Most parents in Jammu and Kashmir prefer to teach their children languages other than local ones, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti rued today as she batted for protecting local languages from the onslaught of modernity.
"I feel no qualms in saying that the biggest enemies of the local languages (in the state) are the people of Jammu and Kashmir themselves," she said here.
"In most of the families today, parents prefer to teach their children to speak in Hindi, Urdu and English instead of their mother tongue including Kashmiri, Dogri and Bodhi. This trend has to be reversed, sooner the better," Mehbooba said while giving away awards for literature in local language.
While Kashmiri is the language spoken in the Valley, Dogri is spoken in Jammu province and Bodhi in Ladakh province.
Mehbooba pressed the need for safeguarding local languages from the onslaught of modernity as she highlighted that local languages constitute a part and parcel of the state's distinct cultural identity and heritage.
Emphasising that language is an important part of any culture as it enables people to communicate and express themselves, she said, "when a language dies out, future generations lose a vital part of the culture that is necessary to completely understand it."
She said the government alone cannot do much for growth and development of the local languages and culture as she noted that development of a language begins at the family level from the parents.
In Kashmiri language segment, the award was given to Mushtaq Ahmad Mushtaq for his book 'Aakh' while for Dogri, the award went to Om Goswami for his book 'Rang Bakhrey Bakhrey'.
For Gojri, the best book award was presented to Sheikh Azad Ahmad Azad for his work 'Tatloos' while Kavita bagged the award for 'Swabhav Sameeksha' in Hindi.
For Ladakhi, the best book award was presented to Khanpo Konchok Phandey for his book 'Thommiyi Sun-r Tags-La-dpyadpa'. Nisar Rahi's book 'Tundh' was awarded for Pahari and Shyam Sunder Anand Lehar for his book 'Naamdev' in Urdu.
"This award ceremony is in a real sense the celebration of J&K s distinct cultural and linguistic diversity," Mehbooba said.
