AMN / New Delhi
The World Urdu Day Organizing Committee, chaired by veteran journalist Jalaluddin Aslam, met at Joshi Colony, Delhi, to plan this year’s celebrations. The meeting reaffirmed the tradition of observing Urdu Day on November 9, commemorating the birth anniversary of Allama Iqbal, and welcomed the continued involvement of government-funded bodies such as the Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy and enthusiastic participation from the public.
It was decided that the 2025 Urdu Day celebrations will be held at Ghalib Academy, Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi, with Professor Emeritus Dr. Abdul Haq, a leading Iqbal scholar, presiding over the event.
Aslam urged the Urdu-speaking community to extend celebrations beyond traditional strongholds to non-Urdu regions, aiming to dispel misconceptions about the language and build stronger cultural bridges. “Urdu speakers must also develop ties with people in areas where the language is less common,” he said.
Senior journalist Suhail Anjum praised the Urdu Development Organization’s efforts, noting that it has been organizing Urdu Day for 28 consecutive years—a feat that has inspired celebrations across India and abroad. He described this growing global reach as an encouraging sign for the promotion of Urdu.
Journalist Javed Akhtar added that the organization’s events have motivated other institutions to hold similar programmes, citing The Wire’s Urdu festival as an example. Such initiatives, he said, help bring the younger generation closer to the language and its rich literary heritage.
The meeting was attended by prominent personalities including Israr Ahmad Ujjaini, Dr. Mufti Javed Anwar Dehlavi, Hakeem Muhammad Murtaza Dehlavi, Hakeem Aftab Alam, Syed Niyaz Ahmad Raja, Mohammad Imran Qanouji, Zeeshan Ahmad, Dr. Abu Zaid, and Faizan Ahmad, among others.