BREAKING: MUSHAYERON ME WAH WAHI - SHAYERON KU UDHARI!! A HAI URDU ACADEMY

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Urdu Academy, which is meant to champion the promotion of the Urdu language and the welfare of the Urdu-speaking community, is increasingly being seen as a symbol of exploitation of Urdu poets and writers. Despite having financial resources, the Academy is reportedly organizing poetry symposiums (mushairas) on credit, inviting poets but failing to pay their due honorariums and travel allowances on time.

Several poets who participated in recent mushairas have been waiting for weeks and even months to receive their payments. The event ends, applause fades away, but the promised remuneration never arrives. Poets are routinely told that the “cheque will reach home,” yet those cheques seem to remain stuck in files indefinitely.

This raises serious questions: how can grand claims be made on stage while the very custodians of Urdu culture return empty-handed? Traditionally, the Academy ensured immediate payment to poets at the conclusion of mushairas, but this long-standing practice appears to have vanished under the current Chairman and Registrar. The key question remains—who benefits from this change, and who suffers? Clearly, it is the Urdu literary community that bears the loss.

Sources reveal that organizers submit proper budgets before Academy programs and even contribute financially, yet the Academy allegedly avoids fulfilling its responsibilities. Service providers such as auditoriums and sound system operators are also reportedly assured of “later payments,” raising concerns about transparency and accountability.

The most troubling allegation is that during the Urdu Day mushaira, certain poets closely associated with the Academy were paid immediately, while others were told to wait. This has sparked criticism about favoritism and discrimination within a state-level literary institution.

Concerns also extend to policy changes in poet selection, remuneration slabs, and book procurement systems. Where earlier the Academy purchased books from Urdu writers across India, recent years have seen restrictions first to South India and later only to Karnataka-based authors. Literary circles fear that such inward-looking policies may isolate Karnataka’s Urdu writers from the national literary mainstream.

Further compounding the issue are administrative uncertainties. The Academy has reportedly been without a permanent Registrar for years, weakening decision-making and institutional credibility. Even the Chairman, who holds cabinet status, allegedly lacks basic official facilities, reflecting poorly on the Minority Welfare Department’s commitment to the Academy.

Urdu scholars and intellectuals are now urging the Government of Karnataka and the Minority Welfare Department to intervene immediately, ensure accountability, and restore the Karnataka Urdu Academy to its rightful role as a dignified, transparent, and nationally respected institution for the promotion of Urdu language and literature.

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