THE INDIAN HERITAGE CARAVAN

(A Concept Note)

India has a very rich composite cultural heritage. There is a harmonious blend of art, religion and philosophy in the India cultural. Indian culture is actually an outcome of the continuous fusion of different cultures.  This culture, which is epitomised in Ganja Jamuni heritage of India is also named as “Urdu-Sanskrit Culture” by Justice Markandey Katju. The Indian Heritage Caravan is designed to uphold and promote the secular and plural cultural heritage of India.

URDU HERITAGE CARAVAN

LANGUAGE has many uses—a means of communication, an instrument of transmitting knowledge, an expression of cultural and creative urges of a community. Urdu clearly is the language of the cultured and the elite yet ‘Hindustani’ is the only language to find a distinct flavour with the masses and is a part of the popular culture also.

Urdu is not just the mother tongue of a large number of people but its literature and poetry is loved beyond all religious and ethnic pretensions by a very large section of the Indian population. In fact, Urdu’s canvas is bigger than this. It is widely read, written and spoken not just in the sub-continent, but in the Middle East, American, South Asian & European countries as well.

Urdu literature and poetry has a very rich and varied cultural heritage and has been instrumental in playing a pivotal role in the freedom struggle. Poems like “Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Mein Hai & Saare Jahan Se Achcha Hindustan Hamara still have the same capability to resonate the feeling of patriotism among the masses.  Stories like Kafan, Balidan, Namak Ka Darogha of Prem Chand and Toba Tek Singh,  Thanda Gosht of Sa’adat Hasan Manto have stood the test of time both in their relevance and from their contemporariness. Urdu geets and ghazals are used commonly in Bollywood films. Besides, Urdu Mushairas and Sham-e-Ghazal are also very popular because of their immediacy… and the instant response that the poets and singers receive for their creations. The interaction with the audience and their constant “Waah! Waah” keep the atmosphere electric.

Beside, Urdu is generally epitomised with the composite culture of India i.e. Ganga Jamni Tahzeeb. By promoting Urdu’s cultural heritage, we aim to promote the basic soul of our composite culture. Therefore, we are planning take top contemporary Urdu writers, poets, playwrights, Ghazal signers and the experts of different creative forms of Urdu literature and culture to the different parts of the country and abroad with the to showcase their cultural performances and promote their valuable thoughts and ideas.

“Urdu Heritage Carvan” is basically an idea to associate masses with this the indigenous cultural heritage of Urdu. We also aim to remove the misconception about this language that it is a foreign language and is a language of Muslims alone. In fact, before 1947 Urdu was the common language of a large part of the educated people in India.

We have distributed our tour plan into 3 phases. Initially, we will hold conferences and live performances in four historical cities of the country i.e. Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Lucknow.

As we move on to the next phases, we will ensure that the canvas of our mission enlarges to the level of cultural exchange with diverse cultures prevailing in different parts of India and abroad.  In the third phase, we will take our performers to some SAARC and Middle Eastern countries to showcase the rich cultural heritage of India and also to achieve better cultural exchange with those countries.

Read My Article : "WHAT IS URDU"