Vulnerability and Urdu Literature

Social, Historical and Cultural Perspectives

 

Vulnerability Studies is a multidisciplinary field that includes development and poverty studies, public health, climate studies, political ecology, and risk management, and Literature has conventionally addressed itself to vulnerable populations, individuals and situations.  Urdu literature too since the beginning has presented social realities.  Different genres of prose and poetry like the dastaan (epics), Novels, Short Story, Ghazal, Nazm, Mazameen, Inshaiya, the Travelogue etc have documented different forms and degrees of vulnerability.
 
This seminar by the Department of Urdu, University of Hyderabad, in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair in Vulnerability Studies, Department of English, School of Humanities, University of Hyderabad brings together scholars from different disciplines to address the theme of vulnerability in Urdu Literature and to evolve a methodological framework to understand this theme.

 

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The Department of Urdu, University of Hyderabad in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair in Vulnerability Studies, University of Hyderabad organized a Two-Day National Seminar on “Vulnerability and Urdu Literature – Social, Historical and Cultural Perspectives” on 23rd – 24th August 2023 at the School of Humanities Auditorium. It was funded by the Institution of Eminence (IoE), University of Hyderabad.

The Inaugural session on 23rd August was presided over by Professor B. J. Rao, Vice Chancellor, University of Hyderabad and the Chief Guest was Professor Syed Ainul Hasan, Vice Chancellor, Maulana Azad National Urdu University. Professor Anisur Rahman, former Head, Dept. of English, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi delivered the keynote address. Professor J. Prabhakar Rao, Dean in-charge of the School of Humanities welcomed the guests, and Professor Habeeb Nisar, the then Head, Dept. of Urdu welcomed the audience. Professor Pramod K. Nayar, the UNESCO Chair in Vulnerability Studies spoke on the mandate and the academic activities of the Chair and the concept of vulnerability in literary-cultural studies. Professor Aftab Ahmad Afaqui and Professor Safdar Imam Quadri were the Guests of Honour at the inaugural session. Dr Md. Zahidul Haque, Associate Professor in the Department of Urdu and Faculty Fellow, UNESCO Chair in Vulnerability Studies presented the aims and objectives of the seminar, and moderated the inaugural session.

Scholars from diverse disciplines from across India presented their research papers, which made this seminar on Urdu Literature the first of its kind. Their papers were mainly in the Urdu Language along with some in English. Professor Neshat Quaiser (Centre de Sciences Humaines, Delhi) from Sociology, Professor Shailendra Kumar Verma (MGKVP, Varanasi), Dr. Habibullah Shah (DDE, University of Kashmir) and Ms. Ummul Fatmi (MGKVP, Varanasi) represented the Education discipline, Professor Anisur Rahman and Dr Shabeeh Rahat from English, Professor Tabir Kalam (BHU, Varanasi) from History, Professor Niranjan Kumar Sahay (MGKVP, Varanasi) from Hindi, and Professor Afroz Alam (MANUU, Hyderabad) from Political Science. The participants from Urdu were Professor Aftab Ahmad Afaqui (BHU, Varanasi), Professor Safdar Imam Quadri (Patliputra University), Dr Irfan Ahmad Malik (Central University of Kashmir), Dr Misbahul Anzar (MANUU, Hyderabad), Dr Firoz Alam (MANUU, Hyderabad), Dr Musharraf Ali (BHU, Varanasi), Dr Md. Irshad Ali (Maulana Azad College, Kolkata), Dr Masroor Ahmad Haidri (LN Mithila University, Darbhanga), Mr. Faiyaz Ahmad Wani (Central University of Kashmir), Mr. Md. Aasim Badr and Mr. Javed Rasool Sheikh (University of Hyderabad).

Shaam e Ghazal, a cultural evening, was also organized on 23rd August, in which Ustad Sabir Habeeb Khan, accompanied by Dr Sanjay Kingi on the Sitar and Mr Harijeet Singh on the Tabla enthralled the audience.

Professor Gajendra Kumar Pathak, Head, Dept. of Hindi, UoH, also chaired a technical session.

Professor Pramod K. Nayar presided over the Valedictory Session on 24th August which was co-chaired by Professor Habeeb Nisar. Professor Neshat Quaiser, Professor Safdar Imam Quadri, and Professor Anna Kurian were the Chief Guests for this session. The participants of the seminar and a large number of students and Research scholars from the Urdu, English, Hindi and other departments of the university expressed their views. The seminar ended with a vote of thanks by the coordinator.