Karkhandari Urdu
Urdu dialect in Delhi
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The word 'Karkhandāri' is derived from the Urdu word 'kārkhānā' which refers to the manufacturing houses and workshops for craftsmen, established by the Mughals in their empire. These were specialised workshops for crafting luxury goods, textiles, and weapons to meet the needs of the imperial household and military. They acted as a centre for production and innovation. Some operations,s such as weaving, embroidery work, and brocade work were often done under one roof, resembling an integrated assembly line. The suffix 'dār' denotes worker or owner. The language label thereby stands for a colloquial language spoken by craftsmen and artisans. However, a wider group of people used it as well.
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Distribution
According to literary scholar Gopi Chand Narang, Karkhandari was a sociolect used in the daily speech of artisans, craftsmen and small traders living in the old city of Delhi. Despite demographic and cultural changes in the capital, speakers of this dialect remain concentrated in specific parts of the historical city. The areas traditionally inhabited by Karkhandari speakers were geographically bounded by Chāndni Chowk to the north, Faiz Bazaar to the east, Asaf Ali Road to the south, and Lahori Gate to the west. The core population of speakers resided in the southwestern lanes near Jama Masjid and Lāl Kuan Bazaar, including neighborhoods such as Chitli Qabar, Kucha Chailān, Kalān Mahal, Matiya Mahal, Bhojla Pahāri, Pahari Imli, Churi wālān, Tokri wālān, Soi wālān, Phātak Teliyan, Bulbuli Khāna, Mohalla Qabaristan, Gali Shāh Tāra, Kucha Pandit, Mohalla Rod garān, Farrāsh Khāna, and Gali Batāshān. Additional clusters were found northeast of Lal Kuan in Gali Qāsim Jān, Ballimārān Bazaar, Haveli Hissām-uddin Haider, Bāra Dari Sher Afgan Khan, and Ahāta Kalē Sāhib. A few families near Khāri bāoli, in Phātak Habash Khān, continue to preserve the dialect. Beyond the old city walls, Karkhandari speakers have also been identified in areas like Kishanganj, Shīsh Mahal, Qassāb pura, Beri Wāla Bāgh, and parts of Bāra Hindu Rao.
Influences
Karkhandāri as well as old Deccani show several phonological and grammatical similarities now absent in modern Urdu and Hindi.