{
  "id": 2352008,
  "title": "Why I wanted to learn Shahmukhi, or Urdu, from my Sikh grandfather years after Partition",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/why-i-wanted-to-learn-shahmukhi-or-urdu-from-my-sikh-grandfather",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-21T09:47:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/shahmukhi-urdu-from-my-sikh-grandfather-years-after-partition-10843326/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "It was the summer of 2016 when the writer decided to learn Urdu. They had spent years listening to a man recount his experiences of pain, separation, and proficiency in four languages following the Partition. This man, their grandfather, Sardar Jagat Singh Khurana, was a Sikh from Bannu, present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Born on April 4, 1936, he had recently marked his 80th birthday. He recalled his simple life, the struggles he faced as a new immigrant, and his journey to master four languages. He was the only family member who knew Urdu, and the writer sought to learn from him.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Writer learned Urdu from Sikh grandfather in 2016",
    "Grandfather Sardar Jagat Singh Khurana was born on April 4, 1936",
    "Grandfather knew Urdu, the only family member who did"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}