GANDERBAL: Under the guidance of University Grants Commission (UGC), Bhartiya Bhasha Samvardhana Samiti (BBSS-II) Kashmiri, kick-started a two-days “Authors Workshop on Academic Writing to Develop Textbooks for Higher Education in the Kashmiri Language” at the Central University of Kashmir (CUKashmir), Tulmulla here on Thursday.
Inaugurating the workshop, CUKashmir Vice Chancellor, Prof. A Ravinder Nath stressed upon the use of local language in academics. He highlighted the need for a collaborative approach to elevate the language to an international level. Prof. A. Ravinder Nath acknowledged the dedication of the university in fostering linguistic and cultural heritage, stressing, “collective efforts from scholars, linguists, and the community are essential for achieving this goal.” He expressed gratitude to the guests for their presence and valuable contributions, making the event a grand success.
Vice Chancellor, University of Kashmir, Prof. Nilofer Khan, who was the chief guest on the occasion, emphasized the need to integrate Kashmiri into the modern period, and said “Publishing work in local language is one of the ways to promote and modernize our language.” Prof. Khan stressed the importance of teaching children in their mother tongue, citing research that suggests children who learn in their native language develop stronger cognitive and critical thinking abilities. Our roots are weakening as we increasingly adopt foreign languages while communicating with our children,” she added.
Noted Kashmiri author, Sahitya Academy awardee, poet, and broadcaster, Dr. Satish Vimal, who was the guest of honour spoke about the significance of the Kashmiri language. He emphasized that it is the collective responsibility of society to preserve and promote their mother tongue. He reflected on the declining use of the language and urged linguistic enthusiasts, students and academicians to take proactive steps in its revival.
“It is unfortunate that there are no textbooks for Geography, Physics, Mathematics, or other such subjects available in Kashmiri. The language has been limited to literature and poetry,” Dr. Vimal also mentioned his recent work in translating the Constitution of India into Kashmiri and urged students, academicians, and language enthusiasts to take proactive steps in preserving the language.
Prof. Sandhya Tiwari, Dean School of languages, the Organising Secretary and the Nodal coordinator of BBSS-II (Kashmiri) in the opening remarks and concept note presented the holistic approach and initiatives of GoI, MoE and UGC, in line with the objectives of NEP2020, and project is to render the originality, importance and ingenuity of work in regional languages and specifically mother tongue that people understand and connect with emotionally.
She also reminded the participants that anyone's language is the foundation of identity and cultural heritage and if a language is forgotten than there are chances of losing the rich rubric of culture itself. “Due to fascination for foreign languages, local languages have been heavily impacted. This project aims to revive the significance of local languages aligning with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by focusing on preserving indigenous languages and cultures,” said Prof. Sandhya Tiwari in her speech. She further added that the workshop aimed to emphasize the importance of the Kashmiri language and its cultural significance.
The day also marked the Foundation Day of CUKashmir and during the workshop, Deans of various Schools and Controller of Examinations were felicitated by the Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, CUKashmir. In order to appreciate the notable contributions of Prof. Aijaz, in translating the Indian Constitution into Kashmiri, the Organising Secretary and HVC felicitated him with a memento and stoll.
The inaugural culminated with vote of thanks by the Dean Academic Affairs, Prof. Shahid Rasool who also expressed his concern over the manner in which people of this region have lost their interest in Kashmiri language. “Kashmiri language has lost its essence due to the insensitivity shown by Kashmir’s own people by prioritizing other languages over their mother tongue,” Prof. Shahid said. He congratulated the efforts of Dean, School of Languages and Nodal Coordinator BBSS2 Kashmiri in her meticulous planning and execution of the workshop. He also shared that CUKashmir is putting efforts to revive the significance of Kashmiri language through the publication of a monthly journal called “Gaash” which aims to popularise the scientific research in Kashmiri language. Prof. Shahid emphasised on the cultural importance of Kashmiri language and its long history of poetry and art.
The day saw an array of sessions conducted by the resource persons drawn from Jammu Kashmir and who have contributed their best to the domain of Kashmiri language and literature. Prof. Shad Ramzan, Prof. Basher Bashir, Prof. Rattan Lal Talashi and Prof. Mehfooza Jan shared their knowledge on various aspects of textbook writing, during the technical sessions.
The last session was chaired by Prof. M Afzal Zargar, Registrar, Central University of Kashmir who in his closing remarks reminded the participants about the importance of the mother tongue and promotion of it by each and every one. He also reminded the regional development will contribute towards achieving the objectives of Viksit Bharat @2047. The event concluded with the distribution of Iftar kits to the participants, resource persons and others.
