Ganderbal, Mar 20: Under the guidance of University Grants Commission (UGC), Bhartiya Bhasha Samvardhana Samiti (BBSS-II) Kashmiri, kick-started a two-day “Authors Workshop on Academic Writing to Develop Textbooks for Higher Education in the Kashmiri Language” at the Central University of Kashmir (CUK), Tulmulla here on Thursday.
Inaugurating the workshop, CUK Vice Chancellor, Prof. A Ravinder Nath stressed the use of local language in academics. He highlighted the need for a collaborative approach to elevate the language to an international level.
Prof Nath acknowledged the dedication of the university to fostering linguistic and cultural heritage. “Collective efforts from scholars, linguists, and the community are essential for achieving this goal,” he said.
Vice Chancellor, University of Kashmir, Prof Nilofer Khan, who was the chief guest on the occasion, emphasised the need to integrate Kashmiri into the modern period. “Publishing work in local language is one of the ways to promote and modernize our language,” she said.
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 said 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 said. He 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 NEP 2020.
She reminded the participants that anyone’s language is the foundation of identity and cultural heritage and if a language is forgotten, then 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,” Prof Tiwari said
The day also marked the Foundation Day of CUK. Deans of various Schools and Controllers of Examinations were felicitated by CUK VC.
The inaugural culminated with a 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.
“The Kashmiri language has lost its essence due to the insensitivity shown by Kashmir’s own people by prioritising other languages over their mother tongue,” Prof Shahid said.
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.
