US' Charge d'Affaires in India, Ambassador Kathleen Stephens

The US Embassy in India on Thursday launched its Urdu website, adding to its existing portals in English and Hindi.The Urdu website of the US Embassy was launched by US' Charge d'Affaires in India Ambassador Kathleen Stephens at a function held in Lutyen's Delhi.Greeting the guests at the function with "Assalamwalekum," Ms Stephens said, "This is a very special day for the United States Embassy. I hope this is also a very special day for the friendship between our two people as we launch the US Embassy website in Urdu."Praising the language she said, "It is a global language, it is part of India's soft power as people are drawn to the beauty of Urdu, its literature, its history and its culture."Talking about what the website will offer, Ms Stephens said, "It is the same version as the English and the Hindi websites...It does include things like 'How to apply for a visa' and what the US Embassy is saying about travel in various parts of the world.""It also has things like speeches and transcripts when we have officials who are here or speak in the US about something that is of interest to our audiences here in India," she said.The website's Urdu content is managed and edited by Syed Zafar Hasan.Noting that the launch comes just over a month after President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met for the first time, Ms Stephens recalled their vision statement which said, "everyday in myriad ways our cooperation fortifies the relationship that matches the innumerable ties between our peoples."Paul A Loh, Deputy Spokesperson in the US Embassy, told PTI, "We think it is important for the Embassy to be able to reach out to the entire country in a variety of languages, including (in) Hindi which was launched in March this year and now Urdu which is being launched on Wednesday. Those are very very important languages for us to be able to collaborate with India as an important partner of the 21st century."Speaking on the occasion, Urdu activist Kamna Prasad said, "Urdu is part of our syncretic cultural heritage and exudes love, inclusion and tolerance. Born as a link language that has the power to connect people from across cultures, Urdu rose to the ever changing needs for the mass communication in modern India."She emphasized that the language symbolizes India's multi-culturalism and pluralism.National Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities Akhtarul Wasey said, "Through Urdu we can spread the message of love.In a world that is full of differences and terror, if love has to prevail then it has to be through languages."

Ms Stephens concluded her address with the words, she said actually President Obama has also learnt to say - 'Chalein saath saath'.