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URDU

Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language that originated in North India around the 12th century. It is the national language of Pakistan, and is also an official language alongside English. Urdu is also spoken in parts of India, such as Delhi, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, and is the language of choice for many Muslims in India. In total, there are around 50 million Urdu speakers.

Urdu is closely related to Hindi, and the two languages are sometimes called "sister" languages because of their similar grammar base. However, Urdu has been influenced by other languages, including Arabic and Persian, and is written in a Persian-modified Arabic script, which is different from the Devanagari script used for Hindi. Urdu is also associated with the Nastaliq script style of Persian calligraphy and reads right-to-left, whereas Hindi reads left-to-right.

Here are some other key events in the history of Urdu:

13th–15th centuries: Authors began using Urdu in literature and poetry

1837: The British made Urdu and English co-official languages of the Indian Subcontinent

1947: British colonialism ended

1973: Urdu was made the official language of Pakistan