A Generation Adrift
www . kashmirscan . net
Vol 05 Issue 05 March-April 2013
A Generation Adrift
Kausar Haider Irfan Bashir
Business Column
Riyaz Patloo
Abid Enterprises ,
Zainakote , s Kashmiri youth drifting away from their moorings ? One does get a distinct sense of this by seeing their life
Istyle . This generation certainly has a degree of disconnect with their cultural mores . And reinforcing this trend is their growing estrangement from the Kashmiri language . There are fewer Kashmiris who can read and write in their own language . The new Kashmiri generation prefers to talk in Urdu and English rather than in Kashmiri . Also , the new generation of parents prefers to teach their children Urdu and English rather than their mother tongue . If there is a place in Valley which exemplifies this situation more than any other , it is Srinagar . Here like in other places of the state , the conflict has taken a heavy toll on the psyche of people , particularly the new generation . According to a study by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage , the new Kashmiri generation is living in “ disjointed cultural islands ”. The youth lack sense of history and a sense of connection with their culture . In fact , as our growing alienation from our own language underscores , the new generation is not conscious of the need to be anchored in their cultural roots . And this should be a serious cause of concern for us as a community . The need is for the civil society to launch a sustained campaign to create cultural awareness in the state . The parents also have a onerous responsibility not to alienate their children from their mother tongue . And most important of all , schools have a due responsibility in the process which they should discharge .
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KASHMIR SCAN | June 2012 || 1 KASHMIR SCAN | July- Aug 2012 | 1 |