An article in yesterday’s Time of India Crest, Mumbai Edition intrigued our senses as it yet again touched upon the so-called “Hindi – Urdu language divide”
We would like to believe this divide is a superficial one, created by political machinery that would have us discount the cultural heritage and richness of both languages. The two languages have a lot in common, not just phonetically but in their cultural sensibilities as well.
As the article eventually suggests “a more realistic way would be to view Urdu and Hindi as two sister languages that grew from common stock”. And we subscribe to the concluding remarks in the article –
“In the present context, it might be useful to view Urdu and Hindi as two intersecting circles with a substantial common space instead of the taking the bipolar view commonly adopted by the hardliners who prefer to see ‘their’ respective literatures as inviolate territories. For far too long, votaries, defenders, critics, polemicists and publicists of both languages have stressed the differences rather than the similarities, advocated exclusion rather than inclusion, quibbled over what belongs to whom. Instead, had they tended the common space they would have allowed an incredibly lush, organic garden to sprout, one that could have given shade and fruit for generations to come. It is still not too late, provided, of course, we steer clear of jingoistic machinations.”
Read the article at the link below and do share your thoughts as well.
http://www.timescrest.com/culture/azadi-vs-swatantrata-9027
urduwallahs 
Good read, thanks for sharing! I cannot count the number of times I’ve tried to convince people I’ve interacted with of this very fact.