat | Love |
| Premika | Maashook | Lover girl |
| Manmohini | Dilruba | Girl who wins the heart |
| Mohh | Khinchaaw | Attraction |
| Mohini | Girl who attracts | |
| Moksha | Ajaadi | Freedom (esp. from life) |
| Mukti | Kaid se Ajaadi | Freedom (esp. from jail) |
| Madhur | Meetha | Sweet |
| Sampada | Milkiyat | Property; Belongings |
| Marathi | - | Maharashtra’s |
| Marna | Mar jaana | To die |
| Maaramari | Dhakkamukki | crowd; rush |
| Madhu | Shahed | Honey |
| Mahatva | Khaasiyat | Importance |
| Mahatvapurna | Khaas | Important |
| Bareek | Maheen | Thin |
| Prasidhha | Mashhoor | Famous |
| Palang | Masahri | A type of Bed |
| Vyasta | Mashgool | Busy |
| Maar Daala | Maar diya | Killed |
| Markit | Bazaar | Market; Bazaar |
| Mruga | Hiran | Deer |
| Mruganayani | Hiran jaisi aankh wali | Girl with deer eyes |
| Munchh | Moonchh | Mustache |
| Gidgidaana | Minnat | To Beg |
| Milawat | Milaawat | Adulteration |
| Milaap | Milaai | Met; Introduce |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Gujar basar | Nibaah | Living; Life runs by |
| Ishwar ke avtar | Nabi | Prophet |
| Jo sahi na ho | Najaayaz | Unethical; Wrong |
| Kuchh nahi | Nacheez | Nothing |
| Maap | Naap | Measurement |
| Naa | Na | No |
| Naada | Ijaarband | A thread used to tie pajamas |
| Naag | Saanp | Snake |
| Naash | Naas | Termination |
| Naastik | Kaafir | unreligious |
| Nakati | Nakti | Who’s Nose cut off |
| Namaaj | Namaaz | Muslim Prayer |
| Napunsak | Hijda | Impotent |
| Nar | Aadmi | Man |
| Nari | Janaani | Woman |
| Naritva | Janaanapan | Womanly; being a lady |
| Narivadi | Janaani ki taraf | Who favors women |
| Narmada | Nadi | River |
| Narsimha | Human lion | |
| Narsinhaar | Katleaam | Killing a lot of people |
| Naya | Nayaa | New |
| Nayapan | Newness | |
| Netra | Nigah, Aankh | Eye |
| Netradaan | Eye Donation | |
| Netraheen | Andha | Blind |
| Nirankush | Bekaabu | Uncontrolled |
| Nirast | hata dena | Unmount; Fired |
| Nirdayee | Bereham | Cruel |
| Nirdhan | Gareeb | Poor; Moneyless |
| Nirjeev | Murda | Dead |
| Nirvastra | Nanga/Nangi | Nude; Naked |
| Nisha | Raat | Night |
| Nishachar | night roamer Animals | |
| Nishant | Savera; Subah | Morning; End of night |
| Nishchal | Statue; Stopped | |
| Nishchint | Befikar | Tension Free; worry less |
| Nishchit | Pakka | Confirmed |
| Nishkaam | Bina laalach | Without Greed |
| Nishkriya | Bekaar | Idle; Not working |
| Nishpaksha | Kisi ki taraf nahi | Treat equally; favoring no one in dispute. |
| Nishthur | Kattar; Patthar dil | Cruel; Stone hearted |
| Nrashansha | Bereham | Cruel; Merciless |
| Nratya | Naachna | Dance |
| Nratyangna | Naachne wali | Dancer girl |
| Vivah | Nikah | Marriage by Muslim rules |
| Aurat | Janaana | Woman |
| Aukhali | Imaam-jasta | Small dish to beat spices |
| Santaan | Aulaad | Children; Son / Daughter |
| Aurangjeb | Aurangzeb | A Mughal Emperor |
| Auchitya | Salika | Etiquettes |
| Om; Aum; Oum | Hindu’s Holy Word | |
| Onkaar | Saying Om Loudly | |
| Vipreet | Ondha | Reversed; Upside down |
| Paa Lena | Paa liya | Got |
| Paav | Peir | Leg |
| Pavitra | Paakiza | Neat; Clean; Holy |
| Samasya | Pareshani | Trouble |
| Samasya se Grast | Pareshaan | Troublesome |
| Paajeb | Paazaib | Jewelry for feet ankle |
| Pajama | Payejama | Pajamas |
| Jod | Peyband | Patch |
| Madira paan | Peymaana | Peg |
| Pakka | Pukhta | Fix; Confirmed |
| Palak | Paalak | Spinach |
| Pakad | Pukur | Grab; Fetch |
| Pakkad | Plaas | Player Tool |
| Pakoda | Pakodi | Indian deep fried dish |
| Pakwaan | Lazeez Khaana | Great Tasty Foods |
| Pankh | Parr | Feather |
| Paankhi; Pakshi | Chidiya | Birds |
| Haara hua | Pust | Doomed |
| - | Quaary | The priest of Mosque |
| - | Qura’n; Quraan | The holy book of Islam |
| Mahatva | Quadra | Value; importance |
| - | Qutub | A Mughal Emperor |
| - | Quaaf | Letter “K” of Urdu |
