Language plays a vital role in the presentation of a particular culture as it helps to pass on this from one generation to another. Languages keep changing a little bit with the passage of time and this leads to the origin of new languages. The various languages spoken in the sub-continent are inter related and having many similarities because these languages belong to the same family of languages called Indo –Aryan Languages.
Kashmir is considered as the seat of learning from ancient times. Kashmir has been the home of Sanskrit learning. This small valley has produced master pieces in history, poetry, romance and philosophy.
The advent of Muslim rule in Kashmir was marked by the change in language and culture of Kashmir. The new Arabic and Persian culture started to influence the Kashmiri culture and admixture of words from the two languages and their dilects with the Sanskrit.
Languages spoken in Jammu &Kashmir:
The Indian controlled Jammu and Kashmir is a multi-lingual state and can be divided into three linguistic groups. The people living in Kashmir valley speak Kashmiri. The people living in Jammu speak Dogri and the people living in Ladakh Region speak Ladakhi, Balti, Shina and Purg. In addition, many people in Kashmir division speak Gojri and Pahari as well. All these languages are listed among the principal language of the state and in the Jammu Kashmir’s constitution as well.
Kshmiri:
It was originally a branch of Prakrit language but with admixture of words and phrases from other dilects spoken in the outskirts of valley Prakrit assumed the form of Kashmiri. It’s believed by many scholars that the Kashmiri is a Dardic language born from Shina language. It is the only Dardic (Aryan language) which has a rich literature. Despite cultural invasion this language has survived as a distinct language. Kashmiri literature includes the poetry of great Lal Ded, Nund Reshi, Habba Khatoon, Rasool Mir, Shamas Fakir, Rahim Sahib Sopori, Ghulam Ahmad Mehjoor and Abdul Ahad Azad et al.
Dogri:
This is also an Indo Aryan language spoken in Jammu region only and has a good literature it is the mother tongue of the Dogras. This language is a mixture of Punjabi, Pahari and Gojri.
Pahari:
It is a language of the Indo Aryan family of languages. It derives its name from “hills” and is spoken in the foothills of Himalayas i.e. Nepal, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Pahari was initially written in Lunda script invented by Buddhists. Pahari like other languages suffered a lot because of the partition of 1947. However, over the decades there have been efforts from people from both sides of Jammu and Kashmir to revive the language and as a result many books are produced in the language.
Gojri:
It is the language spoken by the Gujjar people of the Kashmir and Jammu region. It is a mix of different languages. A good number of population in both regions of Jammu and Kashmir speak Gojri. Great efforts have been put by the people of this community in preserving, promoting and developing of this language; and is being properly taken care of by the government and the people as well.
Ladakhi:
This language is spoken in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. Ladakhi has several dialects—Ladakhi proper, Shamskat, Stotskat, and Nubra. The varieties spoken in upper Ladakh and Zanskar have many features of the western dialects of Central Tibet. It has been renamed somewhere as Bhoti also but it is officially called Ladakhi only.
Balti:
Balti is a Tibetan language in origin with some Dardic admixture. This language is spoken in the Kargil district of Ladakh region. In some parts of Kashmir valley and in the Baltistan region of Gilgit. Balti people are settled on both banks of the river Indus from Kargil in east and Haramosh in west and from Karakorum Range to Deosai plains. People migrated from these areas in different periods of ancient times due to different reasons and after merging in the prevailing Tibetan society gave birth to a new civilization. All the multi-racial groups speak Balti language. In Kargil district of Ladakh people speak this language along with Shina. This language has no script and as such cannot be introduced as medium of teaching in schools while Ladakhi is included in the syllabus of school education.
Dardic Languages:
Dardic languages, also called Dard, Pisaca or Pisacha languages—a group of closely related Indo-Iranian languages—are spoken in Gilgit Baltistan, Kashmir, Chitral, Swat and some parts of Afghanistan. They are often divided into three groups that is Kafri, Western Khawori (Spoken in Chitral) and Eastern group which includes Shina and Kashmiri.
Shina:
Shina is a dardic language spoken in both regions of Jammu and Kashmir in the areas of Gurez, Drass, Kargil, Uri, Kangan, Bandipora, Anantnag, Kupwara and Budgam of Kashmir division and in Chanderkote and Nashri villages of Jammu region and across the border in Pakistan. It is spoken in Shingoo (the part of greater Gurez), Astore, Skardo, Gilgit, Chillas and many other places as well .This language suffered maximum due to the partition of 1947 because 80% of Shina speaking population remained under the administrative control of Pakistan and only 20% in Indian controlled Kashmir.
