PRESIDENT Mamnoon Hussain, may he rest in peace, was scheduled to visit Azerbaijan and the question was what gift should be presented to President Ilham Aliyev. The late President did not want an ordinary gift. He wanted something meaningful that could also serve as a showcase for Pakistani products. There were many suggestions, but eventually he decided to present President Aliyev and the First Lady with exquisite leather products. The gift opened several doors for Pakistan. But that is another story. I want to share one directly connected with today’s ceremony. Baku State University had decided to confer an honorary PhD on President Mamnoon Hussain. I suggested that, on this occasion, he should also present the university with a worthy gift. When he asked what it should be, I proposed a complete set of the Urdu Lughat, the dictionary compiled by the Urdu Dictionary Board. “Why the dictionary?” the Principal Secretary asked.
I explained that this dictionary, compiled on historical principles, is unique in the world. It does not merely give the root of a word; it traces its origin, development and evolution. It is also distinctive because, alongside poetic evidence, it provides citations from prose. Anyone who understands the difference between poetry and prose can appreciate the importance of this feature. I also mentioned the distinguished scholars who contributed to this monumental work, including Baba-i-Urdu Maulvi Abdul Haq, Josh Malihabadi, Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, Dr Abu Lais Siddiqui, Dr Farman Fatehpuri, Naseem Amrohvi and Jon Elia, among many others.
President Mamnoon listened carefully and decided that the dictionary would be presented to Baku State University. But obtaining it proved to be a challenge. The Urdu Dictionary Board was contacted, only to learn that not even a single complete set was readily available. At the request of the Presidency, a set was sent from its records. Its condition was embarrassing. The paper was thin and poor, some volumes had different-coloured paper, and even their sizes varied. One could only imagine the difficult circumstances in which the elders of the Urdu Dictionary Board had worked. Yet this was the gift presented by the President of Pakistan to a major university in Azerbaijan.
For years, there had been a desire to give this unique dictionary a new life — to recompose it in beautiful Naskh Nastaliq and publish it according to international standards. But who would undertake such a formidable task? Thankfully, destiny chose our teacher, friend and brother, Professor Dr Saleem Mazhar. Today, as the magnificent new edition stands before us, two faces come to mind. The first is that of President Mamnoon Hussain. He must have felt uneasy while presenting the old, fragile set to Baku State University. I am certain that had he seen these splendid volumes today, he would have been immensely pleased. The second is the face of the Head of the Department of Urdu at Baku University. When he received the dictionary, he said that he had long wished to see this work and find a way to benefit from it. Today I think how wonderful it would have been if his wish had been fulfilled by receiving these beautifully produced volumes. At least, that old embarrassment has now been washed away, and we can present the dictionary to our friends and guests with pride.
Dr Haji Muhammad Rafiq Pardesi deserves our gratitude for making it possible for the labour of our elders to appear before the world in such a beautiful form. Jesus Christ (PBUH) described certain people as the salt of society— people through whom goodness flourishes and society acquires depth and beauty. Mr Pardesi certainly belongs to this category. It is only natural to hope that the remaining twenty or twenty-two volumes will also be published with the same care. I am confident that, with Mr Pardesi’s support and under Dr Saleem Mazhar’s leadership, this work will continue. Yet there is another matter we must remember. The age of paper is drawing to an end. Governments are becoming paperless, and dictionaries around the world are moving in the same direction.
It was for this reason that an app for the Urdu Lughat was developed. It was effective and successful, but unfortunately became inactive because of a lack of resources. Users now have to rely on the website. In a fast-changing digital world, that is not enough. I hope that the leadership of the Authority and Dr Saleem Mazhar will also turn their attention to restoring the app. Under Dr Saleem Mazhar’s leadership, the National Language Promotion Department has accomplished remarkable work in a short period. In today’s economic circumstances, the publication of nearly one hundred books is no ordinary achievement.
Undertaking ambitious projects with limited resources and bringing them to completion is a remarkable accomplishment. It would be welcome if Mr Aurangzeb Khichi and Mr Asad-ur-Rehman Gilani also extended their support, so that Dr Saleem Mazhar does not stop here. A dictionary, like life itself, must continue to evolve as language evolves. I know something of the difficulties Dr Saleem Mazhar faces. But there is a saying meant for people like him: “Where there is courage, divine help follows.
—This writer is former advisor to the President of Pakistan, author & mass media theorist.
(farooq.adilbhuta@gmail,com)