| Rang | Rung | Color |
| Rangne wala | Rangrej | One Who Colors |
| Rangoli | - | A shape made on the floor with colors |
| Shaashan | Baadshahat | Kingdom |
| Shaashak | Badshah | King |
| Raani | Rani | Queen |
| Jaamuni Rang | Rani Rung | Purple Color |
| Rona-dhona | Rona dhona | Act of weeping |
| Nisha | Raat | Night |
| Achanak | Raato-raat | Within a single night |
| Path | Raasta; Raah | Way; Path |
| Pathik | Raahi | Passenger |
| Dhanwaan | Rahees | Wealthy |
| Widhwaa | Raand | Widow |
| Ritu | Rut | Spring; Weather |
| Shobha | Raunaque | Charm |
| Sakaar | Poora Hona | Bring in reality |
| Saakshar | Padha Likha | Literate |
| Varsh | Saal | Year |
| Naag | Saanp | Snake |
| Saanskratik | - | Cultural |
| Sabji | Subzee | Vegetable |
| Sabun | Saabun | Soap |
| Sabut | Saabut | Whole |
| Satya | Sach | Truth |
| Sachhai | Sachaai | Truthfulness |
| Sadaa | Sadaa hua | Spoiled |
| Sajag | Chokas | Aware |
| Sakhi | Saheli | Friend (Female) |
| Saksham | Kaargar | Able |
| Salwaar | Shalwaar | Pants of a suite |
| Samaaj | Maashra | Community |
| Samaanta | Milti-julti baatei | Similarity |
| Samachaar | Khabar | News |
| Samadhaan | Hal | Solution |
| Samasya | Preshaani | Trouble |
| Samay | Waqt | Time |
| Sambhog | Hambistari | Sexual Intercourse |
| Samjhauta | Samjhota | Settlement |
| Sampoorna | Poora | Complete |
| Samudra; Sagar | Samundar | Sea |
| San | Jute | |
| San | Year; A.D. | |
| Sandesh | Khabar | Message |
| Sandigdha | Jis par shak ho | Suspect |
| Sang | Saath | Along; Toghether |
| Sanjog | Tukka | By chance |
| Sansaar | Duniya | World |
| Sansad | ?? | Parliament |
| Sansani | Threat | |
| Sansarg | Istema | Preach Gathering |
| Sanskaar | Saleeka | Manners |
| Sanskrit | - | Language Sanskrit |
| Santaan | Aulaad | Kids; Son or Daughter |
| Santosh | Tasalli | Relax; Confirmation |
| Santosh-janak | Tassalli karne layak | Relaxant; Acceptable |
| Santra | Santraa | Orange |
| Santrapta | Khush | Satisfied |
| Santusht | ?? | Satisfied |
| Sanyaasi | ?? | Priest who left home |
| Sanyog | Tukka | By chance |
| Sanyukta | - | Compound; One of my friend in college, lol |
| Saparpit | Fida | Dedicated |
| Sapola | Tiny Snake | |
| Sapreta | Toned (Esp. Milk) | |
| Sarathi | - | Driver |
| Sarvaadhik | Sabse Jyada | Most of all |
| Satluj | Sultej | A river in India |
| Sattaa | Jua | Gamble; Bid |
| Vyapaar | Sauda | Trade |
| Vyapaari | Saudagar | Trader |
| Saugandh | Kasam | Swear |
| Saut | Sautan | Husband’s other wife |
| Sautela | Sotela | Step relative |
| Seb | Seib | Apple |
| Seema | Sarhad | Border |
| Sehen Shakti | Sehne ki takat | Will power; Tolerance |
| Aangan | Sehen | Verandah |
| Seh-paathi | Saath padhne wala | Classmate |
| Sehwaas | Humbistari | Sexual Intercourse |
| Seh-yaatri | Humsafar | Co-passenger |
| Sewa-dhaam | Sewa ki jagah | Serving place |
| Sewak | Naukar | Servant |
| Sewartha | Sewa karne ke liye | In Service |
| Sindoor | - | Red powder used to place on the forehead at wedding |
| Swarn | Sona | Gold |
| Srishti | Duniya | World; Nature |
| Suhaagan | - | Having a husband |
| Suhaagraat | Shaadi ki raat | Wedding night |
| Sulabh | Jo araam se mil jaae | Easily accessible |
| Sulaikh | Imlaa | Dictation |
| Suputra | Sapoot | Good son |
| Swabhimaan | Jameer | Self respect |
| Swadesh | Apna desh | Motherland |
| Swadheen | Ajaad | Free; Liberal |
| Swami | Maalik | Owner; Master |
| Swamitva | Malikana Haque | Owning right |
| Swapna | Sapna | Dream |
| Swatantra | Ajaad | Liberal; Free |
| Shwait | Safed | White |
| ?? | Sewaiyan | Noodles |
| Gambheer | Sangeen | Serious |
| ?? | Sursuri | An insect who effect grain |
| Pratah | Subah | Morning |
| Vatavaran | Samaa | Atmosphere |
| - | Sandha | A dish made for the lady who just had a baby |
| Prasaad | Seerni | Something eatable to distribute after the prayer. |
