Urdu for beginners

There is no sinister motive behind the fact that Bollywood movie dialogs are understood in the entirety by perhaps only a small fraction of the audience. Many talented Bollywood writers are native Urdu speakers. An extra touch of Urdu also makes marketing to our neighbors a bit easier perhaps.

For us lay persons, there isn't much of a difference between Hindi and Urdu except that one uses a smattering of words borrowed from Persian and Arabic. Distinct but adjacent cultures are always picking up flavors from one another through inevitable seepage. You hear the other say a cool word, and want to use it yourself. Pretty much like how people want to say dialogs from a movie.

Native speaker of language A: %@%$@% &@^&^@ *&*& context ^%^%^%^%
Native speaker of language B: Hey, that sounds cool, can I borrow it?
Native speaker of language A: Sure.

Of course, the gradual seepage of Persian and Arabic into Hindi may have made it a little less accessible for people from other regions. We are just guessing of course. But the fact remains that the cozy exchange has over a period of time evolved into fault lines. Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and it is moving further away. But Bollywood keeps us up to date. Soon words from tribal dialects from say Baloch region may find its way first into Bollywood movies and then make a trip across the border.

There is a sense of timelessness to this intermingling, so much so that it goes further beyond. In our subconscious we also pick up ideas. In time will we start believing in them too? Well, only time can tell.

Take for instance Arundhati Roy, speaking in an interview: Having closely looked at the Batla house encounter and Parliament attacks, I am not ready to believe what anyone says. I have to see and think for myself. I am not prepared to believe anything. On the other hand, I am prepared to believe anything. This is what the Pakistani public is saying at the moment.

Or for that matter minorities affairs minister A R Antulay: Antulay seemed to have borrowed a leaf from Pakistani TV hosts who have claimed that the Mumbai attacks were the handiwork of "Hindu-Zionists".

Even our newly anointed reluctant Home Minister: In a virtual disapproval of anti-Naxalite group 'Salwa Judum' in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said the Centre was not in favour of "non-state" actors taking the job of law enforcement in their hands.

"Non-state actors" - sounds strangely familiar. Perhaps all this is part of the same script.