Suhail Khan
SRINAGAR, Oct 21: Samina Masoodi is a remarkable Kashmiri woman who has devoted nearly three decades to preserving and promoting traditional Kashmiri songs. She has compiled the lyrics of these songs into valuable books, including her latest work titled “Käsher Bäthh: A Book of Lyrics for Kashmiri Wedding Songs, Folk Songs, Everyday Traditional Songs, and Childhood Songs.”
Though she moved to the United States in the 1990s and pursued a career in entrepreneurship and software, Samina’s passion for her cultural heritage remained strong. Through her written documentation, she ensures that the beauty and essence of Kashmiri traditions are safeguarded for future generations. Her commitment and talent serve as an inspiring example of dedication to preserving cherished customs across borders.
According to a special interview conducted by Kashmir Despatch, it is evident that the distance from her homeland did not weaken Samina’s determination to safeguard the cultural heritage of Kashmir. The interview emphasises that despite being physically away from Kashmir, Samina remains deeply connected to her roots and has undertaken notable efforts to preserve and protect the cultural heritage of her homeland.
KD: Why is it important to encourage kids to learn and speak Kashmiri?
Samina: “Maaje zabaan che saanin ehsaasen henz khushoo.” If we think about it, what defines us and our culture? It is a simple language. Language is the most critical element of any culture. It is essentially our identity. It allows us to express ourselves, our beliefs, and our customs in their raw and truest form. It is essentially what makes us who we are; it is what binds us together in a common thread with a singular sense of belonging—Kashmiris! Without our language, we are just a shell without a core. If we don’t encourage our kids to learn and speak our language, make them aware of our cultural peculiarities, our folk tales, and our way of life. Pretty soon, our language and everything associated with it will automatically disappear, and we will have no one but ourselves to blame.
KD: What are the potential consequences if the Kashmiri language becomes extinct?
Samina: I have travelled to 54 countries in my life so far. What is common among people in all these countries and cities is the sense of pride each person carries when talking about their culture. You hear them talk to each other animatedly for several minutes, and when you ask what they were talking about, they will translate this 5–10 minute conversation into a simple 4-5 word sentence like “Oh, he said the weather is beautiful”. You wonder, is that all? Did I miss something? Often times, they apologise that, due to a language barrier, they are not able to communicate their sentiments as effectively in English as they would in their own native tongue. I can totally relate. If I hear “Lejsay Balai,” I not only get what it means, but I can also sense and feel the sentiment behind it. I am sure that I may also feel so overwhelmed by love that I will most likely even hug the person. I hope you get my point. Language is a medium by which our customs, our history, and our heritage are carried on from one generation to another. The pauses, the high pitches and low whispers, the accompanying facial expressions, and the hand gestures all give a totally different meaning to it. All of a sudden, you don’t just listen; you feel it! If we look at the 7 billion people in this world, most of the babies from birth to adulthood go through similar stages, no matter where they are born, but what makes them unique is the people they grew up with. The common denominator is the language that allowed their great-grandparents to pass on the interesting anecdotes of their culture, their idiosyncrasies, and their uniqueness to each generation. Without language, you will start losing your cultural heritage and, in the next few generations, even your identity as a Kashmiri. I am sure all of us Kashmiris will agree. No matter what part of the world we live in or what citizenships we acquire, we will always have Kashmiris at heart. Even as an American citizen, I carry my kashmiriyat as a badge of honour, and I am sure most of you do as well. It would be a tragedy of great magnitude if we knowingly stopped speaking Kashmiri, stopped caring about our culture, and let the Kashmiri language and our culture die in our lifetime.
KD: How can we fulfil our obligation as Kashmiris to ensure the survival of the Kashmiri language?
Samina: First and foremost, as parents, we need to stop feeling embarrassed about speaking in Kashmiri. In our quest to feel ‘superior’ to others—more classy, more elite, and more modern—we were quick to adapt a more likeable “English” as our means of communication. I don’t have anything against people teaching their kids English, Urdu, Hindi, or XYZ language. I believe it is important for everyone to learn English because of the global need for a common language in this day and age. By all means, do so; in fact, teach your kids to learn Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, German, French, Sanskrit, Bangla, Tamil, etc., but please do not stop teaching your kids to learn and speak Kashmiri first. In order to do that, we as parents have to converse with our kids in Kashmiri and make them feel like it is “supercool” to speak Kashmiri.
