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Published: 11 August 2015

• 69 lakh speak Pahari, Gojri; 38 lakhspeak Dogri

SRINAGAR: Nearly 92 lakh population of entire J&K are Kashmiri speaking which amounts to almost 42 percent of the total population of united region, the study done by culture and research NGO Experimental Moving Images and Theater Association (X-MITA) reveals.

According to the data collected by the Research Department of Experimental Moving Images and Theater Association(X-MITA) in collaboration with the respective district officials between July 2009 to July 2015 “Koushur, Pahari, Dogri, Shina, Gogri, Balti, Burushaski and Ladakhi are the main languages spoken in entire J&K.”

The study estimated that Koushur is spoken by 9.2 Million, Pahari & Gojri by 6.9 Million, Dogri by 3.8 Million, Balti by by 1.1 Million, Shina & Burushaski by 0.8 Million and Ladakhi by 0.34 Million.  “Ethnically Jammu and Kashmir is a marriage between Dardic, Pothowari (Pahari & Gojri) , Sino-Tibetan and Dogri ethnicities, Kashmir Valley, Gilgit, Hunza, Nagar, Neelam Valley, Kishtiwar, Doda and Ramban are the Dardic Areas  with the majority population of 10 Million Followed by Pothowari totaling 6.9 Million, Dogri (Indo-europian sub family) have a population of 3.8 Million,” the study says.

From Hunza in the North to Baderwah in the south and Muzaffrabad in the west to Aksai-Chin in the east, Jammu & Kashmir spans a topographical unity that is diverse and yet connected in such a manner that one is left astonished by the cultural lifelines that seem to interconnect the whole state into a homogeneous melting pot of various languages, ethnicities and cultures thus giving rise to a collective amalgamation that helps evolve the indigenous cohesive bond of belonging to one state, the study says.

As per the XMITA study, Jammu & Kashmir has always been the cradle of unparalleled excellence in most of the fields right from the beginning of major civilizations of the world. “Having produced marvelous social reformists like Alamdaar-e-Kashmir R.A., brilliant philosophers like Abhinavgupta, superb historians like Kalhana, great kings like Budshah and Lalityaditya, amazing poets like HabbaKhatoon and ShamasFaqir to name a few, Jammu and Kashmir has for the most part of its five thousand year old historical timeline of evolving civilization been at par with the best of those from any part of the world,” the study writes.

XMITA to announce ‘Golden Icons of J&K’ awards

On the eve of the celebration of the eleven years of experimental moving images and theatre association it has been decided by the executive membership to give a boost to all the cultures of the state and in furtherance with the same, XMITA has planned to release 11 books in the coming year and record audio books in all the languages of the state.

“To celebrate the rich heritage that the state of J&K inherits, XMITA has decided to honor most renowned personalities of the state whose contribution to the fields of academics, arts and culture has been outstanding in the past fifty years, these awards shall carry the title “Golden Icons of J&K” the nomination list shall be made public very soon.