New Pathways Through Urdu Studies

J. Shelby House spent four months studying Urdu at AIIS Lucknow. (Photograph courtesy J. Shelby House)

J. Shelby House’s first experience with Urdu came through a South Asian friend who showed her some Urdu memes and couldn’t stop laughing. House, who was then pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, wanted to join in the fun and laughter. However, once her friend started explaining the memes, House couldn’t understand what was funny as the punchlines were lost in translation.

Driven by curiosity, House started teaching herself Urdu to understand the nuances of the language. But it was not easy. She, in fact, doesn’t recommend trying to learn Urdu on one’s own. “It’s really difficult!” says House. Her professors, who had experience studying in India, told her that the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) in Lucknow was the “gold standard” in Urdu instruction. During her final semester at Vanderbilt University, she spent four months studying at AIIS Lucknow with a small cohort of other American students.

Excerpts from an interview with House.

Please tell us about your current work.

I currently work as a predoctoral instructor in Hindi for the Department of Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Washington (UW). I am a Ph.D. student of sociocultural anthropology at UW, where my research focuses on human-animal-environment relations in the Pacific Northwest. Pre-COVID, I focused on anthropogenic heat in Karachi, Pakistan, but pandemic conditions made travel and fieldwork impossible.

Can you share some memories of when you began to learn Urdu? Which genre of the language appealed to you the most?

My early memories of learning Urdu were quite stressful! I remember being daunted by certain sounds I couldn’t pronounce. “Ghar” was particularly tough. I couldn’t pronounce the literal translation of my last name in Urdu, and there were grammatical concepts that didn’t make sense to me. I was terrified of making mistakes, so I spent hours and hours studying each night after class.

I remember feeling demoralized early on—like I would never be “good enough” at the language to converse with people easily or to understand spoken Urdu. However, with persistence and curiosity for the language, I developed these abilities.

Early on, I was most interested in political speeches, news, films and short stories. Reading and understanding Saadat Hasan Manto’s “Khol Do” sticks in my mind as a significant moment; the ending gave me chills and made me want to read more and more Urdu literature.

How was your experience in Lucknow as an Urdu student? Please share some anecdotes with our readers.

When I first traveled to Lucknow, I had never spent such a long period outside of the United States, but I lived with a wonderful host family that made me feel welcome and safe. I enjoyed exploring the city’s beautiful gardens, parks, masjids and dargahs and eating so much amazing food.

My instructors at the institute were all incredible, funny and kind, but we were not allowed to speak any English inside the institute, which was quite challenging at times. I don’t think I realized how much I learned in Lucknow until I went back to the United States. I was in Bryant Park in New York City, and I heard a man talking to his children in Urdu, and I was amazed that I actually understood him.

One of the best days of my life was visiting Kakori Sharif (Khanqah Kazamia Qalandariya). We had the opportunity to speak with the Sajjada Nasheen (spiritual head) of the shrine and learn about the history of the area. Our guide took us to see the grave of the entombed saint, and he sang “Chaap Tilak,” a ghazal written and composed by Amir Khusro, for us as we paid our respects. Afterward, we ate a wonderful meal of Kakori kebabs.

How has learning Urdu influenced your academic and professional career? Do you have any published work in the language?

Learning Urdu has radically changed my academic and professional paths. I do believe my rigorous Urdu study helped me get into graduate school, and I received a full-ride scholarship for my first year at UW. In the second year, I received a Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship in Hindi, which covered my tuition and living expenses. I have worked as an Urdu teaching assistant, teacher and writer, and those experiences gave me the tools to teach Hindi effectively. I’ve also worked in communications roles for nonprofits in the United States that work on issues related to South Asia and South Asian Americans. I worked as the researcher-editor for a new India Policy initiative launched at the Carter Center last year, and I worked closely with Deepa Iyer, a South Asian American writer, lawyer, strategist, facilitator and activist, for many years before that.

Do you use Urdu to communicate with your South Asian friends? How often do you use the language in the United States?

I do! Most often, I use it to communicate with my friends and teachers who are still living in South Asia. I often chat on Facebook with my homestay mother, Urdu instructors or drivers, many of whom do not speak English. It’s nice to be able to hear how they are doing. In the United States, I use it almost every day when teaching and studying Hindi-Urdu, and I chat often with my instructor, Jameel Ahmad, when we cross paths on campus. I also follow a lot of Hindi and Urdu news sources, so I try to read some articles in the language each day.

How important is it to have knowledge of Urdu for South Asian studies?

If your research focuses on India, Pakistan or diaspora communities, learning Urdu is critical for ethical and informed work. It’s impossible to form relationships with people and understand their worlds without learning their language. Learning a regional language will expand your understanding of culture and history in South Asia, teach you humility, and allow you to be accountable to your interlocutors. Learning the language stretches your way of thinking beyond English, and you’ll also come to understand nuances of expression and meaning that would be impossible to translate directly into English.

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