Jammu: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah has said that Kashmiriyat, the unique cultural heritage and religious ethos of Kashmir, could be preserved only if people keep all the languages of the region alive till the doomsday.
“Keeping language, culture and civilisation alive were signs of brave and great nations. To protect our identity, we must sustain our existence, which can only be achieved by keeping our mother languages alive,” he said, addressing the media here on the eve of International Mother Language Day.
“History bears witness to the fact that nations that forgot their language, culture, and traditions eventually faded into history,” Abdullah said.
The NC chief claimed that some hostile elements were trying to harm the Urdu and Kashmiri languages by giving them regional and religious colour.
The importance of native languages was also highlighted by great poets and political figures in the past. According to the American poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, “Language is the blood of the soul in which ideas run and grow.”
Mahatma Gandhi, the prominent leader of the Indian Independence Movement, also gave great importance to the mother tongue saying, “I like to cling to my mother tongue as I cling to my mother's bosom. Because it helps me to survive and every person should get an education in his mother tongue.”
International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on February 21 to promote linguistics, preserve culture and create awareness at the international level. On this day, people pledge to use their mother tongue in common speech and protect our mother tongue for the survival of our mother tongue.
The day was first introduced by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2000 for the preservation of native languages across the world and in India as well. On this day, various seminars, symposiums and other events are organized in all states and union territories including Jammu and Kashmir to raise awareness about the importance and preservation of the mother tongue.
In the era of globalization and digitalization, many local languages are on the verge of extinction. The United Nations recognized this issue and started this day to encourage people to respect and recognize the importance of their mother tongue. Every language is a heritage that needs to be preserved to ensure cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue.
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