The language of love: a study of the amorous and erotic associations of Urdu
The language of love: a study of the amorous and erotic associations of Urdu

Summary/Abstract: Bharatendu Harish Chandra (1849-1882), the father of modern Hindi literature (Dalmia 1997), said in his statement before the Hunter communion (1882): There is a secret motive which induces the worshippers of Urdu to devote themselves to its cause. It is the language of dancing-girls and prostitutes. The depraved sons of wealthy Hindus and youths of substance and loose character, when in society of harlots, concubines, and pimps, speak Urdu, as it is the language of their mistresses and beloved ones. The correct pronunciation of Urdu, with its shin, ghain, and guttural kaf, is indispensable, and one unable to twist his tongue into unnatural and unpleasant distortions is not a welcome or an agreeable companion. (Edn. Com. NWP 1884: 201) Another respondent, Siva Prasad, said that ‘some of the women take up also amorous and vicious books, such as Mir Hasan ki Masnavi, Indarsabha, etc. etc’ (ibidem, p. 327). Even books in Urdu translation, such as the Alf laila and QiÆÆa totā mainā, were blamed for creating mistrust for women and obsession with sex. Thus in Upendra Nath Ashq’s short story CeÂān kī mān, Pandit Shadi Ram locks his wife in the house when he goes out because of his reading of these works.

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