Whose Urdu Is It Anyway? Exploring Urdu’s Shared Heritage with Rakhshanda Jalil

Urdunama

For centuries, Urdu has been part of a shared cultural space, shaped by people from diverse communities and traditions. Yet this fact is often forgotten or pushed aside. That’s why the new anthology Whose Urdu Is It Anyway? feels so important.

Edited and translated into English by writer, literary historian, and translator Dr. Rakhshanda Jalil, the book brings together 16 Urdu short stories written by non-Muslim writers. The collection features powerful voices such as Krishan Chander, Rajinder Singh Bedi, Kanhaiya Lal Kapoor, and Gulzar, among others. Together, their stories challenge the stereotype that Urdu belongs to a single identity, reminding us instead that it has always been a language of many, reflecting universal themes of love, loss, displacement, and belonging.

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