A first of its kind, this book traces the political history and genealogy of Urdu. It also looks at the domains in which the language is used by both Hindus and Muslims of northern India.

Tariq Rahman is an HEC Distinguished National Professor of Sociolinguistic History and Professor Emeritus at the National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Qaid-E-Azam University, Islamabad.

1. Introduction
2. Names
3. Age
4. Origins and Historiography
5. Identity: The Islamization of Urdu
6. Urdu as an Islamic Language
7. Urdu as the Language of Love
8. The British and Hindustani
9. Urdu in the Princely States
10. Urdu as the Language of Employment
11. Urdu in Education
12. Urdu in Print
13. Urdu on the Radio
14. Urdu on the Screen
15. Conclusion

This is the first major study of the manifold engagement of the linguistic forms known as ‘Urdu” with South Asian society. Professor Rahman has opened up the social aspects of Urdu as a major subject for study and this book is one of the most important contributions to South Asian studies of recent years.

-  Francis Robinson CBE, Sultan of Oman Fellow, Oxford Centre for Isalmic Studies,
and Professor the History of South Asia Royal Holloway, University of London.

A well researched book that fills the absence of an authentic history of Urdu.  While being free from jargon, it is authoritative and makes for a very easy read.

-  Harish C. Narang, UGC Emeritus Fellow, Centre for English Studies, JNU.