The rich and fascinating culture of Kashmir is famous throughout the world. The people, arts, crafts, theatre, literature, cuisine, folks and so much more greatly contribute to the height of the Kashmiri Culture. Moreover, Kashmir is known for its diversity due to the blend of various cultures and religions here. The history of Kashmir speaks about specialty of its rich culture.
1. Dress Up: A specialty of Kashmir is the vibrant costumes of this region. The people of Kashmir look gorgeous dressed in traditional clothing. Men mostly wear salwar- kameez or kurta- pajamas to escape the summer heat. Women mostly wear salwar- kameez and also put on Scarf over their heads. During winter, people- both men and women look elegant in Pheran which is a long overcoat. The fabric people wear largely depends on the weather and they ordinarily wear loose gowns. Additionally, men and women also wear skullcaps and headgear respectively. Women generally cover both their shoulders and head out of respect for elders. These traditional dresses of Kashmir truly represent the breathtaking culture of the region.
2. Cuisine: Kashmir offers truly delicious cuisine that includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies for this is a place that caters to all and these delicious dishes will leave you wanting more. Some infamous non-vegetarian dishes are the Kashmiri Kebab, Goshtaba, Dopayaza, Yakhni, and Methi Keema and therefore it’s every meat-lover’s delight. But vegetarians need not worry because there are myriad dishes available for them, such as Rajmah, Pulao, Ladyar Tsaman, and Nadir Yakhin. These flavorful dishes are prepared by utilizing fresh vegetables and paneer, to make it all the more delicious. However Kashmiris mostly like non- vegetarian dishes
3. Arts and Crafts: Kashmir is a prominent center for mesmerizing arts and crafts with its handicrafts industry particularly blossoming. Kashmir is practically synonymous with pashmina shawls that are well-known for their texture and amazing quality. They are particularly renowned for their softness and the warmth they provide. These shawls are furthermore a symbol of royalty. Another prominent craft of Kashmir is the hand-knotted rugs as well as wool rugs that possess floral patterns. Additionally, some lovely handicrafts of Kashmir include paper mache, wicker, carved walnut furniture, and silverware.
4. Languages: Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi, English, and Urdu are the official languages of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmiri, with about 9 million speakers is the most widely spoken language in all of J&K. The Dardic language is also one of 22 scheduled languages according to the Indian Constitution and is the only Dardic language that has the status of an official language. In the valley of Chenab, it is the most common language. Kashmiri also has a major influence of Persian especially in vocabulary while being among the most conservative Indo-Aryan languages.
Why we are losing our cultural and traditional values: Today if a child of any family speaks Kashmiri, he is considered to be inferior and no respect is given to him. He is provided no space in our society. It is fault of elders who have forgotten that language mother tongue) is a gift. When the native speakers of the English language don’t feel any embarrassment while speaking their language, then why do we? The people in southern states of India feel proud to be the speakers of their native languages. But we are we ashamed of such a beautiful and sweet language? Day by day we are losing our language and there may be a day when we will have no language of our own. We have rich past in terms of Kashmiri literature and poetry. How can we forget Sheikh Noor-U-Din (R.A) , Lal Ded, Habba Khatoon, Mahmmod Gami, Rasul Mir , Ghulam Ahmad Mehjoor and many more. Kashmiri language and culture are on death bed. It is hard to believe that our society is becoming slave of western culture; the way we are following other cultures being modern is fine but being modern does not mean to get away with our identity and lose it. Most of our youth hardly wear pherans during winters, they believe that by putting on pherans they may look uncivilized and may be ignored by their nears and dears. Though it is good to live with the demands of technological and other advancements but it should not be at the cost of killing of our own culture and tradition. The culture of Kashmir deserves true admiration and the traditions of the region as well its various specialties reflect the beautiful culture of Kashmir and we must do our best to preserve it.
(The author is a teacher at Govt Higher Secondary School Damal . The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are author’s own and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
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