Customer Reviews

Urdu/Hindi: An Artificial Divide (HC)

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Dr. Jamil Khan does not shy away from introducing a new theory: that the British Empire deliberately created an "artificial divide" in the language of the Indian Hindus and Muslims. Instead of going along with the masses, Dr.Khan painstakingly researches and questions what has been largely accepted for generations-and offers an answer that fits even better.

He discusses how, contrary to what the British said at the time, that people of Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi heritage are the descendants of common ancestors and share the same culture. Dr. Khan says that despite what others believe, Urdu was not derived from Arabic/Farsi, rather Urdu words were already in existence even before the Arab conquests in India. He traces Sanskrit back to Syria and Turkey.

Well-researched and well-written, the book gives in-depth information and creates a great deal of interest in a seemingly dry subject. Once begun, it is hard to put the book down. Simple, clear language and easy-to-read tables make the book even more enjoyable. This book is a gem for those who have even the remotest interest in history and linguistics: it is a must-read. The author must be congratulated and commended by linguists for his bold and unbiased effort to introduce a new-and perhaps more accurate-theory, challenging one that has been generally accepted for generations.

The Politics of Language is a book written in an interesting way in its centuries old historical prospective as the human societies developed and started integrating.
Language helped people to know each other irrespective of their faith and believe.
However, Britain , who ruled India after the fall of Mughal umpire , used language as political weapon to dive Hindu and Muslim by getting their brain washed that Hindi is Hindu and Urdu is Muslim.
The political use of language by British India , as writer Abdul Jamail Khan has dwelt in length in his book, is a scientific analysis how the rulers divide the people to achieve their objective.
Dr Khan , s book is a valuable addition in the languages books written by
other writers but his book urges people all over the world to avoid hating each
on the basis of language as for centuries language has a great force in integrating the society.

Excellent research work by Dr. Khan! It is an illuminating book with detailed historical facts. A very thorough explanation of how English occupation used the tools of language to divide and rule the subcontinent by labeling Urdu as Muslim and Hindi as Hindu, resulting in the division of India into present-day India and Pakistan. It is a complete examination of the development of languages, with particular attention to the evolution of present-day Urdu which dates back to the Sumerian age some 6000 years ago. This is a book whose target audience spans the levels of a recreational reader to a `student' of history and linguistics.

This book came highly recommended by a colleague with a keen interest in the historical forces that shape a society. Mr. Khan has done a thorough job in meticulously detailing the history of language, particularly in the Indian subcontinent, and tracing its roots as far back as the Sumerian civilization. Backed with exhaustive facts and figures, Mr. Khan brings to light the corrupt practices of an imperial force (Great Britian) which wedged an artificial schism amongst the peoples of the Indian subcontinent. This book is a wonderful, albeit dark commentary on the ways in which language was used as a political tool to yield a physical and social divide whose effects remain lasting even until today.

The book presents the science of the evolution of written language dating its origin some 6000 years ago to the Middle East/ Mesopotamia. The reader is guided through a wonderfully educational and eye-opening tour of the development of language and its migration and transformation as it traveled across continents. The early chapters are exquisitely detailed, defining a sound foundation on which the remainder of the book is developed. Moreover, by the time one traverses through these pages, the facts and messages become abundantly clear.

The author, backed by meticulously researched historical facts, provides example after example of the dating of selected Urdu words as far back as 3000 years bc ! Furthermore, the reader is educated of the ugly interests of the ruling British empire, and how it manipulated the psyche of its subjects by lending religious and nationalistic identities to one language over another. The book is sprayed with countless examples of the ways in which the British used the politics of manipulating language to weaken the bonds of this integrated, religiously diverse society and divided the population and ultimately the subcontinent by labeling Urdu as Foreign and Muslim while Hindi being Patriotic and Hindu.

The author boldly goes on to uncover and correctly describe how the British appealed to the psyche of the pseudoproud Indians by also claiming themselves as Aryan and thereby winning the hearts of their Indian Aryan "brethren." These energized fanatics pursued their agenda resulting in the loss of Urdu as the national language just after the tail end of British rule in 1947. The Phoenetic and Gene theories the author eloquently describes are also quite interesting and convincing.

