Language is something that belongs to its people. However, the same cannot be said of Urdu, which is perceived as one belonging to Muslims, which is far from truth. And ask the same to Geelani Bano, one of the city’s finest writers in Urdu literature, and she will tell you the same, that it’s a false notion.
“Urdu is a Hindustani language, not a Muslim one. In Hyderabad especially, we do not have a culture of differentiating by our speech. It was never the government’s language, but people from all religions know it here,” said Ms. Bano, who has received the NTR National Literature Award, another feather in her cap. Touching 80 years, her memory about her work and the culture she grew up in are still fresh.
Her father Hairat Badayuni was a well-known poet of his time, and her house would often host some of Urdu language’s best known names. “Even Faiz Ahmed Faiz had written to her from prison when he was in Rawalpindi,” recalled Ashhar Farhan, her son. Ms. Bano, who had also received the Padma Shri from the Government of India, however, feels that language is something that changes over a period of time.
“People who speak Urdu in Punjab will include some Punjabi words in their speech. It changes in every city, and here we have Dakhni Urdu,” mentioned Ms. Bano, whose works span over a lifetime in the form of 22 published books, including poems, short stories, novels and a screenplay for Well Done Abba , a movie by Shyam Benegal.
The writer, however, does lament that today’s generation is not exposed to culture as was in her case. “They don’t know what we knew. In our house, we learnt classical Hindustani music, and famous singers would come often. I would sit and listen with my brother. Even today, if I hear a Raag playing, I immediately recognise it, and point out if it is not sung well,” recalled Ms. Bano, laughing at her attention to detail.
Ms. Bano is the only one living among her seven siblings.