| Vadya Yantra | Saaz | Instuments |
| Santrapti | Sukoon | Relax; Worry less |
| ?? | Sabra | To Wait; killing own desires. |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Shaljam | Shalgam | Beet fruit |
| Laaj | Sharam | Shame |
| Lajjit | Sharminda; Sharamsaar | Ashamed |
| Sajjan | Shareef | Reputed; Gentle person |
| - | Shareefa | A fruit |
| Sajjanta | Sharafat | Gentleness; Reputation |
| Shabd | Haruf | Words |
| Nipun | Shaatir | Trained; Perfect |
| Balidaan | Shaheed | Died for the country |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Swabhaav | Tarbiyat | Mood |
| Haalat | Tabiyat | Condition; Health |
| Tathastu | Jo chaho milega | Get what you want |
| Kismat | Takdeer | Destiny |
| Tatkaal | Foran | Immediate |
| Tatkaleen | Usi waqt ka | Spontaneous |
| Fatta | Takhta | Wooden Board |
| Nishchint-ta | Tasalli | Rest; Confirmation |
| Shakti | Taakat | Power; Will |
| Shaktimaan | Takatwar | Powerful |
| Tool | Baat badhna | Popular; Making large |
| Bawandar | Tahalka | Storm; Rage |
| Chitra | Tasveer | Picture |
| Abhaas | Tasavvur | Imagination |
| Aadar se bethna | Tashreef Rakhna | To sit with honor |
| Veshya | Tawayaf | Prostitute; Stripper |
| Khojbeen | Tehquiquaat | Investigation |
| Vetan | Tankhwah | Salary |
| Taana | Tanz | Taunt |
| Aikant | Takhliyah | Leave alone |
| Tareeka | Saleeka | Method |
| Khojbeen | Tafteesh | Investigate |
| Nasht | Tabaah | Terminated |
| Toliya | Tauliya | Towel |
| Dhan ki Kami | Tangi | Money Shortage |
| Aikant | Tanha | Alone |
| Sankara; Dukhi | Tang | Tight; Troubled |
| Aapka | Tera | Yours |
| ?? | Talaaque | Divorce |
| Sargam | Taal | Rythem |
| Thappad | Tamaacha | Slap |
| Tarbooj | Tarbooza | Water melon |
| Likhne ka fatta | Takhti | Wooden Slate |
| Aagyakaari | Tabedaar | Obedient |
| Samanjasya | Talmail | Balance |
| Swastha | Tandrust | Healthy |
| Swaasthya | Tandarusti | Health |
| Touri | Tauri | Cucumber like vegetable |
| Aalu ka pulaaw | Tahari | Dish of Potato or beaten meat and Rice |
| Tithi | Tareekh | Date |
| Kshama Prarthana | Tauba | Confession |
| Tabla bajane wala | Tabalchee | Drummer |
| Hard “Ta” sound as in “Trip” | ||
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Tanta Katna | Jad se khatm | Completely finished |
| Takla | Ganja | Bald |
| Takatak | foran | Quick |
| Tamaatar | Tamatar | Tomato |
| Rath | Tamtam | Tonga |
| Tateeree | - | A place in U.P., India |
| Tatti | Paykhana | Shit |
| Tatti | Baans ka darwaaja | Door made by bamboos |
| Tarraana | Tarr Tarr Karna | Frog like sound |
| Teekat | Tikat | Ticket |
| Hindi Word | Urdu Word | US English Meaning |
| Udhar | Us Taraf | That side; Opposite |
| Upkaar | Ahsaan | Gratefulness |
| Udna | Ud jaana | To Fly |
| Ootak | Gosht ka Reisha | Tissue |
| Oorja | Taakat | Energy |
| Usha | Subah ki roshni | Twilight |
| Ubtan | Haldi | Turmeric |
| Ulajhna | Ulajh jaana | Trapped |
| Uplabdha | Paas mai hona | Available |
| Ubaasi | Jambhaee | Sigh (when sleepy) |
| Unnati | Tarakki | Progress |
| Guru | Ustaad | Teacher |
| Upar | Uper | Upon; Upside |
| Uttar | Jawaab | Answer |
| Uttar | ?? | North |
| Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) | - | A State in India |
| Uttranchal | - | A State in India |
| Uphaar | Tohfa | Gift |
| Upwan | Bagichi | Small Garden |
| Upsarg | Mukaable mai | Comparison |
| Uttapam | - | A South Indian Dish |
| Jhand | Tang | Make fun; tease |
| Ubadkhabad | Broken road or way |
February 9, 2012
Kashmiris are an integral part of India
Summertime unrest roils Kashmir, again
