Parents of young Pakistani children overseas, myself included, are always on the lookout for ways for their young ones to learn Urdu. Somehow, picture books showing Alif say Aam and Tay say Tarbooz, audio recordings of Ek Thi Rani are lost on today’s iPhone-toting and iPad-swiping generation.
Enter one mother and her ambitious venture to teach her –year-old how to count in Urdu. When Natasha Waliany Fancy (founder of Design Firm, Just Wally) searched the App Store for possibilities, the closest she got to was an app called Urdu Ginti Free by Digital Dividend AB. Sadly, her child was left disengaged by the lack of images, the monotonous landscape and actually scared by the harshness of the narration. Soon after, Fancy decided to put her Computer Science education in full gear, and create an app with interface and images child-friendly enough to hold captive the attention of a 2-year-old! Ginti is the first of its kind – a fun, intuitive and innovative app which teaches children how to count from 1 to 20 in Urdu.
In Ginti, as the child clicks on an image, a clear and cheerful voice sounds out the corresponding number, and afterwards, the image fades away to reveal the number written in Urdu. The narration of the number is a great feature, along with the new set of images every time the child starts over, making sure to keep boredom at bay. My 4-year-old had a great time with birds, fish, cupcakes, teddy bears, hot air balloons, dinosaurs and planes while listening to the catchy tune playing in the background. Where once she had followed Dora’s Uno Dos Tres, she now recites her Urdu Ginti.
So, if you are looking for a fun and easy way for your child to get interested in Urdu, I have three words for you: Aao Ginti Karein.
Ginti can be downloaded free on App Store.
Keep your eyes and ears open as FUCHSIA features more Urdu apps coming your way!
Having received her Bachelor of Art in Journalism and Politics from New York University in 2004, Ayesha Azhar worked for an immigration law firm before moving to Singapore in 2008. Here, along with her full-time role of mother to 2 very energetic daughters, she volunteered with United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Ayesha has extensive editorial experience, having interned at several lifestyle magazines while in university, and worked as Editor of the UNIFEM newsletter from 2009 to 2011.
Leave a Reply