Role of Online Books and Dictionaries in Urdu Literary Research

There is no doubt that research work in the area of Urdu literature at the university level was considered a challenging task for research students. But nowadays the same research task is not as difficult as it was earlier. The reason is that hundreds and thousands of books, research journals, magazines, etc. are available in online digital libraries like Rekhta.org — perhaps the world’s most massive Urdu literary website — on a single click. The easily accessible availability of massive literary resources has made the most difficult area of research an easy job.

Research is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as a detailed study of a subject, especially in order to discover (new) information or reach a (new) understanding. A prominent expert in Urdu linguistics, Rasheed Hassan Khan opines that research aims to discover facts.

Although literary resources, in massive quantity, are available in online digital libraries, the accomplishment of research is still no less than a Herculean task. Difficulties related to research work are not limited to the search for material merely, as difficulties faced by scholars are considered equal to walking in a path filled with thorns. The famous scholar and poet Allama Shibli Nomani, discussing the complexity of research, opines that research is like taking a grain of sugar from an ant’s mouth and making it liquid sugar (sheera).

During research, a scholar no doubt passes through a difficult time, but this shows the significance of the work in a research area. Describing the importance of research work, Dr. Jamil Jalibi, a noted linguist, critic, writer, and scholar of Urdu, is of the view that every giant poet, novelist, fiction writer, critic, philosopher, and scientist cannot perform any great work without carrying out research. He further elaborates that research is as much needed for creation as water is required for life.

A researcher experiences the toughest challenges while dealing with research work. Different difficult steps make a researcher realize that research is not only time-consuming but also a perplexing task. On this front, selecting a research topic is not only a difficult step, it also includes the preparation of a synopsis, collection of data by accessing available literature, and thesis writing which is the most difficult and strenuous part of any research.

A literature search, the first step of a literature review, is a challenging job as compared to other steps in research.

Before the advent of the internet, it was quite difficult to approach the literature required for research because all literature was only accessible in public libraries, and it was backbreaking to visit libraries regularly and search out the required data. Sometimes old books on Urdu literature were not available in public libraries; hence a researcher was forced to visit the personal libraries of different personalities to get the required material. Without literature, including books, research journals, magazines, etc, no scholar can extend his study project or write a quality thesis.

Reading culture is dying, particularly in Pakistan, which has resulted in the near depletion of libraries in the country. Moreover, the existing limited big or small libraries, unfortunately, are deprived of the presence of readers. The sign of the dying culture of book-reading is considered alarming for any society. Contrary to this undesirable social condition of society, the availability of hundreds and thousands of books, research journals, magazines, etc in online digital libraries has decreased the workload of the scholar carrying out a research project on Urdu literary fronts.

Undoubtedly, this is the time of the emergence of digital libraries with the massive collection of Urdu literature, which is enjoyed by lovers of reading, Urdu learners, academicians, translators, scholars, and writers worldwide. In this emergence of digital libraries, the famous Indian Urdu digital library or Rekhta e-books on Rekhta.org has the leading position by being the world’s most massive Urdu literary website. The easily accessible availability of massive literary resources has paved the way for students to walk on it.

Here, a brief introduction to the Rekhta website was inevitable due to its proven effectiveness for researchers. I also utilized the same Urdu website in many ways during my PhD project. This utilization of the website was not limited to the usage of e-books only, it also included the use of a comprehensive online electronic dictionary.

Time always matters for researchers in any research project. In this regard, Rekhta e-books provide a facility to find reading materials mentioning the names of authors and books’ titles. These internet-based facilities save researchers a great amount of time.

This paradigm shift from brick-and-mortar libraries to online digital libraries is a consequence of social change, an ever-present social phenomenon in any society. Social change is an inevitable natural process for the social system, determined by evolution and advancement.

Now this is the time for our teachers or research supervisors to realize that the emergence of online digital libraries is a product of social change, and the usefulness of digital libraries cannot be ignored at all.

Our teachers, research supervisors, and students must pay attention to this new horizon and make efforts to be accustomed to online digital facilities so that the desirable benefit can be obtained.