The Shina speaking population of Gurez (Gurais) area are under heavy influence of Kashmiri language and culture due to intermingling with the nearest areas of Bandipora district speaking Kashmiri. Also the Shina speaking population in Drass and Kargil area are under the influence of Balti and Ladakhi due to intermingling with the population of Balti and Ladakhi of Kargil and Leh areas. Unfortunately, due to one or another reason the heavy influence of the above culture and language the people could not do anything for preserving, promoting and upliftment of their mother tongue.
In the year 2009 I came across with some Shina speaking people of Drass area of Kargil district in Srinagar. After interaction and a little discussion on the Shina language and culture we felt that something must be done in preserving and promoting the Shina language and culture. In the same meeting we decided to have a rough survey to find out people speaking Shina in Kashmir region. After doing some survey we found a good number of people speaking this language in different parts of Kashmir valley other than Gurez, Drass and Kargil areas. With the passage of time we came to know the people who are living in valleys are not able to speak it purely but as a mixture of Kashmiri and other languages. They have lost its original words and vocabulary.
After regular interactions in the month of October 2011 we met in Drass village and made the people of this region aware of the fact that if we did not preserve and promote this language and culture it would disappear and would become a part of history only. Ultimately with the help of some people of Drass and Kargil I along with some likeminded people formed an organization under the name of “Jammu and Kashmir Dard–Shin development Organization Trust”.
I, as a Managing Trustee and General Secretary of the trust, started to contact the people who had a little interest in the language and came to know that few people had written some poetry in Shina language but had put it down in Urdu script only. When we saw these few books namely “Bijooni” by one Ahmad Jawan of Drass and “Jilay Zehra” by Raza Amjad from Kargil, we could not read it. It was only the author who could read it. During discussion it was seriously felt that a particular script for writing Shina is required urgently and one of trustees produced some papers in which a script produced by one Mohammad Amin Zia[i] was unanimously accepted in the meeting of the trustees as medium of writing Shina in future which could be easily read in all parts of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh regions. With the passage of time the people started writing their poetry in the same script and the members of the trust started to come up with small books defining the script adopted for writing Shina. In May 2012 one Mohammed Shafi Sagar from Drass came with a book titled (“Shinna Rasmul –Khat”); and in the year 2013 Mr Abdul Jabbar Chakat from Gurais came with a book, Gulistan Shinna, and in the same year one Masood Samoon a former Bureaucrat from Gurais came with another one, Shinna Rasmul –Khat aur Saoti Nizam’; and in 2015, I also produced “Aasan Shinna Qaida”. This qaida was released during the first ever Shina Conference held in Srinagar in the month of September 2015.
Now I, as the Managing Trustee and General Secretary of J&K Dard-Shin development organization trust, started communication with the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art Culture and Languages (JKAACL) Srinagar. I met Dr. Aziz Hajini Sahib, the Secretary of the Academy, and explained him the situation of Shina language and its culture in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He was very much impressed and appreciated my ideas and promised every help in preserving, promoting and developing of Shina language and culture in the state .The academy agreed to my proposal for holding first ever Shina conference in Jammu and Kashmir in its conference hall in collaboration with Jammu and Kashmir Dard Shin Development Organization on 18th of Sept 2015. On this historical occasion a large number of intellectuals, civil society members and poets from Gurais and Drass area where present in the Conference hall of the Academy.
Khwaja Masood Samoon, a former bureaucrat and a renowned scholar, was the chief guest of the conference. Mr. Abdul Jabbar Chakat, the Chairman of the Trust presided over it. I delivered the welcome address and a paper on the Shina language. On 4th July 2016 a second Shina conference was organized by the Academy in collaboration with the Trust in Gurais valley. And this is now in progress.
Our organization with its full efforts have made it possible through School Education Department to include Shina and Balti languages in academic syllabus of school education from the academic session of 2017 i.e. Nov 2017. I am hopeful that the trust i.e. J&K Dard Shin Development Organization Trust, will continue its efforts to give a new shape to the Shina culture and language for its preservation and promotion.
[i] Amin Zia of Gilgit
Worthy to read!