Urdu is slowly dying in America. Amongst young Pakistani-Americans, it is rare to hear the language spoken, even to their immigrant parents. And let's not even mention reading and writing Urdu. That also seems to be a disappearing communication skill amongst the young generation.

Of course, this is not true of everyone. And the good news is, many Pakistani-American youth do feel badly not knowing their mother tongue or Pakistan's official language well enough.

You can use this sentiment to fuse life into this issue by hosting an essay contest for young Pakistani-Americans. The topic to be written about: why Pakistani-Americans must keep Urdu alive.

You should offer a cash prize of a relatively hefty sum (about $250 minimum) to sweeten the deal and serve as an encouragement. Young people may have doubts about speaking Urdu but they would probably have none whatsoever about winning some cash. In addition, the winning entry should be published in the city's daily newspaper.

Writing an essay forces a writer to think clearly and deeply about the subject matter. It requires the person to come up with convincing arguments for their position and to articulate them well on paper. So by writing for this contest, a young person would have to really think about and convince him or herself of the merits of keeping Urdu alive in America, where English is the lingua franca. By coming up with their own strong arguments, young writers could be encouraged to revive Urdu in their own lives.

The first step in arranging this essay contest is to discuss it with like-minded people. And you'll probably find plenty of these in the form of disgruntled or discouraged parents who have given up trying to get their kids to speak Urdu. But also talk to parents whose kids have successfully retained their the language about the essay contest. Both groups can offer you feedback about the topic, as well as how the contest should be conducted.

Once you've got all of your feedback, you need to contact Pakistani-American businesses and organizations to collect the money you'll be offering for the best essay. You should ideally look for businesses that have a track record of commitment to and support of the Pakistani community. Also, try to find agencies that support multiculturalism. They could also contribute something for this.

After you have your funds in place, it's time to contact the local newspaper. Aim for the most popular one in your city first. The publication may have a youth section. Call its editor and explain that one of the things you want to do with this contest is promote writing amongst Pakistani-American youth. Would they be able to publish the winning entry in the newspaper? Remind the editor that allowing space for the work of a young Pakistani-American could serve as an incentive for youth from other ethnic communities to become more interested in writing. It would also make the newspaper look very good because it is supporting an event by an ethnic minority community in the city.

If the editor does not agree, contact the editor of another section of the paper or of another newspaper. Keep trying until you find a publication that will allow the winning essay to be published.

Once you've got your funds and the newspaper is willing to publish the essay, you have to find the judges. You should have about five judges. Their qualifications should include: individuals who are very well versed in English literature (i.e. Writers, professors/teachers, academics); they should be fair; they should be active in the local Pakistani-American community.

After you finalize who your judges will be, you can start advertising the contest. First, put all of the information on a flyer. You need to include: the topic of the essay competition, the age limit of participants (i.e. 14 to 18), the word limit for the essays (1000 words is a standard in some contests, but you can make it less), the deadline to submit it by, the address entries are to be sent to (get a P.O. Box if you can for this), and the award for the essay.

Distribute your flyers to family and friends, youth organizations and most importantly, young Pakistani-Americans. In fact, try to recruit some youth to distribute the flyer amongst other young people in the community and get them excited about it. That way, they are more likely to be interested than if their parents push them to participate.

Also, if it does not require too much money, advertise in local media, both American and Pakistani, in newspapers, on the radio and TV.

After all of the entries have come in, give the judges a month at the most to decide who the winner is. After this time, contact everyone who submitted an essay and invite them to a dinner that will be held in honor of the winner. The winner will not be known until the day of the event.

Make another flyer for this dinner. Remember, it's not just about the award, but it's also a community event, so everyone should be invited. In particular, get your band of youth helpers out again to distribute this advertisement to their friends.

When presenting the award to the winner, have him or her give a short speech explaining the arguments s/he used to convince readers that reviving Urdu is important. If possible, ask them to share their personal experience in trying to keep Urdu alive.

In addition, inform everyone present exactly when the essay will be published and in what newspaper so that they can check it out themselves and glow with pride when they see that the work of a young Pakistani-American is being published in a major newspaper.

Finally, send thank you notes to all of the judges, participants in the contest , the businesses who sponsored the award and the newspaper for publishing the winning essay.

Date/Time Last Modified: 6/17/2002 3:48:01 PM

Readers' Comment

abdur : 9/1/2006 7:44:49 AM
the issue (urdu is dying in america)is in my opinion covers only only one side of the story bcos its happening with it in pakistan as well

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