Five Day workshop on the topic ‘Capacity building workshop for Urdu journalists” begins at P.G Department of Urdu, University of Jammu. The workshop is being organized by the department of Urdu in collaboration with National Council for Promotion of Urdu language (NCPUL), New Delhi. Prof. AquilAhmad , Director National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, Prof. Manoj Kumar Dhar, Vice Chancellor University of Jammu, Jb Sohail Kazmi, Senior Journalist and Prof. Mohd Reyaz Ahmad, HOD Urdu also shared the presidium.
While presiding over the inaugural session of the workshop Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu Prof Manoj Kumar Dhar said “I hope this workshop will be an enriching experience for Urdu journalists and should allow them to upgrade their proficiencies and their skills, and acquire new technical skills that should allow Urdu journalism to thrive and nourish in the Jammu Province.” Calling for the promotion of Urdu language and keeping it alive as a necessity for being in sync with Jammu’s rich heritage, traditions and history in particular and with the history of the Indian -Sub Continent in general ProfDhar said that Urdu language was not only been spoken in the entire subcontinent but had a unique place in Jammu and Kashmir as well.
Chief Guest of the Inaugural FunctionProf. Aquil Ahmad, Director, national Council for promotion of Urdu Language, New Delhi said workshop is important for all of us and it is our moral duty to make efforts for the promotion of the Urdu language . While maintaining that capacity building is very important for every discipline Prof Aquil Ahmad said “Journalists have a great role to play and their writings and reports do bring a change and influence the overall policy making and planning and I hope this workshop would prove quite signi¬ficant as far as promotion of Urdu language and Urdu journalism is concerned.
Guest of HonourJnbSohailKazmi, Senior Journalist said “Urdu journalism has played a vital role in the freedom struggle of India and at that point of time Urdu was the language of the common masses. However, these days we have concerned and attributed it as the language of a particular community only which in itself is a big stereotype and discrimination.” Speaking about the aims and objectives of the workshop Jb SohailKazmi said “Urdu is still the third most important language in the Indian subcontinent after Hindi and English and Urdu newspapers are presently getting published from 18 states of the country. Urdu language played a great role in the freedom struggle of Indian but with the passage of time we became complacent and things didn't improve as they should have. It is with this aim that the present workshop has been organized so that Urdu journalists and students of journalism should go all out in taking advantage of new technological advances that are radically changing the way information is reached to masses for the promotion of Urdu language.
In his welcome address Prof. Mohd Reyaz Ahmad highlighted the problems and challenges faced by the working journalist in the Jammu Province and said that “only such languages prosper which have the official patronage from the governing regimes and as far as Urdu is concerned it has faced discrimination on that front from a long time now. The proceedings of the inaugural session wereconducted by Dr Farhat Shamim.Formal Vote of thanks presented by Dr.Abdul Rashid Manhas. The workshop was attended by journalists from print and electronic media, officials from Directorate of Information & Public Relations UT J&K, scholars and faculty member. Others who attended the inaugural session a large number of prominent citizens like Khalid Hussain, Aseer Kishtwari, Khurshid Kazmi and many others.
Later the two academic session were conducted in which Mr. Shahnawaz Khan from New National Bearu Chief and Prof. Mohd Kazim delivered lectures which was appreciated by one all.