Kashur | Revisiting the local dialect

Is kashur an ancient dialect? Did it ever serve as official language of this land. Is any ancient document written in this language? Have ever any epigraphs of this language been found anywhere. Did any series of ancient coins of this land carried legends in this language. Did this language ever serve as the written language of its people. These are few of the quarries which are often raised in the literary circles.

Indeed we all know that like all other dialects, Koshur is also an ancient popularly spoken dialect of my land, which has adopted its name from this dialect and is known as kasheer. Obviously there are certain other dialects like Dogri, Punjabi Pahari, Gojjri, Shina , and Balti spoken on high reaches around this glorious valley, but majority of its people are Kashur speaking, which mostly included people of all religions, sects and communities.

Surprisingly, despite being the most popular spoken dialect of this land, I do not think if it ever enjoyed any official status and served any time the official language of this land. I do know and have read that Sanskrit and Persian has been the official language of ancient Kashmir and most of the documents which pertain to this land are written in these two languages in Sharda and Arabic Characters. Since being a senior local archaeologist I have never come across any such ancient paleographic evidence of this language and no any ancient kashur epigraphic evidence is recorded from anywhere of this land. Indeed number of epigraphs have been discovered and preserved in the museums and at monuments here but those are either in Sharda, or Persian and Arabic alphabets. I have also never come across any legends in Kashur dialect in any ancient coin series of this land, the most of the legends on the ancient coins of this land are in Kharoshti Brahmi, Sharda, Persian and Arabic letters.

Almost all the ancient documents pertain to this land are written either in Sharda, Sanskrit or in Persian Alphabet. While no such ancient documents of this land are known in Kashur alphabet. In fact, Kashur dialect is very rich in terms of its literature and thousands of books have been written in prose and poetry in this dialect. Besides it is also incorporated in the education sector and is taught in various universities and colleges. I knew of this language, it is my local dialect which has almost served as the spoken dialect of my land. It is our mother tongue which will never die. Nobody needs to be worried about it.

For instance, how odd it will sound if anybody tells you that I teach my baby how to suck milk from her mother’s breast? It is natural. Similarly, how irrelevant it looks when one talks of teaching the people their very own mother tongue, because it is also naturally transformed in these tiny souls and mothers help enables babies in delivery of the dialogue.

I do not think that introduction of local dialects as subject in school and collage levels has helped these dialects to flourish beyond their spoken communities; indeed it has helped few of its students to get employment opportunities in local colleges and universities, besides helped to enrich its literary treasure.

The local schools before eighties did take care of this language by introducing it as a medium of instruction and by encouraging children to sing Kashmiri songs, in morning prayers and at other cultural events. Several songs of Mahjoor and Azad were popularly sung by school children in melodious voices during their morning prayers. And those songs not only promoted this local dialect but also cultivated the love and brotherhood among students belonging to different faiths, sects and communities. I do still remember few of those songs which we used to sing in the morning prayers of school. I would here like to mention the following couplet of one of the most famous lyric of Mahjoor, where in the poet seeks the righteous way of life, full of love and brotherhood and distances himself from hatred.

Sahibu sath chum ma chhani wath ma asslich hawtum

Keut kala rouz baizan zian hud mas chavtum

Yeum sukhan paida karun khalkun ander ulfat te loul

Dour yemseith ghachhi nufrat te wanun hichh natum

Oh God your my succor, show me the right path

I do not want to remain ignorant, please enlighten me

Teach me to deliver those words which cultivate love and brotherhood and remove hatred from the society

Another song of this poet was very popular during morning prayers of my school; it started with these lines:

Neia treyiv mai thyiv panne wain

Puz muhabet bagriviv, panne wain

Hend chhu shaker doud chhu mulim saaf saaf

Doud te bie shaker ralaviv pan vain

(Leave conflicts aside, cultivate real love

Hindus and Muslims are like sugar and milk, mix them together)

The administrative system and educationists of that time had a good sense of promoting the local languages. They knew that the local dialect could be promoted, when it serves as the medium of instruction in schools and colleges. That is why they had made it the main medium of instruction, which helped students to understand other subjects more easily as well. A local dialect cannot be promoted by introducing it in schools as a subject. It can be promoted only if it is introduced as a medium of instruction.

Of course, the role of its promotion by certain institutions cannot be ruled out. In this context mention may be made of certain literary, music and cultural institutions. The musicians did a wonderful job to promote its musical aspect while poets and dramatists promoted its content. Indeed the AIR and Doordarshan Kendra also played a wonderful rule in promoting its spoken dialect, while JKAACL did a wonderful job in composing, documenting and publishing its literary treasures.

But still I am unable to understand that if this language served as the most popular language of this land why it could not serve as the official language of its people, why could not official businesses be carried in it.

Iqbal Ahmad, senior archaeologist and Author