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — It is summertime in Indian-controlled Kashmir and the streets are roiled by unrest. Young separatist protesters in jeans and bandanas hurl rocks at Indian troops, who respond with tear gas, baton charges and live ammunition. At least 11 people have died in the past three weeks of street violence, and a round-the-clock curfew is in force. Shops, businesses, schools and government offices are shut. Authorities have postponed college examinations and have blocked text messages on cell phones in an attempt to prevent demonstrators from mobilizing. It is the third summer in a row that deadly protests have erupted, a symptom of the tensions permeating this Muslim-dominated Himalayan region, which has long chafed under Indian rule and is patrolled by hundreds of thousands of troops. A two-decade-long Islamic insurgency has waned but popular anger has not. Even moderate Kashmiris hoping for greater autonomy within India, which is predominantly Hindu, have been frustrated by the government. There is a long history of separatist movements in Kashmir, which has been divided between archrivals India and Pakistan since 1947. Most were peaceful until 1989, when the bloody armed insurgency erupted, demanding India’s part of the region merge with Pakistan or get independence. (24 images)[/SIZE]
[/IMG]Kashmiri Muslim protesters beat an Indian police officer during a protest on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Monday, June 28, 2010. One person was killed as paramilitary forces fired warning shots to disperse thousands of people in a funeral procession that defied a curfew in Indian Kashmir Monday, police said. AP / Dar Yasin
[/IMG]Indian policemen question Muslim girls on their way to an Islamic seminary during a curfew in Srinagar, India, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. AP / Dar Yasin
[/IMG]Kashmiri women walk apst an Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldier standing guard during restrictions in Srinagar on June 22, 2010. AFP / Getty Images / Rouf Bhat
[/IMG]Kashmiri school children shout slogans against security forces in Srinagar on June 15, 2010 during a protest over the killing of Tufail Ahmad Matoo. Protests continued for the fourth consecutive day in parts of Srinagar after the death of the teenager Matoo on June 11. AFP / Getty Images / Rouf Bhat
[/IMG]Kashmiri muslim protestors shout anti-Indian slogans during a protest in Srinagar on July 1, 2010. Thousands of Indian troops enforced a strict curfew in parts of Kashmir in a bid to stem three weeks of deadly protests that have claimed 11 lives and led to soaring tensions. AFP / Getty Images / Tauseef Mustafa
[/IMG]Stranded pilgrims look out from a bus after the annual Amarnath pilgrimage was suspended, in Jammu, India, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. The annual pilgrimage has been temporarily halted in different places of Jammu region due to tension mounting in the region. Authorities brought new areas under curfew in the Indian portion of Kashmir on Wednesday to control the worst street violence in a year, triggered by the killing of 11 people allegedly by government forces over the past two weeks. AP / Channi Anand
[/IMG]Kashmiri protesters throw stones at police and paramilitary soldiers during a protest in Srinagar on June 12, 2010. Thousands of Muslims defied strict security restrictions and marched to chants of “we want freedom” in Indian Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar to protest the death of a teenager. AFP / Getty Images / Rouf Bhat
[/IMG]Kashmiri Muslim protesters attack an Indian police vehicle with rocks and sticks during a protest on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Monday, June 28, 2010. AP / Dar Yasin
[/IMG]A Kashmiri protester throws a stone at an Indian police and paramilitary vehicle during a protest in Srinagar on June 12, 2010. AFP / Getty Images / Rouf Bhat
[img]Kashmiri demonstrators attacks an armoured police jeep attempting to drive away from the scene during violent protests in the outskirts of Srinagar on June 28, 2010. AFP / Getty Images / Tauseef Mustafa
