Debacle of our mother tongue. “KASHMIRI”

wilayattimes (Jammu and Kashmir)

(No one is born Hindu, Christian, Muslim and so on….. It’s the parental alimony or institutional alimonies that gives a child the identity of a particular cult}.

By Adnan Shafi Malik:

Mindset of humans have changed a lot and they don’t believe, Identity is by race, creed, sex, caste and color in modern world. If it exists… it’s by region, language and by geographical location. No one can snatch your identity as far as regional and geographical aspect is concerned. If it’s threat upon a nation or a community, it’s linguistic threat.  In modern world mother tongue is being used as a weapon in a society to curb or to uplift any nation. In this “global village” it’s a fact that if you want to vanish any nation first and foremost kill their mother tongue, because a person’s soul can’t grasp unknown facts and things in other language… in-fact he may be able to understand things that goes to his head only but not soul.

Arundhati Roy say’s After the partition of British India,  a new country Islamic republic of Pakistan tried to impose Urdu language on it’s Bengali-speaking citizens In east Pakistan, it ended up loosing half of itself(Bengali). Also India believe and try to impose the rallying cry of RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) “Hindi-Hindu-Hindustaan”. Also the neighboring country Sri Lanka tried to impose Sinhala on it’s Tamil citizens, and paid with decades of bloody war.

In past authors, leaders and intellectuals put forward their effort to make understanding among masses, the value of mother tongue. One of the great leader of past, Nelson Mandela is of the opinion that, “if you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. if you talk to him in his language (mother tongue),that goes to his heart. Here the leader (Nelson Mandela) interlinked mother tongue with soul.

The word “Kashmeer”, when encountered with one’s ears, it hits one’s head with giving the signal of beauty, mountains, snow blankets, green pastures, woods and greenery etc. No doubt Kashmir is famous for its beauty, but also for it’s culture, Language, loving gesture and humbleness towards it’s guests.

The word “Kashmeer”, when encountered with one’s ears, it hits one’s head with giving the signal of beauty, mountains, snow blankets, green pastures, woods and greenery etc. No doubt Kashmir is famous for its beauty, but also for it’s culture, Language, loving gesture and humbleness towards it’s guests. People across the world loves these qualities of Kashmir. By the grace of almighty culture has been upgraded not vanished and being humble host for guests, tourists receives always an overwhelming response. But Alas! If anything is about to vanish in future and is in danger that’s our own mother tongue (Kashmiri). The Kashmiri language is also recognized by the constitution of India in it’s 8th schedule, but still it’s threat upon this language.

In past some Sufis/saints wrote book’s, translations of Quran and hadiths to make understanding of shariah (Islamic jurisprudence) and make Dawah (invitation to make close relations with Allah) among masses with only intention, but that flourish up the Kashmiri language and literature too. But today the scenario is different, in current Times we and our youth (boy’s/girls) are somehow willing to forget our linguistic legacy. Some are able to understand but some are unable to read it…some are able to read it but some are unable to understand the pure vocabulary of our mother tongue. In whole Kashmir some rare cases can be spotted, who are able to write a novel, poetry and books in KASHMIRI. No doubt We speak or we communicate today with each other in Kashmiri language but that’s not the purest form. We usually mix-up words from other language to make better understanding in second person.

Reason behind this catastrophe on our mother tongue are vast in number standing in queue. We can’t blame each other, everybody is responsible to some extent in vanishing our linguistic identity. Village life in today’s date  have saved some privacy of Kashmiri language and are communicating in mother tongue, but in town’s and cities nowadays if someone utter accidentally or wants communicate in his mother tongue (Kashmiri language) he feels shyness, face humiliation. Who is responsible now…? In our home’s from the infancy stage of a child his/ her parents guide’s and prepares their Ward’s to understand the things, in different languages Rather than his/her mother tongue. Also In our schools and colleges teacher’s are supposed to teach things to students through English or Urdu medium. Even students are prohibited from communicating with friends, classmates in Kashmiri language. Off course students study in these schools and colleges may be genius and are able to compete in any field of world. But this may be also the reason for downfall of Kashmiri language.

Now when some intellectuals felt that, Kashmiri language and our linguistic identity is about to die, they put forward their efforts by conducting awareness campaigns, seminars and other various programmes to refresh the nerve of youth about the lost legacy i:e, mother tongue. it’s an appreciable step. but these workshops for one or two days are not worth it. It’s everyone’s responsibility to save Kashmir’s linguistic identity for being Kashmiri.  The female folk of Kashmir, including our mother’s, sister’s, play’s a vital role in saying goodbye to Kashmiri language, and the reason is early mentioned.

To communicate in English or Urdu with each other won’t be a tribute to English people or to those people whose mother tongue is Urdu. But if we communicate in our mother tongue it would be a tribute to our mother tongue, because it will gain it’s credibility and fame back. If Being a domicile of Kashmir is our identity, then saving it’s language is also our responsibility. So let’s pledge Insha’Allah we Will knock every doors of success and we will rise our identity also Both geographical and linguistic too.

   Let’s say “I love my Kashmir, I love my Kashmiri”.

Writers note: This article comes to me when an old Nani (lady) , told me about my health in purest Kashmiri language but unfortunately I was not able to understand what she was saying.