Raj Sadosh/Abohar.
Renowned Urdu Scholar DR. H.K. Lall passed away in Chandigarh at the age of 87 on Wednesday.Born in Pak-Pattan (now in Pakistan) and uprooted during Partition, his family initially settled at Abohar. He later shifted to Chandigarh. He found his true calling in a language that was not even his mother tongue—Urdu.
The first person to earn a Ph.D. in Urdu from Panjab University, his journey was one of relentless dedication.
For nearly five decades, he taught Urdu free of cost, shaping the linguistic and literary features to judges, bureaucrats, artists, professors, housewives, lawyers, doctors, and scholars, many of whom went on to earn PhDs themselves. His magnetic personality, wit, and effortless grace made him a legend in his lifetime.
He said that- “NOT THAT PEOPLE SHOULD LEARN MORE URDU, BUT MORE PEOPLE SHOULD LEARN URDU”.
He said he is still learning and will always continue to do so. Claims Urdu is a sweet language and as it is written from the right to left, it is the correct language, the right language. Even at the age of 84, he embraced the challenge of online teaching during the pandemic, proving that his passion knew no bounds.
Dr. Lall often said, “Khidmat-e-Urdu karoonga umr bhar, ye meri pooja mera imaan hai,” and he lived by these words.