[/IMG]A policeman holds bricks to throw at protesters in Srinagar, India, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. On Tuesday, shops, businesses and government offices were shut in Indian Kashmir as thousands of troops in riot gear patrolled the main city warning people to stay indoors and not participate in pro-independence protests, said a Srinagar resident. AP / Dar Yasin
[/IMG]Policemen throw stones at Kashmiri protesters in Srinagar, India, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. AP / Dar Yasin
[/IMG]Kashmiri protestors clash with Indian police in Srinagar on July 1, 2010. Thousands of Indian troops enforced a strict curfew in parts of Kashmir on June 30, stemming three weeks of deadly protests that have claimed 11 lives and led to soaring tensions. AFP / Getty Images / Tauseef Mustafa
[/IMG]Kashmiri protestors clash with Indian police officials during a demonstration on the outskirts of Srinagar on June 28, 2010. AFP / Getty Images / Tauseef Mustafa
[/IMG]Indian paramilitary soldiers beat a Kashmiri civilian during a protest in Srinagar, India, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. AP / Mukhtar Khan
[/IMG]A Kashmiri throws stones on Indian paramilitary soldiers during a protest in Srinagar, India, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. AP / Mukhtar Khan
[/IMG]Kashmiris throw stones at paramilitary soldiers during a protest in Srinagar, India, Thursday, July 1, 2010. Authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in parts of Srinagar and key towns on Wednesday as street protests and clashes surged in the region leaving at least 11 dead over the past three weeks in firing blamed on police and paramilitary soldiers. Banner reads “Our struggle will continue till we achieve our right to self determination.” AP / Dar Yasin
[/IMG]A Kashmiri Muslim protester beats an Indian policeman during a protest on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Monday, June 28, 2010. AP
[/IMG]A Kashmiri protestor (L) runs from an Indian policeman during a demonstration on the outskirts of Srinagar on June 28, 2010. AFP / Getty Images / Tauseef Mustafa
[/IMG]Kashmiri demonstrators evacuate a wounded comrade after police opened fire during violent protests in the outskirts of Srinagar on June 28, 2010. AFP / Getty Images / Tauseef Mustafa
[/IMG]Kashmiri Muslim women mourn near a body of a Kashmiri Muslim in Kashmir’s main hospital in Srinagar on June 27,2010. AFP / Getty Images
[/IMG]Kashmiri lawyers shout pro-freedom and anti India slogans during a protest in Srinagar on June 24, 2010. Dozens of lawyers in Indian Kashmir Thursday marched in the main business district protesting against the recent killings of three youths by government forces. AFP / Getty Images / Tauseef Mustafa
[/IMG]Kashmiri onlookers watch the funeral procession of Javid Ahmad Malla in Srinagar on June 20,2010. AFP / Getty Images / Rouf Bhat
[/IMG]Kashmiri mourners carry the coffin of a teenager 17-year-old Tufail Ahmad during a funeral procession in Srinagar on June 12, 2010. AFP / Getty Images / Rouf Bhat
February 9, 2012
Why Pakistan was created: Godhra Train Likely Staged
Source: http://www.outlookindia.com/printarticle.aspx?224884
Sometime in the run-up to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse, the UP police made a sensational discovery. A house used by RSS supremo Guruji Golwalkar had been raided and two locked trunks recovered. When B.B.L. Jaitley, the inspector general of police, opened the trunks, what he found shook him to the core. There before him lay a detailed district-by-district, qasbah-by-qasbah blueprint for the physical elimination of the province’s Muslims.Jaitley took the trunks to Rajeshwar Dayal, the seniormost civil servant in the home department at the time, who promptly conveyed the gravity of the discovery to G.B.
