Urdu Language Resources on the Web

Thanks to many people, mostly anonymous, who continue to send in links, updates and bug reports to help keep these pages going. [^N= New link] [^B= Broken link] Report any errors, changes or additions

Transliteration notes: For the common font styles we use the spellings Naqsh (also written Naskh) and Nastaleeq (elsewhere written Nastaliq or Nastaliquw).

Basic Information

Fonts and Software

Proprietary:
- C-DAC, Pune: Unix, DOS, Windows, Mac; a range of wordprocessing and related software.
- InPage: Windows 3.1 or later; page layout software, uses Nastaleeq fonts (can mix with Roman). (Also available here).
- InProS: The UrduPro editor project is now (5/97) abandoned.
- Urdu Computer Nizam: Apple Macintosh or compatible; adds bilingual capability to all WorldScript compatible applications, 8 Nastaleeq and 8 Naqsh fonts. Seems to contain as subset postscript fonts.
- Aapka: Operating system unspecified; WYSIWIG Nastaleeq word processor, bundles an Urdu spell-checker.
- Universal Word for Windows: Windows 3.1, 3.11 or Windows 95; word processor with more than 100 languages bundled in.
- Universe Gamma Multilingual Wordprocessor: Windows 3.1 or later; word processing and font system.
- Global Plus: Operating system not mentioned; word processing and desktop publishing, 20 Nastaleeq, Naqsh and decorative fonts.
- Urdu98: Windows 95/98/NT; urdu keyboard and Nastaleeq fonts to interface with MS Word, MS Access97, MS Internet Explorer, FrontPwge 98 and other software.
Shareware/Freeware:
- Khat-e-Naqsh: Windows, Mac, unix TruType and postscript Naqsh fonts mapped to ascii keyboard, right to left utility; fonts can be embedded inside html files. Also available is a version for Nastaleeq.
- Maktoob: web; free English/Arabic web based e-mailing.
- PageComposer: Windows 95; complete desktop publishing and word processing system; 18 Nastaleeq fonts with wysiwyg editing; supports OLE 2.0 objects; also has a proprietary version.
- ParsNegar: MS Windows 3.1x and Windows 95; editor with fonts bundled in; shareware with 30 days free trial period.
- Sadaf: DOS and Windows; word processor; freeware.
- Thadani: TrueType fonts. Not checked: any report will be welcome.
- Urdu Tex: is is part of the ArabTeX package. Consult the ArabTeX home page for more information. See also another information page on it.
- U-TRANS:^N is an Urdu transliteration program by Tabish Qureshi. It can be freely dowloaded and allows display of Urdu text inside HTML pages.

Language Tutorials and Teaching Aids

Urdu teaching software:
- Ukindia Urdu Reading Lessons: Web pages to teach reading in Urdu.
- Language Master: Proprietary Urdu teaching software.
- Urdu Quaidah Proprietary Urdu teaching package by Humwatan Software for Windows 3.11 or Windows 95.
Urdu Language dictionaries:
- Dinesh Prabhu's dictionary is saved at many locations: [1] [2] [?]
- Hindi/Urdu dictionary and thesaurus (by Usman Qazi) grows intermittently.
- Urdu dictionary: rather well organised.
- English to Urdu lookup: medium sized vocabulary gives results in Naskh (no font download necessary) and also transliterates into the Roman script..

History and Language Studies

History of Urdu poetry (by Anisur Rahman) is a short and well-written history of the Urdu language and literature, which deals well with modern developments in both India and Pakistan.
History of Urdu Ghazals (by Uma Ramamurthy) is a short and informative page that also links to many examples of this form of Urdu poetry (tranliterated in the Roman script).
Marsiya: an article on this Urdu verse form which consists mainly of elegies on the battle of Karbala.

The Language, Literature and Songs

Urdu Poetry Archive: has a very large collection of Urdu poetry (transliterated in the Roman script). The pages are organised very well. There are multiple indices for access to the poems.
The Urdu Home Page for poetry: is another large collection. The poems are in the Urdu script, presented as gif files. The collection is indexed by poets' names.
The Amir Khusro site: contains material on (and by) this 13th century poet who is supposed to have invented the Ghazal form. The site contains his works in Farsi as well as Hindi (transliterated into the Roman script).
The Ghazals of Mirza Ghalib: is a large collection of the works of Ghalib in transliteration. Also contains useful pointers to related resources.
Meer Taqi Meer pages: a beautifully organised compact site with an introduction to the poet and a collection of many of his works. The poems are in Urdu, transliterated in the Roman script (with notes to help a Hindi speaker) or in Devanagari (presented as gif/postscript files).
Buzam-Urdu poetry page: needs downloadable Urdu fonts. It has a large amount of material: not just poetry but excerpts from novels and stories as well.
A Nazm a Month: (previously here) succeeded in putting several well-known works on the net. The poems are transliterated in the Roman script. Each poem comes with a small biography of the poet.
Ghazals: a small and informative site. It contains a small history of the Ghazal form, and many works, transliterated in the Roman script.
The ITRANS Urdu index: is the source for a significant fraction of the Urdu poetry available on the web.
Hamid Syed's Urdu Poetry Archive: script) as well as links to other pages on Urdu poetry.
Aashi'yaana: is a secondary index page for Urdu poetry- work under progress signs date from 1997 and there are numerous broken links [8/99].
eurdubazaar: has a small but nice collection of poems and short stories by various authors.

News Media and Trivia

Urdu language radio:
- Voice of America
Greetings to the universe in Urdu (from the Voyager spacecraft).

Mumbai