Press Release - Letter to CEO, Prasar Bharti seeking the Restoration of Urdu News Bulletins on DD Urdu

PRESS RELEASE

The following letter was sent to CEO, Prasar Bharti today regarding the Restoration of Urdu News Bulletins on DD Urdu

 - - Forwarded message - - -
From: shabnam hashmi: shabnamhashmi[at]gmail[dot]com
Date: Wed, Jan 19, 2022 at 2:55 PM
Subject: Restoration of Urdu news Bulletins on DD Urdu
To: CEO Prasar Bharti: shashi[at]prasarbharati[dot]gov[dot]in, ceo[at]prasarbharati[dot]gov[dot]in
Cc: Syeda Hameed: hameed.syeda[at]gmail[dot]com

Mr Shashi S Vempati
Chief Executive Officer
Prasar Bharti
New Delhi

January 19, 2022

Sub: Restoration of Urdu news Bulletins on DD Urdu

Dear Sir,

We are writing to you about the drastic reduction from ten to two of Urdu news bulletins on DD Urdu. As you know this reduction was done on DD India –English and DD news Hindi during the peak COVID times. When things eased up the ban was lifted, English and Hindi news bulletins restarted. DD Urdu still has only two news bulletins. We are sure you would not be a body that discriminates against any language, especially a language that was born and nurtured on Indian soil.

On Sunday ANHAD and Muslim Women’s Forum organised a virtual platform to discuss this issue. It was attended by people across many states, faiths and languages. On their own behalf as well as on behalf of their respective constituencies they urged the organizers to petition the Government of India to restore Urdu news bulletins on DD Urdu.

You would also know that these bulletins have an international viewership.

It is also a fact that Urdu news bulletins are useful in conveying the government’s initiatives and schemes to sections where the language is better understood. To identify Urdu as an exclusively Muslim language is doing a great disservice to millions of Urdu knowing and Urdu loving people who belong to all faiths. It would also negate the work of scholars, poets and litterateurs like Pandit Daya Shankar Naseem, Pandit Brij Narain Chakbast, Jagan Nath Azad, Gopi Nath Aman and thousands of others.

We request you to restore all the 10 news bulletins on DD Urdu with immediate effect.

Yours sincerely

Shabnam Hashmi, social activist, Anhad

On behalf of

Ashok Lal, poet, playwright

Chandrabhan Khayal, poet, journalist

Gauhar Raza, poet, former Chief Scientist, CSIR

Kamna Prasad, founder of Jashn-e-Bahar Trust

Qurban Ali, senior journalist

Sadiq-Ur-Rahman Kidwai, Former Dean of School of Languages, JNU

SM Khan, Former Director-General of Doordarshan News

Syeda Hameed, former member, Planning Commission