Hindi and Urdu: Two Rivers Flowing from the Same Spring
In the linguistic history of the world, there are perhaps no two languages with a relationship as deep and enduring as that of Urdu and Hindi. The foundation, structure, and framework of these two languages are so identical that they are often considered two different forms of the same language. When we examine their features on the canvas of linguistics, it becomes as clear as day that both originated from the same spring, even though their evolution later took different directions, giving rise to two magnificent literary traditions.
If we trace the family tree of these two languages, their common ancestor is the 'Indic' language. Thousands of years ago, when the Aryans arrived in the plains of India, they spoke this very Indic language, from whose womb the four Vedas were born. Over time, the standardized and refined form of this language was named 'Sanskrit'. However, languages never remain stagnant; parallel to Indic, 'Prakrits' emerged among the common people, which, flowing with the tides of time, transformed into 'Apabhramshas'. Most of the ancient literature of Buddhism and Jainism is preserved in these Prakrits.
A tremendous revolution occurred in the cultural and linguistic landscape of India when Muslims set foot in this region during the tenth and eleventh centuries CE. The influences of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish languages began to permeate the local Apabhramshas. At that time, the Shauraseni Apabhramsha was prevalent in northern India, while the Kekai Apabhramsha was spoken in the regions of Sindh and Multan. Driven by everyday needs, the blending of these local dialects with the languages of the newly arrived Muslims gave birth to a mixed language known as 'Rekhta'.
The pages of history reveal that the first formal cultural and linguistic encounter between Hindus and Muslims took place in the plains of Punjab. The Ghaznavid sultans, whose capital was Lahore, ruled over Punjab for nearly a century and a half. Although the Turks and Afghans spoke Turkish, Dari, and Pashto, their official and cultural language was Persian. When this Persian embraced the local Punjabi dialects, a new hybrid language was born, which was called 'Hindavi' in that era. This very Hindavi is, in fact, the common mother of modern Urdu and Hindi. The antiquity and significance of this language can be gauged from the fact that Masud Sa'd Salman, a famous Persian poet of the Ghaznavid period, composed poetry in this 'Hindavi', a fact corroborated by eminent authorities like Muhammad Aufi and Amir Khusrau.
