LITERARY AND LINGUISTIC ASPECTS OF DR. NASEER UD DIN HASHMI (WITH REFERENCE TO DECCANI TRADITION)

Abstract

Naseer ud Din Hashmi (1895–1964) was one of the influential literary persons of the twentieth century who left an indelible mark in the Urdu literary world based on his research efforts. He made Deccani literature his cloak and followed it throughout his life and preserved it by taking a research look at Deccanism. He traces Urdu in West India. His main argument is that long before the rise of Islam, Arabs used to visit India on the Malabar Coast for trade purposes. During that period, the language that became the common medium of expression between the Arabs and the local people of the Deccan is Urdu. This article presents his literary and linguistic contributions with reference to his books especially Deccan Mein Urdu, Europe Mein Deccani Makhtotaat, Maqalaat e Hashmi and Deccani Culture. His writings also provide a basis and a model for those doing research on how the development of Urdu has happened or is happening in different regions.