|
Pant. The documents “revealed incontrovertible evidence of a dastardly conspiracy to create a communal holocaust…. The trunks were crammed with blueprints of great accuracy…prominently marking out the Muslim localities…. Timely raids conducted on the premises of the RSS had brought the massive conspiracy to light,” recalled Dayal in his autobiography,A Life of Our Times, published in 1998. He sought the immediate arrest of Golwalkar on conspiracy charges but the chief minister, to Dayal’s disgust, prevaricated long enough for Golwalkar to go underground. Soon thereafter, Dayal was drafted into the Indian Foreign Service and the matter of the steel trunks was given a quiet burial.That plan may never have been put into action but the clerical efficiency with which the RSS and its kindred organisations have sought periodically to target Muslims for attack suggests the parivar’s penchant for planning and organisation has continued down to the present. What happened in Gujarat from February 28, 2002, is a case in point.
Far from being a spontaneous mass reaction to the attack on the Sabarmati Express at Godhra the day before in which 58 Hindu passengers died, the killings across most of Gujarat seemed scripted. So well chosen were the targets that it is almost as if there was already in place a plan to do something dramatic as part of the ongoing Ayodhya agitation, probably in order to polarise the state on communal lines in the run-up to state elections that the BJP might have had some difficulty winning on the basis of its actual performance.
If Godhra hadn’t happened, would it have been necessary to invent it? I don’t know, but the Godhra incident itself is so shrouded in mystery that it is almost as if the official narrative which emerged within minutes and hours of the train being consumed by fire is an invented one, conveniently conjured up to provide the “rationale” for the pogrom which had simultaneously been ordained.
It is difficult to ask ‘What if Godhra had not happened’ when we still do not know what exactly happened at Godhra. The official account, as put out by Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, is that a large Muslim mob assembled on the railway tracks outside Godhra station stopped the Sabarmati Express and launched a premeditated attack on coach S-6, killing 58 passengers. The official chargesheet says one or more members of the mob boarded the coach and poured some 60 litres of petrol inside before setting it on fire. This dastardly attack, according to the BJP’s narrative, in turn provoked a “reaction” throughout Gujarat which claimed the lives of nearly 2,000 Muslims. Had Godhra not happened, the Muslims would not have been killed. Action-Reaction. When a big tree falls, the earth is bound to shake. I regret what happened after Godhra, A.B. Vajpayee told the party faithful at Goa in April 2002, “Lekin aag lagayi kisne? (Who lit the fire?)”.
These Newtonian certitudes begin to break down when we consider the holes in the official account. Passengers who were on board the targeted coach, and let there be no doubt that an angry mob was attacking S-6, have testified before the ongoing Nanavati-Shah Commission of Inquiry that they saw no one from the mob entering the coach and pouring petrol inside. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report makes it clear the liquid could not have been thrown from outside. It says no trace of petroleum hydrocarbons was recovered from the burnt coach, raising questions about the identity of the flammable material which destroyed the coach that morning. How the train caught fire, whether or not there was intent—and if so, on the part of who—are questions which nobody can answer. Why the BJP government never conducted a comprehensive scientific probe to solve the puzzles raised by the FSL report is a mystery.
Had Godhra not happened, would Naroda Patiya have burned, would Ehsan Jafri have been killed, the Best Bakery been destroyed and Bilkis Bano been raped? These questions are deeply problematic because they are tainted by the bankruptcy of the Sangh parivar’s moral arithmetic. When you have an organisation like the VHP whose cadres are capable of the most horrific violence, when you have a police force that is willing to let innocent citizens be attacked, and when you have chief ministers and prime ministers who offer post-facto justifications for genocide, it is a dangerous delusion to believe the Gujarat violence occurred because of Godhra. The Gujarat violence happened because the government wanted it to. Godhra was just the excuse.
