Urdu Literature and Arts Academy Marks Golden Jubilee with Three-Day Cultural Festival

Golden Jubilee Three-Day Celebration of Urdu Literature and Arts Academy ConcludesFestival Enlivened with Quality Literary, Musical, and Cultural Programs

Mumbai, Oct 2025 : The Maharashtra Urdu Sahitya Akademi has completed 50 years. To mark this golden jubilee year, a three-day literary and cultural festival was organized at Worli Dome from October 6 to 8. The festival included book exhibitions, poet gatherings, awards for journalists, poets, and writers, as well as Sufi music and other cultural programs.

Minority Development and Wakf Minister Adv. Manikrao Kokate: “We will establish modern Urdu houses”

The festival was inaugurated by Minority Development and Wakf Minister Adv. Manikrao Kokate. During the inauguration, he said that cultural centers serve as a bridge for the exchange of Marathi and Urdu literature, forming the ‘Urdu Ghar’ initiative. The government will work to modernize this initiative. He also announced that positive steps will be taken to expand Urdu schools and hostels, and a new committee for the Urdu Sahitya Akademi will soon be formed.

Minister Kokate highlighted that great leaders like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, and Bharat Ratna Dr. B.R. Ambedkar established traditions of inclusivity, education, language development, and cultural preservation while working for social progress. Inspired by their ideals, Urdu and other languages have received respect in Maharashtra, and the golden jubilee celebrations of Urdu literature are being conducted. He added that Urdu is not just a language; it is the fragrance of culture, a bridge of thought, and the voice of the soul.

Minister Kokate noted that the Akademi has enriched Urdu literary tradition with over 450 literary programs, more than 250 poet gatherings, over 150 workshops, and more than 100 book publications. The Akademi has organized programs in more than 25 districts, reaching Urdu enthusiasts in rural areas. Urdu is an Indian language, spoken as a first language by about 70 million people and as a second language by 100 million. In Maharashtra, 7% of the population speaks Urdu, and there are over 25 Urdu daily newspapers.

Under the Urdu Ghar initiative, centers are being established in Nanded, Malegaon, Jalgaon, Solapur, and Nagpur. In Maharashtra’s 1,800 Urdu schools, 900,000 students are taught Urdu, and through the ‘Urdu Learning App’, 50,000 students receive online education annually. In the past three years, 100 district-level literary gatherings have been conducted.

The government also runs various schemes for minority women and youth, including training and educational incentives. Minister Kokate said the government will make all efforts to provide additional development funds for the Urdu Sahitya Akademi and other minority initiatives.

Former ministers Nawab Malik and Anij Ahmed, MLA Sana Malik, former MLA Ishan Siddiqui, Punjabi Sahitya Akademi president Mark Singh, Wakf Board chairman Sameer Kazmi, screenwriter Javed Akhtar, departmental secretary Ruchesh Jayvanshi, commissioner Pratibha Ingle, and other officials, artists, and literary figures were present.

Two publications, ‘Learn Urdu’ and ‘Learn Marathi’, were also released during the event.

Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Urdu Literature and Arts Academy

Secretary Ruchesh Jayvanshi stated that the Akademi was established in 1975 by former Chief Minister Shankarrao Chavan to translate Marathi literature into Urdu and vice versa, promoting creativity in both languages. The Akademi works to facilitate cultural exchange, preserve Urdu literature, and encourage literary and artistic endeavors, including plays, books, libraries, writers, and poets.

During the past four years, 200 authors and poets and 48 book authors were honored. Awards were given to emerging writers, journalists, and new poets, and the festival included poet gatherings, Urdu plays, Wali Dakhni Awards, Mirza Ghalib Awards, Maharashtra Urdu Adab, and Modern Technology & Urdu programs, adding vibrancy to the celebrations.