This tragic history of the Partition was a personal childhood ordeal that the author vividly describes and has wonderfully translated to tangible emotions that the reader can comprehend. As we move along through the later chapters, the author describes an ambitious revival of Urdu and related cultural activities not only in India through arts, cinema and poetry, but also through the emigrating populations throughout the Middle East, Europe and the West.

The Politics of Language is a wonderfully articulate book that is both educational and a revealing commentary on the surreptitious manipulation by a foreign power to divide a once strong and unified society. The author should be congratulated for such a profound and elucidating piece of work.

Urdu/Hindi: An Artificial Divide is a must-read for anyone remotely interested in linguistics. A well-researched effort, Khan's book dispels various myths about how Urdu/Hindi originated, and verily dates the origin of the language back to the Sumerians, a highly cultured ancient civilization that existed 6000 years ago!

In particular, this book is a gem in that it contains excerpts (translated to English!) from the poetry of internationally renowned South Asian poets through the ages, presented chronologically.

Khan's discussion of the politics behind the division of Urdu/Hindi, e.g. the influence of the British and authors like Chatterji, is definitely enlightening. The author's assertions are well supported by facts and figures, and an impressive array of esteemed references.

I agree with the author about linguistic racism and how it has influenced indopakistani politics and has resulted in a total division of the subcontinent. I would also agree with him on the false Aryan notion which has been firmly ingrained in the psyche of both Hindus and Muslims. However, the author -a pediatrician- is limited in his knowledge of linguistics as he has rightly admitted.

On page 75, on Arabic, he writes: "Mah or Ma as a suffix became quite common in Arabic as well, ie. Fatimah (great conqueror)...", where he erroneously assumes that the -mah ending means "great". He goes on to compare the name Salmah as having the same suffix -mah.
Anybody with some basic knowledge of Arabic and its root system -commonly triliteral- would have to giggle and shake his head, asking, "Why do doctors think they know it all!".
It reminds me of the shoddy linguistics of Ataturk in Geoffrey Lewis' TURKISH LANGUAGE REFORM: A CATASTROPHIC SUCCESS.

Despite these mistakes I did enjoy reading the book and it did open my mind and make me reassess the theory I had always believed, that the North Indian languages -including Urdu- evolved directly from Sanskrit and naturally adopted vocabulary from Persian and other languages.

It is difficult to write about linguistics and not makes mistakes, unless you are an expert on every language, so I would say that it was a good effort and deserves a read.
I cannot see Subcontinent Muslims having major issues with this book -despite the authors secular worldview- and the reviews here confirm that, but I suspect the North Indian Aryocentric Hindus might trash this book as "Muslim" propaganda.

Asthe author ,I do appreciate all comments with gratitude/thanks.Some

readers have really been distressed as the book delinks the linguistic

classification " Semitic/ Aryan-Indo-european "based on Noahs'three children/ or indian myth of Sanskrit as the mother of all ; these being the "matter of faith".The book really rekindles the cold war between the

priestology and scientific evolution which got started with the mesopotamian discoveries; The linguistic families meanwhile are believed

as a " FINAL scientific" discovery; the book has reopened the old wound and reignited the debate" REVELATION vs EVOLUTION". Feel embarassed to

give 5 stars to my own book but am convinced that Languages evolved in

africa ,polished in mideast and diseminated by the farmers; this is the

state of art in linguistics.

The author must be congratulated for an indepth review of a very sensitive topic. His analysis is impartial and thought provoking. This author must be
complimented for his zeal and relentless pursuit of linguistic history.I wish that more people read his work and learn the truth based on research and facts.

this works provides a refreshingly sober account of language and takes the wind out of the corrupt sails of those who use language as a divisive force which makes man hate fellow man.

It convincingly portrays the fact that our understanding of language is severely limited, and human language as we know it was highly developed by the time Sumeria showed itself in the historical record. Any attempt to call sanskrit an aryan language of the Gods, needs to contend with the fact that humans were speaking its mother language - sumerian, which antedates the appearance of sanskrit, as well as hebrew.