Srinagar: To promote awareness and discussion on the linguistic diversity of North India, the Department of Linguistics and Department of Urdu, University of Kashmir (KU), in collaboration with Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, Ministry of Education, Government of India organised a one-day national seminar on ‘Bharatiya Bhasha Parivar: Linguistic Scenario of North India with Special Reference to Lesser-Known Languages’ here on Thursday.
According to a statement issued from Centre for Public Relations University of Kashmir, Srinagar speaking at the inaugural session, Vice-Chancellor KU, Prof. Nilofer Khan, highlighted the importance of language preservation and its alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
“This seminar reflects the vision of NEP 2020 which strongly emphasizes promoting regional languages and their role in education and cultural identity,” she said.
Padmashri Chamu Krishna Shastry, Indian Educationist, in his special online address, underscored the role of languages in communication and cultural bonding.
“NEP 2020 places great focus on the promotion of regional languages as a medium of instruction, ensuring their growth and preservation,” he remarked.
In his keynote address, Prof. Shafi Shauq, former Dean, School of Arts, Languages & Literature KU, traced the historical significance of languages in North India, emphasizing the linguistic richness of the northwestern region.
“Kashmiri has a long literary tradition and is a testament to the diversity of languages in the subcontinent,” he noted.
Representative from Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, Prof. R.C. Sharma, spoke about the marginalization of certain languages and the need to safeguard linguistic heritage in his online remarks, while Prof. M. Jehangir Warsi, Dean Academic Affairs and Head, Department of Linguistics, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, stressed on the importance of studying multiple languages to develop cultural understanding.
Earlier, Head, Department of Linguistics, KU Prof. Musavir Ahmad, in his welcome address, noted that many lesser-known languages of North India remain unrecognized and expressed hope that this seminar would provide them a much-needed platform.
Head Department of Urdu KU and Director of the seminar, Prof. Aejaz Mohammad Sheikh, reiterated India’s multilingual nature and the need to bring lesser-known languages into mainstream discussions.
The event proceedings were conducted by Dr. Sajad Hussain Wani faculty member at the Department of Linguistics KU while another faculty member Dr. Sheeba Hassan delivered the formal vote of thanks.
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