Couplets of saints may soon be taught to Delhi University’s MA Urdu students
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The Faculty of Arts in Delhi University has suggested changes in the first-year syllabus being taught to the students pursuing Master’s degree in Urdu. If cleared by the Executive Council of the university, the students would be taught 40 selected couplets of Kabir Bani in the first semester. Revisions also moot introducing students to early literary traditions of Deccan and North India. Two readings that would feature in the syllabus are ‘Kabir Bani’ by Ali Sardar Jafri and ‘Kabir’ by Prabhakar Manchve. The revisions can be initiated from the 2024-25 academic session, slated to begin in August.
Need for the Revision This modified syllabus has been planned to enable students to appreciate and enjoy classical poetry and prose against the backdrop of early literary traditions in Urdu. Students will learn about the rich cultural and literary traditions of Urdu literature through the couplets of mystic poet and saint Kabir Das. Couplets by Kabir have been included in this course to make students develop an in-depth understanding of the early literary traditions of Deccan and North India.
Proposed Changes to the Syllabus According to the suggested changes, the “Kabir Ke Muntakhab Dohe”—a selection of 40 dohas from Kabir Bani—will be the inaugural content of the course and will fall under Unit-1. Hitherto, the “Sub-Ras” of Mulla Wajhi (first half) formed a part of Unit 1. The prescribed readings for the revised syllabus have remained Ali Sardar Jafri’s ‘Kabir Bani’ and Prabhakar Manchve’s ‘Kabir’.
Conclusion: If the proposed revisions in the syllabus for MA Urdu students at Delhi University come through, in the first semester students will study a selection of 40 couplets of ‘Kabir Bani’. These revisions propose to acquaint the student with the early traditions of literature of the Deccan and North India in the early Urdu literary tradition and help understand and appreciate classical poetry and prose.