Godhra has infected our polity in a particularly pernicious way because the incident marked the first time that revenge was elevated to the status of moral code and official policy in such a blatant and sustained manner. When Rajiv Gandhi justified the 1984 genocide of Sikhs with his callous throwaway remark about the earth shaking when a big tree falls, it evoked widespread revulsion. Mention 1984 and even the most die-hard Rajiv loyalist today appears to display a certain shabby shame-facedness at the idea that the killing of Indira Gandhi by two Sikhs or the motivated rumour of Sikhs distributing sweets could somehow justify the monstrous killings which followed. But the Sangh parivar and BJP leaders today continue to believe that Godhra fully justifies the mass killing of Muslims which followed. I am not looking for expressions of remorse or guilt. That would be foolish, apart from being quite irrelevant. What I want to see are some signs that the Indian polity has learnt the lessons of Godhra and after and will never again permit genocide. And what I see is simply not enough.
February 3, 2012
Urdu – The Ghaznavid Language
Language of the armies
Urdu: A Derivative of Persian and Avestan
Source:
By Dr. Samar Abbas
June 11, 2002
The Iranian
Most Iranians are aware of the fact that Pashto and Tajik are members of the Iranian family of languages. Few, however, are aware of the likelihood of Urdu also being a member of the Iranic branch of tongues.
The purpose of this article is to prove that Urdu is derived from Ghaznavid Persian, which is in turn derived from Avestan via Sassanid Pahlavi. It shall thence be evident that the ultimate ancestor of Urdu is Avestan, making it a member of the Iranian family of languages.
The first and most basic evidence which strikes an observer is the Persian-Islamic script of Urdu, as well as the extremely high percentage of Persian words in Urdu vocabulary. In fact, even in Musalmani (Muslim Bengali) an eastern dialect of Urdu spoken mainly Bangladesh and influenced by Bengali, one finds a significant proportion of Persian words. At least 60% of the vocabulary of Punjabi, a rustic western dialect of Urdu, is of also Persian origin:
“If more than 60% of the words are common in Punjabi and Urdu (Shriram 1928:67) it is due to the influence of Persian.” [1]
More detailed investigations only confirm the precurosry impressions. Indeed, several researchers have traced the origin of Urdu to the camps of Mahmud-e-Ghazni. Thus, K.K.Khullar notes:
“The birth of Urdu language was the direct result of the synthesis between the invading armies of Mahmud of Ghazni with the civilian population of the Indian cities. The word Urdu itself means Lashkar, derived from the Turkish language meaning armies.” [2]
Indeed, the Ghaznavid origin of Urdu follows from the very name of the language - Zaban-e-Urdu, or “Language of the Armies”. The word “Urdu” is derived from the Turkic “Oordou”, meaning “camps” or, as Khullar notes above, “armies”.
Urdu was thus self-evidently the language of the soldiers of the armies of Mahmud-e-Ghazni, the only militarist sovereign of the era who maintained a large enough army for a considerable period to provide sufficient time for a new language to develop. It is for this same reason that the earliest surviving Urdu literature is that of Sufi saints who accompanied the Ghaznavids during their expeditions.
Noted Iranologist Dr.E.C.Sachau, translator of al-Beruni’s India, further elucidates the Ghaznavid origin of Urdu:
“Tilak, the son of Jai Sen … studied in Kashmir, [then worked as an] interpreter first to Kadi Shirazi Bulhasan Ali, a high civil officer under Mahumd and Masud (Elliott ii.117,123), then to Ahmad Ibn Hasan of Maimand, who was grand vizier, 1007 AD-25 … and then 1030-1033 under Mahmud and Masud, and rose afterwards to be a commanding officer in the army (Elliott ii.125-127). This class of men spoke and wrote Hindi (of course with Arabic characters) and Persian (perhaps also Turkish, as this language prevailed in the army), and it is probably in these circles that we must look for the origin of Urdu or Hindustani.” [3]
Dr.E.C.Sachau also notes the existence in the 1850s of remarkable Urdu manuscripts surviving from the Ghaznavid era:
“The first author who wrote in this language, the Dante of Muhammedan India, is one Masud, who died a little more than a century after the death of King Mahmud (525AH=1131 AD), cf A.Springer, Catalogue of the Arabic, Persian and Hindustany manuscripts of the libraries of the King of Oudh, Calcutta, 1854 pp.407,485. If we had any of the Hindi writings of those times, they would probably exhibit the same kind of Indian speech as found in Alberuni’s book.” [4]
Having traced the origin of Urdu to the camps of Mahmud-e-Ghazni, the identification of the “mother language” becomes the next necessity. The question of the origin of Urdu thus becomes linked to the language spoken by the soldiers of Mahmud. It is proposed that this source language for Urdu was Ghaznavid Dari.