Second, our schools and educational institutions have to incorporate Kashmiri into their curricula, and most importantly, not fine kids when they speak Kashmiri to each other. I am happy to see that Kashmiri is part of the curriculum now in schools, so that gives me some hope.
KD: What does Samina’s parting message emphasise in terms of preserving the Kashmiri language?
Samina: I would say with folded hands to all Kashmiris that it is our moral obligation as Kashmiris to make sure that our unique language, our unique culture, and our beautiful Kashmiri heritage do not die a slow death. Each one of us can make a difference. You can make a difference in little ways. For example, I make it a point to speak to any Kashmiri in Kashmiri. If they speak in any other language, I respond back in Kashmiri until they are forced to speak to me in Kashmiri. I am an ordinary Kashmiri woman. I am leaving this legacy of Kashmiri song lyrics and Wanwun for future generations, but not all have the time to do that, and that is okay. In fact, I am not the only person who took the pains to compile the lyrics of Kashmiri songs; there are thousands of Kashmiris who have painstakingly worked to create an immense amount of content on Web sites, Facebook, and Youtube, documenting our language, our books, our literature, and our stories in great detail. Type “Kashmir” in Google, and it will provide pages and pages of materials. Please support them and add more content. All of us can help in whatever way we can. If you don’t think you have the capability to add content, then the least you can do is just speak Kashmiri. Only then will your kids learn it and ensure its longevity.
KD : What conscious effort can individuals make to promote the learning and usage of Kashmiri?
Samina: As indicated above, it starts by speaking Kashmiri to each other and to your kids. They are our future, and if we hesitate now and don’t think it will make a difference, all we have to do is look at dead civilizations, and they will prove us wrong. The demise of a culture and its language and heritage starts with one individual, and it does not take long for it to become irrelevant. We all know about Latin. Let us not add Kashmiri to the list.
Since I live in the USA, I will provide examples of how so many ordinary people like you and me have worked hard to keep Kashmiri language and culture alive in this part of the world, and you can do the same wherever in the world you are. In the USA and Canada, we actively organise many smaller community get-togethers frequently; then we do get-togethers of these smaller groups on bigger levels. The goal is to reinforce what our kids have learned at home. We get them interested in Kashmiri language and culture by involving them in creating books and videos that teach the basic Kashmiri alphabet, phrases, stories, etc. We have them participate in Kashmiri dramas, songs, rauf, etc. We have Kashmiri vendors from Kashmir come and sell their products so our kids can get exposed to our arts and crafts. Ordinary Kashmiris living in the USA have given up their time to make sure Kashmir stays alive in our hearts, even if we are not in Kashmir. One of the best content creators is Sulaiman Husseini, who has painstakingly created videos featuring animated stories and rhymes to mesmerise our kids with popular Kashmiri Bishte bishte bairo, okus bakus, and others. We have Kashmiris like Uffi’s Kitchen, Chinaab, and Mouwal that cater foods like wazwan, harissa, and other items from Kashmiri cuisine to not only the diaspora but people of other cultures too. We have businesses like Hamzara and Zeina’s that provide Kashmiri clothing. We have people like Asmat Ashai and Shafat Qazi (who I am lucky to be married to) who have helped artists from Kashmir tour all around the world. This has allowed not only our Kashmiri diaspora but also people living in these countries to get exposed to Kashmiri language and music. Shafat has also been working on a movie calledSongs of Paradise” (that I co-produced) that was shot in Kashmir and will give new life to Kashmiri songs and music once released, his goal being to bring Kashmiri culture and its music to a global platform.
The point is, whether it is me or any of these individuals, each one has contributed in their own way to bring Kashmir closer to America and other places. Each of you can do it too. To ensure our future generations, wherever they are, are proud of their culturally rich Kashmiri heritage and language. So, if you are thinking about what you can do, please make a promise to yourself that you will promote Kashmiri culture and language by speaking it, wearing it, singing it, and propagating it in whatever way you can.
Ending with… As the saying goes “Akh te akh gaey kah”, it truly is! If we work together now, we can help carry our legacy forward and keep the Kashmiri language alive forever. God bless you all!
Kariv Koshur, Pariv Koshur, and Roziv Kasher
Suhail Khan is a filmmaker, content writer, and freelance journalist.
