Vijay Dhar takes a path-breaking initiative
DPS Starts Teaching Kashmiri
Hakeem Irfan (Rising Kashmir)
Srinagar: In a step to promote Kashmiri language, Delhi Public School (DPS)-Srinagar became the first CBSE School in the State to start teaching Kashmiri language.
The school authorities have also urged CBSE to include the language in 10th standard examinations.
Talking to Rising Kashmir over phone, Chairman DPS Kashmir, Vijay Dhar said: "It is a tribute to our own place. I always feel that we should be associated with our culture and ethos."
DPS Srinagar has become the first school under CBSE pattern to start such a course.
“Nowhere in India is the language is taught in CBSE schools. We also teach Arabic in our school. It is perhaps the only school in India to teach two languages," said Dhar.
He said the school is in communication with CBSE authorities to introduce Kashmiri language in the 10th standard.
“We’re trying our level best to persuade CBSE people to introduce Kashmiri in 10th standard. Even if it does not happen, we will continue to do it at our own level," said Dhar.
According to Dhar, students studying between fourth and eighth standard would be taught Kashmiri at DPS in the first phase and then a strategy for further expansion would be formulated.
Meanwhile, Adbee Markaz Kamraz, the oldest cultural organisation of Kashmir valley has hailed the management of Delhi Public School for introducing Kashmiri as a subject in the school.
In a statement issued here, the AMK spokesman said this would go a long way in taking the language to the schools and hoped that others schools will follow suit.
“We appreciate the management particularly Vijay Dhar for taking this historical step," the spokesman said. “Other branches of the DPS in the Valley Humhama, Delina and Sangam should also take similar steps to fulfill the aspirations of Kashmiri students.”
The spokesman said that by introducing Kashmiri in schools and then effectively teaching it, students will be able to re-establish their connection with their identity. "It will play a vital role in cultural renaissance of Kashmir."
According to 2001 Census, there are approximately 5,554,496 Kashmiri language speakers in India and around 105,000 speakers in Pakistan.
Kashmiri language is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is a part of the Sixth Schedule in the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. Along with other regional languages mentioned in the Sixth Schedule, as well as Hindi and Urdu, the Kashmiri language is to be developed in the state.
Since November 2008, Kashmiri language has been made a compulsory subject in all schools in the Valley up to the secondary level.
In 1919 George Abraham Grierson wrote that “Kashmiri is the only one of the Dardic languages that has a literature”.
Kashmiri literature dates back to over 750 years, which is, more-or-less, the age of many a modern literature including modern English.
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