Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 3: The Gujjars of Jammu and Kashmir today sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to include Gojri language in the list of official languages of the UT.
A meeting in this regard was organized by Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation held here today under the chairmanship of noted tribal researcher Dr Javaid Rahi which was attended by Gojri writers, tribal elders, and students.
The speakers of the meeting stated that Schedule Tribe Gujjars-Bakerwals cannot understand Kashmiri and read and write Dogri –two regional languages included in the list. They demanded that Gojri must be included in Jammu and Kashmir Languages Bill 2020 being a separate tribal language. They said that Gojri is the second language of Kashmir region after Kashmiri and Jammu region after Dogri- and urged a separate notification to include Gojri in the list.
They appealed Prime Minister of India and Home Minister of India to intervene for inclusion of tribal language Gojri –the mother tongue of Gujjars-Bakerwals which forms a separate ethno-tribal group having different linguistic lineage besides History, art, culture, lifestyle, crafts and socio-economic conditions.
Dr Rahi stated that the tribal language ’Gojri’ has a rich treasure of folk and written (classical/modern) literature. “Gojri is spoken by 3 million people in Jammu and Kashmir as their first and second language and is different from Kashmiri and Dogri, he said and added it was recognized as a regional language in erstwhile state and listed in the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir-VIth Schedule. He further said Gojri is taught in schools and universities,” he added.
He informed that in past, former Governor NN Vohra and two Chief Ministers of J&K, from time to time wrote separate letters to Union Home Ministry recommending inclusion of Gojri in the eighth schedule as well.
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