Though Kashmiri language has been made a compulsory subject up to 10th standard, people in Kashmir are still far from encouraging their children to read, write and speak in their language.
While incorporating this language in the school curriculum can go a long way in preserving this sweet language, the people also need to put in their efforts to protect and preserve this language.
A notion of inferiority attached with speaking this language has to be removed as this psychological complex makes Kashmiris ignore their mother tongue that has otherwise provided them a unique identity across the world.
People in Kashmir talk to their children in Urdu or English and in the process, we have not only done injustice with our mother tongue but have despoiled a language like Urdu.
Most of the educated people in Kashmir speak fluent English but when it comes to Urdu, they produce a mix of Kashmiri and new language which makes Urdu speaking people beat their chest.
It should be known that the mother tongue connects one to his culture and history. Research has shown that children, who have initially started their learning in their mother tongue, seem to have a better ability to learn other languages and generally develop good language skills later in life.
There is no bar on learning a language other than Kashmiri but not at the cost of the mother tongue. Kashmiri is our identity and we will cease to be Kashmiris if we continue to treat our mother tongue the way we have been treating it.
Let us pledge that we will collectively work and put in our efforts to make our children read, write and speak in Kashmiri—our sweet mother tongue.
