The resignation of well known Urdu poet Munawwar Rana as the president of Uttar Pradesh Urdu Akademi (UPUA) has embroiled the institution in a controversy.
The poet, appointed this February, accused Nawaz Deobandi, Chairman of UPUA and an educationist and poet – who too assumed the office the same month – of indulging in corruption and flaunting his proximity to Azam Khan, member of Samajwadi Party (SP) and a Cabinet Minister in UP. Melange spoke to both to unearth the crux of the matter.
Munawwar as per reports reluctantly accepted the post in order to serve Urdu. “I can work for the development of the language staying out of the Akademi rather than be a part of it,” he said. The poet has charged that on assuming office he discovered that around Rs.80 lakhs which had not been spent over the past four years had been reverted to the Government. Ironically he says that no awards had been given in the corresponding period. Pleading helplessness, Nawaz replied: “All this happened in the past and I had nothing to do it.”
Munawwar said he was deeply hurt that the akademi did not consider his recommendation to sanction monetary help of Rs.25,000 to Kamal Jaisi, a 75-year-old poet from Rae Bareilly, who required urgent dialysis. The initial objection raised was that the ailing poet's application mentioned Thane, Maharashtra as the address. According to Munawwar despite his efforts, a sum of Rs.10,000 only was sanctioned because that was the maximum which the president could disperse. He comments: “If I am unable to help a dying poet, it is the ultimate insult to my post.” Citing a similar case Munawwar said his recommendation to allow Rs.25,000 for the marriage of granddaughter of Khumar Barabankwi, was also rejected. “Dismayed I provided the amount on my own.” The Chairman rebuts stating, “The provisions of the Akademi allow grant to domicile of the State. In the first instance, Jaisi’s application mentioned the Mumbai address. When this was pointed out, the same application was resubmitted incorporating details of Jaisi's Kanpur address.” He adds, “I was performing Umrah (pilgrimage to Mecca) but when informed by the Akademi about the resubmitted application, I instantly approved sanction of Rs.10,000 as per the provisions of the institution.” As for Barabankwi, Nawaz said UPUA cannot sanction grants for marriage.
According to Nawaz, as per the constitution of UPUA, the president’s post is an honorary one. He is entitled to make recommendations only while the governing body (GB) is the policy maker. “In the first meeting of GB all the recommendation for grants and sanctions made by Munawwar Rana were accepted. I did not want to start on a wrong note. He was informed that in future he should consult GB before going ahead with decisions.”
Refuting the charge of proximity to SP leader, Nawaz emphasises, “I never owed allegiance to a political outfit and never will. I am apolitical. Further Azam Khan has nothing to do with the Akademi. He is a popular figure and known to several people, including Munawwar and me.”
Both swear by their commitment to make Urdu regain its lost glory. Nawaz wants to eradicate the myth that the language belongs to a certain community and wants it to act as a bridge between the different sections of the society. “The Akademi intends to develop a software to enable Urdu literates to learn English, Hindi and Punjabi. It will also help those wanting to learning Urdu using the same languages.” He also wants to start centres to coach civil service aspirants who intend to use Urdu as the medium. “We also intend teach Urdu to U.P. bureaucrats to make them understand the problems, needs and requirements of a large chunk of populace and enable them to solve them.”
Voicing similar sentiments, Munawwar says, “I worked diligently without demanding a car, accommodation or claiming allowances.”
The appointment of two non-political persons as the chairman and president of UPUA was welcomed by Urdu lovers. It was perceived as a step towards creating an atmosphere devoid of politicking and helping Urdu regain the lost glory. Alas, good intentions do not always bear fruit!
