JEDDAH — The persona of Urdu media is enamoring, its reach cosmopolitan and  mood rebellious, as much as it has been regal. The chronicles of Urdu journalism are about 150 years old, but the rapid advancements in science and technology — the advent of television in the 1970s, the Internet in the 1990s and now the new media tools and technologies — have helped the Urdu media attain a peer status with its English twin despite all the conundrums.

 

Dr. Syed Fazil Hussain Parvez’s book, Urdu Media: Kal.Aaj.Kal (Urdu Media: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow), not only presents the status of Urdu media in India, but also depicts its prospects in modern times. From the history of pen as a writing tool to its use as a spy camera, from Urdu journalism in the digital age to the role of social media, and the journalism of national integrity, crime and investigation, the use of drones and Google glass in journalism, the book covers everything related to the growth and development of Urdu journalism.

 

A few pages into the book, photos of eminent journalists, pictures and illustrations of devices used, clippings and cover pages of newspapers, journals, short story books from across the country – some of them from the 18th century – with accompanying descriptions captivate the interest of the reader.

 

As the chapters unfold, concise descriptions supported by pictures present manifold facets of Urdu journalism, including art, literature, science, sports, investigation, religion, humour, health and medicine, law and order, government policy, and so on. 

 

Furthermore, there are illustrated descriptions of famous Urdu poets, Urdu colleges and universities, courses in Urdu journalism, websites related to Urdu, Urdu protagonists, apps that support Urdu including the likes of Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter, Urdu TV channels, their reporters, the challenges in Urdu journalism and the status quo of Urdu media.

 

Multiple glossaries, each classified into sections, are presented at the end of the book to help journalists and journalism students with translation of legal, medical and most frequently used journalistic terminology and list of nearly 200 Urdu websites for reference have also been given. 

 

Aptly titled Urdu Media: Kal.Aaj.Kal, the 400 plus pages compendium on Urdu Media is informative to the exhaustive measure, unlike any other book previously known. It is a compact Encyclopaedia on Urdu Journalism in its entirety. — SG