ارگنزیی زابن یمں ا ردو ا دب یک اترخی ےنھکل واےل ومرنیخ یک رظن یم ں دینک ا دب اک اجزئہ

Abstract

Dakkni literature has long remained a subject of debate among historians of Urdu literature, with some scholars
recognizing its significance and others paying comparatively little attention to it. The treatment of Dakkni
literature by historians writing in English reflects these differing perspectives. Ram Babu Saksena, the first
historian of Urdu literature in English, did not accord substantial importance to the nearly three centuries of
Dakkni literary production. In contrast, Graham Bailey made a remarkable effort to provide a detailed account
of this literary tradition in his A History of Urdu Literature, including information about several writers whose
works were no longer available. Muhammad Sadiq largely followed Saksena’s approach and contributed little
new information regarding Dakkni literature, while Ralph Russell omitted this period altogether from his
historical narrative. Ali Jawad Zaidi, however, sought to offer a more comprehensive assessment and claimed to
explore previously neglected aspects of Dakkni literary history. Although his work enriches the understanding of
the field, he also incorporated the literature of Gujarat into his discussion of Dakkni literature, a decision that
arguably required separate treatment. This study critically examines the views of major English-language
historians of Urdu literature and analyzes their varying approaches to the representation and evaluation of
Dakkni literature.