Urdu Dictionary Board
اردو لغت بورڈ | |
| Abbreviation | UDB |
|---|---|
| Formation | June 14, 1958 |
| Type | Scientific and Literary Institute |
| Purpose | Editing and publication of the comprehensive Urdu dictionary |
| Headquarters | Street # 18/A, Block 5 Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Location | |
Staff | 55 |
| Website | http://www.udb.gov.pk/ |
The Urdu Dictionary Board (Urdu: اردو لغت بورڈ, romanized: Urdu Lughat Board) is an academic and literary institution of Pakistan, administered by National History and Literary Heritage Division of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Its objective is to edit and publish a comprehensive dictionary of the Urdu language.
Establishment and objectives
On June 14, 1958, through a resolution of the then Ministry of Education, the Government of Pakistan announced the creation of an institution named "Urdu Development Board" in order to prepare a comprehensive dictionary of Urdu on the same standards and principles as the Oxford English Dictionary. The Board initially had the following staff members:
- President: Mumtaz Hasan (Urdu: ممتاز حسن), the former Secretary in the Ministry of Finance as well as the Governor of State Bank of Pakistan;
- Vice President: Shaista Ikramullah, a former representative at Constituent Assembly and delegate to the United Nations;
- Honorary Director General: Abdul Haq, a linguist and scholar of Urdu language;
- Honorary Trustee: Abdul Hafeez Kardar, a politician and former professional cricketer;
- Josh Malihabadi, an Urdu poet;
- Hassam-ud-Din Rashidi, a historian and journalist;
- Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, a linguist and literary critic;
- Abul Lais Siddiqui, an Urdu writer and linguist;
- Syed Abdullah (Urdu: ڈاکٹر سید عبد اللہ);
- Muhammad Shabbirullah (Urdu: ڈاکٹر محمد شبیر اللہ);
- Raziq Al Khairy (Urdu: رازق الخیری)
On March 27, 1982, the name "Urdu Development Board" was changed to "Urdu Dictionary Board".[1]
Operations
In 1960, the Board started publishing a quarterly magazine called Urdu Namah (Urdu: اردو نامہ) under the editorship of Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee. From then on to 1977, a total of 54 issues were released.
In 1977, the Board published the first edition of Urdu Lughat, a 22-volume comprehensive dictionary of the Urdu language.[2] The dictionary had 20,000 pages, including 220,000 words.[3]
In 2009, Pakistani feminist poet Fahmida Riaz was appointed as the Chief Editor of the Board.[4]
In 2010, the Board publiushed one last edition Urdu Lughat.[3]
In 2016, Aqeel Abbas Jafari has been appointed as the Chief Editor of the Board.[5]
In 2017, the digital version of Urdu Lughat was released.[6][7]
Since 2019, the Board was not assigned another Chief Editor, and 37 out of the total 55 staff seats were vacant due to lack of funding.[8]
The dictionary is available on this website, http://www.udb.gov.pk/, but has some problems, the website has some issues, sometimes it doesn't open, or its pages.[9]
References
- ^ Jaʻfarī, ʻAqīl ʻAbbās.; جعفرى، عقيل عبّاس. (2010-03-31). Pakistan Chroncicle (Ishāʻat-i avval ed.). Karācī. p. 149. ISBN 978-969-9454-00-4. OCLC 643571356.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Faizuddin, Munshi (2021-01-15). Bazm-i Aakhir: The Last Gathering - A vivid portrait of life in the Red Fort. Roli Books Private Limited. ISBN 978-81-951248-6-2.
- ^ a b "Urdu experts have the last word". The Express Tribune. 2010-07-17. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ Fatima, Nikhat (2018-11-22). "Pakistani feminist Urdu poet and writer Fahmida Riaz passes away". TwoCircles.net. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ "Four babus retirement notified". The Nation. 2016-12-10. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ "Urdu Dictionary Board launches 22-volume Urdu Digital Dictionary". TechJuice. 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ "اردو لغتِ کبیر اب آن لائن اور موبائل پر". BBC News اردو (in Urdu). Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ "Urdu Dictionary Board struggles to operate". The Express Tribune. 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ "اردو لغتِ کبیر اب آن لائن اور موبائل پر". BBC News اردو. Retrieved 2023-11-22.