Maj Gen S K Sharma
In the last few years, I met many Dogra parents, who never encouraged their children to learn and speak Dogri language in schools and are repenting now. They feel that their children have less attachment with them and their grandparents. And some of them, who have gone out of J&K for jobs, are not keen to come back as they have very little attachment with this Duggar land.
Detachment from Roots
These parents deliberately selected English teaching schools for their children. Even in their houses, they made conversation with them in Hindi or English and discouraged them from speaking Dogri. They feel that English knowing children will get better jobs and will be able to do better in life, whereas they did not see any advantage by selecting Dogri as a language.
Such students were deprived of the knowledge of their own rich Dogra culture as well as the importance of Dogri language.
Dogri Acts as Glue
Parents, as they grow old, find that their children are not much attached to them or their grandparents. They, neither plan to come to Jammu to see them anytime.
Now these parents realize that had they taught Dogri to their children and selected the schools which teach Dogri language, they would have got attached with them and their Duggar land. The knowledge of the mother tongue acts glue which has great binding force to connect the children with parents and their motherland. But now time is gone, and the old parents are left to repent for their wrong assessment about the strong power of Dogri language.
It is felt that the student who does not study his/her mother tongue is like a free electron which has no charge in it and will never get attracted to its nucleus where protons and neutrons are waiting for it. They merge with the bigger society but without any cultural identy. As per one of my friends, such students wander in the society like a Gwachi Gaan (cow who has lost the route back to home). Some of them may even get depressed at the later stages in life as they would miss their parents, brothers, sisters, school friends with whom they had spent the gala times during their childhood.
Job Versus Attraction to Roots
A month ago, I met an IAS officer, posted in J&K who told me that before appearing for IAS, he wanted govt. job in Punjab, but had to pass Punjabi language exam of 10th class as a mandatory requirement. Only those candidates who have passed Punjabi language of 10th class are eligible for govt. job. In Punjab, the language Punjabi is compulsory till 10th class and any school which defaults is fined up to Rs. 2 lakh. Similar is the situation in many states where the state language is also one of the 22 Scheduled languages at the national level.
In India, almost all the students are taught English from Nursery class onward. And in their senior classes, they keep studying this language till they clear their 12th class. So as far as the jobs are concerned, schools and colleges are preparing them for this.
But what about the cultural angle? We are a close well-knit society which needs strong bonding between parents/grandparents and the children. Now a days, society is heading towards a nuclear structure with only one or two children. As the parents grow old, they feel secure if their children are around them or are within digital/physical reach. And this is only possible if they are attached to their land through Dogri language.
False Narrative About Dogri
While talking of 1947, it is seen that there were 547 princely states which were merged together in 11 states and a few union territories of India. J&K was the biggest of all these 547 princely states and kept as a united state as its is.
J&K was a Dogra state, ruled by a Dogra king and where most of the people used to speak Dogri language. But while deciding the languages at the national level, Dogri was left out and instead, Kashmiri and Urdu were included in the 8th Schedule to the Indian Constitution along with other 12 languages like Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali etc.
Thereafter, teaching of Dogri, as a compulsory subject in schools, stopped. And degradation of Dogra culture started. In addition to this, a narrative was built that anyone who speaks Dogri is Graayeen (villager) and backward. This narrative went so strong in the minds of the Dogras that they got convinced and started opting for English, Urdu, Hindi subjects and not Dogri. Even myself who studied in local schools during 1960s was not taught Dogri language.
Himachal Pradesh, which is another Dogra State in the neighbourhood, had very adverse effect of this wrong narrative. It is clear from the Census Report of 2011, where most of the residents wrote Hindi/other languages as their mother tongue and not Dogri. Only 0.34% residents said that their mother tongue was Dogri.
Facts about Dogri
When Dogri was not included in the 8th Scheduled of the Indian Constitution, the Dogras resented for it. The struggle took them over 55 years to get it introduced in 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution in 2003 through 92nd Constitution Amendment Act, 2003 which was published in the Gazette of India on 8.1.2004.
In 2020, when Manoj Sinha took over the reigns of J&K UT as a Lt Governor, he made Dogri as a State language. So, as on today, there are five State languages viz. Dogri, Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi and English.
Despite the wrong narrative, still 25.13 lakh people in J&K showed Dogri as their mother tongue in the Census Report of 2011. This figure would be 30-40 lakh by now.
Recommendations for Various Segments of Society
For parents: While admitting your child in school, ensure that one of the subjects taken by him/her is Dogri. In case schoolteacher does not agree to the this, then report the matter to JK BOSE and also bring this to the notice of the public through digital media for taking action against the school.
Secondly, as far as possible, have conversation with your children in Dogri in the house. Also encourage your child to learn a few Dogri songs, bhajans, chutkale, proverbs and jokes to arouse his/her curiosity, and keep their interest live in Dogri language.
12th pass students: In the coming month, the students may appear in some competitive exams like CUET, CET etc. Whichever stream of studies viz. science, commerce, arts or any other, please take an additional subject of Dogri language which is available in all the colleges under the Jammu University and Cluster University of Jammu.
Owners of Schools: They should ensure that their school follows the dictate of National Education Policy -2020 and teach Dogri as a subject in at least classes 1 to 5. Currently, JK BOSE has kept this as an optional subject for all the schools. Ask the Principals/headmasters and other teachers to prepare syllabus accordingly.
As per JK BOSE, teachers teaching up to 8th classes are recruited as general line teachers and are supposed to take all the subjects. Any Hindi teacher, who speaks Dogri can teach Dogri language as the script of Dogri is Hindi
Dogra Teachers, CEOs, ZEOs: A non-Dogra teacher will have no interest in promoting Dogri language. So, all the Dogra teachers, Head masters, Principal, ZEOs and CEOs must motivate their students to take Dogri in the classes. CEOs and ZEOs must check this aspect during their inspections of schools.
Colleges: Students in colleges should also opt for at least one Dogri subject in the college. Secondly, they should make a Dogri Cultural Club in their college like Sports Club, Literary Club etc., where they can, periodically conduct Dogri programmes, plays, song competitions etc. They can also make use of the JK Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, which is just in front of Science College Jammu. Its role is to promote languages and they get funds for that.
Universities: In accordance with NEP-2020, Universities have already encouraged multi-disciplinary studies wherein students have to choose a subject from other departments to promote culture of the land. Vice Chancellors and faculty of Jammu University, Cluster University of Jammu, SMVDU, Central University of Jammu and Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University which are located in the Dogra land should motivate their students to take the additional subject in the Department of Dogri Language.
Govt officials: Govt officials like Principal Secretary Higher Education, Secretary, School Education, Chairman JK BOSE, Director JK SCERT, Director School Education Jammu and Project Director Samagra Shiksha, J&K are requested to ensure that the language of the land i.e Dogri does not die down during their tenure in the education department.
Measure Your Outcomes during 2024: Finally, all the stakeholders mentioned above are requested to measure their own outcomes in terms of addition in students who have opted for Dogri language in their domain of influence during this year. This figure will give them solace and a feeling of satisfaction for their work for the Dogra society.
(The author is Member, Board of Directors Dogra and former Member Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board)
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