Several facts support this view:
1. Ghazni is geographically located within the traditional Dari-speaking area of Afghanistan. Hence Dari was likely to have been spoken by many of Mahmud’s soldiers.
2. The “Ghaznavi” dialect of Dari is still spoken [5].
3. Mahmud-e-Ghazni was a patron of Dari literature, hence he would have encouraged its usage amongst his soldiers.
4. Most soldiers in the Ghaznavid armies were of East Iranic stock, consisting of the local population of eastern Eranshahr, along with a substantial Turkic contribution.
5. Mahmud traced his descent to the Sassanids and Achaemenids:
“Subooktugeen [Ameer Nasir-Ood-Deen Subooktugeen Ghiznivy] is said to be lineally descended from Yezdijerd (the last of the Persian monarchs) who, when flying from his enemies during the Caliphate of Uthman, was murdered at a water-mill near the town of Merv. His family being left in Toorkistan formed connections among the people, and his decsndants became Toorks.
His genealogy is as follows: Subooktugeen, the son of Jookan, the son of Kuzil Hukum, the son of Kuzil Arslan, the son of Ferooz, the son of Yezdejird, the King of Persia.” [6]
Mahmud was thus proud of his Iranian heritage – the blood of Cyrus the Great which flowed in his veins – and deliberately fashioned his empire in the mould of his Achaemenid and Sassanid ancestors. The Later Timurid Mughal Empire of Akbar and Aurangzeb was in turn the direct successor state of the Ghaznavid Empire, implying a direct historical parallel for the derivation of Urdu from Dari. For the lay Urdu speaker of today, the traditional descent of the Mughal Empire from the Ghaznavid Dynasty and thence from the Achaemenid Empire is the simplest historical proof of the Iranic origin of his language.
According to Ibn al-Muqaffa (translator of the Book of Kalila and Dimna) towards the end of the Sassanian Empire, three Iranic languages had developed in Eranshahr: “Parsi” (Avestan), “Pahlavi” and “Dari” [7].
Dari is generally viewed as “Vulgar Pahlavi”, the vernacular spoken by the masses which developed as an offshoot of Sassanid Pahlavi. Dari is thus analogous to the “Vulgar Latin” stage in the development of Romance languages. Old East Iranic languages such as Bactrian (Bahlika of the Prakrit grammarians), Sogdian, Sakan (the Sacara of the Prakrit writers) and Tokharian (perhaps the ancestor of the Takki Apabhramsa of the Punjab) provided a substratum for Dari (a West Iranic language), while Turkic and Altaic provided a later superstratum.
Urdu, like all Iranic languages, is thus linguistically and historically derived from Avestan, which is for Iranian languages what Latin is for Romance languages. It should be considered a member of the Iranian branch of languages. A short language tree would be:
Avestan -> Pahlavi -> Dari -> Urdu.
This article should remove all doubts about the real origin of Urdu.
References
[1] Studies in Urdu Linguistics by S.Zaidi, Bahri Publishers New Delhi 1989, pp.103,116.
[2] The Essentials of Indian Culture by K.K.Khullar, Employment News, New Delhi, 21-27 Jan. 1995, p.1
[3] Alberuni’s India, ed Dr. E.C.Sachau, vol.II, p.258, Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd. London 1888.
[4] Dr. E.C.Sachau, ibid., vol.II, p.258.
[5] Ethnologue: Languages of the World, ed. Barbara F. Grimes, Summer Institute of Linguistics, 14th Edition 2002, www.sil.org.
[6] History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India, M.K.Ferishta, transl. Col. John Briggs, first pub. 1829, R.Cambray and Co, Calcutta 1908, reprrt. 1997 Low Price Publications, Delhi Vol. I. p.8.
[7] The Origins of Literary Persian, by Gilbert Lazard, Noruz Lecture by a Distinguished Scholar of Iranian Studies, Foundation for Iranian Studies, 1993, Bethesda (fis-iran.org/lazar.htm); cf. G.Lazard, “Pahlavi, parsi, dari: les langues de l’Iran d’apres Ibn al-Muqaffa”, in Iran and Islam, ed. C. E. Bosworth, Edinburg, 1971, pp. 361-391.
Author
Dr. Samar Abbas, Institute of Physics, Bhubaneshwar, India.
