Language is not just a medium of communication — it is the soul of a culture, the heartbeat of a people, and the vessel of their collective memory. In Kashmir, where history, art, mysticism, and identity intertwine in a delicate cultural fabric, the mother tongue — Kashmiri (Koshur) — is facing a quiet yet devastating decline. Once the proud carrier of centuries of poetry, philosophy, and oral tradition, the Kashmiri language now stands on the brink of erosion. The reasons are many — generational neglect, policy failures, the dominance of Urdu and English in education and administration, and a changing socio-economic landscape that undervalues native linguistic heritage.

Today, the biggest tragedy is not that outsiders have ignored Kashmiri, but that many Kashmiris themselves — especially the younger generation — are turning away from their own language. What was once the language of home, hearth, and heart has been reduced to an optional relic in schools and a nostalgic subject for older generations.

A Legacy of Richness

To understand the depth of this crisis, one must first appreciate what is at stake. Kashmiri, or Koshur, belongs to the Dardic subgroup of the Indo-Aryan languages. It has a recorded literary tradition that dates back centuries, with poets like Lal Ded, Sheikh-ul-Alam (Nund Rishi), Habba Khatoon, Mahjoor, and Ghulam Ahmad Mahjoor shaping the moral and spiritual imagination of the Valley. Through Kashmiri, generations expressed their joys, sorrows, and philosophies; its rhythm carried the pulse of the Jhelum, its idioms captured the snow, and its verses gave voice to both mysticism and resistance.
For centuries, it was the primary means of cultural transmission — of folk tales, proverbs, lullabies, and wisdom. But today, that vibrant legacy is fading, as families, schools, and media drift away from the mother tongue in favour of more "modern" languages.

The Generational Divide

The most visible and alarming symptom of this linguistic decline is generational. Older Kashmiris still speak Kashmiri fluently; for them, it remains a living, breathing language. But among the youth — particularly urban and educated families — Kashmiri is rapidly vanishing from daily life. Many young Kashmiris today understand the language but cannot speak it with confidence or fluency. Some cannot even comprehend it fully.
At home, parents often speak to their children in Urdu or English, believing that doing so will give them an edge in education or employment. The result is a generation alienated from its linguistic roots — a generation that finds Kashmiri less “useful” or even “embarrassing.”
This trend reflects a deeper psychological shift: the internalization of the belief that progress requires abandoning one’s native tongue. The idea that English is a language of opportunity and Kashmiri is a language of the past has taken hold. Sadly, this mindset is not unique to Kashmir; it is common across India and other multilingual societies where globalization pressures local languages. But in Kashmir’s case, it strikes at the very heart of identity.

The Role of Schools and Policy Gaps

Education plays a decisive role in either preserving or eroding a language. In the case of Kashmiri, policy inconsistency and institutional neglect have contributed significantly to its decline.
Although Kashmiri was introduced as a compulsory subject in schools from classes I to VIII in 2008, implementation remains uneven. Many private schools still do not teach it seriously, and in government schools, the teaching material is often outdated or uninspiring. The language is treated as a formality rather than a living subject.
Moreover, there is a shortage of trained Kashmiri language teachers and a lack of attractive learning resources such as children’s literature, digital media, or creative content. The curriculum often focuses more on grammar than on the rich cultural and literary heritage that could inspire pride and emotional connection.
Higher education fares no better. Although several universities, including the University of Kashmir, have departments for Kashmiri language and literature, enrollment remains low. The subject is often perceived as offering limited career prospects.
This institutional apathy feeds a vicious cycle: when students do not learn Kashmiri meaningfully, they do not pass it on to their children — leading to a gradual linguistic and cultural amnesia.

The English and Urdu Domination

Language hierarchies are not accidental; they are reflections of power and prestige. In Kashmir, English has become the symbol of modernity and success, while Urdu holds official and literary dominance. Both languages enjoy higher social status than Kashmiri.
English is the language of education, administration, and aspiration — the passport to global recognition. Urdu, though not native to the Valley, has long served as the medium of government, law, and mass media. In contrast, Kashmiri remains largely confined to informal conversation, rural settings, or the arts.
This layered linguistic order — English at the top, Urdu in the middle, and Kashmiri at the bottom — mirrors a colonial mindset that devalues the local in favour of the foreign. It has created a situation where many parents feel that teaching their children Kashmiri is unnecessary, even counterproductive.
Yet this choice comes at a cost: it disconnects the new generation from the emotional and cultural subtleties that only a mother tongue can convey.

Urbanization and Social Aspirations

Urbanization and socio-economic aspirations have further accelerated the erosion of Kashmiri. In cities like Srinagar, Baramulla, and Anantnag, families increasingly speak Urdu or English at home. In contrast, rural communities have retained Kashmiri to a greater extent — though even there, the influence of television, social media, and schooling in other languages is changing habits.
For many young people, fluency in English or Hindi is seen as a mark of sophistication. Speaking Kashmiri, especially in urban or elite social circles, is often viewed as rustic or “old-fashioned.” Such attitudes create social pressure to abandon the language in favour of perceived prestige.

The Role of Media and Technology

In the digital age, language survival depends on presence — in media, entertainment, and the internet. Unfortunately, Kashmiri is grossly underrepresented across these platforms. While Doordarshan and Radio Kashmir occasionally broadcast Kashmiri programs, their reach and appeal among the youth are limited.
Private television channels, OTT platforms, and digital content creators rarely use Kashmiri. Even social media influencers from Kashmir prefer Urdu, Hindi, or English to reach wider audiences. The absence of engaging Kashmiri content — films, music videos, podcasts, or educational apps — means that the language struggles to stay relevant in modern communication.
Languages today survive not just in books or classrooms, but in the digital and emotional worlds people inhabit daily. Unless Kashmiri finds a vibrant place in that ecosystem, it risks becoming a museum language.

Cultural and Emotional Consequences

The erosion of the mother tongue is not merely a linguistic loss; it carries deep psychological and cultural consequences. A language is a repository of collective memory — every proverb, idiom, or phrase encodes centuries of experience. When a community loses its language, it loses a unique way of seeing the world.
Kashmiri, with its intricate vocabulary, poetic rhythm, and spiritual undertones, expresses emotions and concepts that are untranslatable into other languages. Its metaphors, humour, and expressions capture the landscape and sensibilities of the Valley in a way no other language can.
The loss of Kashmiri, therefore, is the loss of cultural intimacy — the loss of how grandparents tell stories, how folk wisdom is shared, how lullabies comfort a child, and how faith and folklore merge into daily speech.
When young people cannot speak the language of their ancestors, the emotional bond between generations weakens. Cultural identity becomes fragmented, and heritage turns into abstraction rather than lived experience.

The Way Forward: Reviving Koshur

Reviving Kashmiri requires a holistic, multi-dimensional effort involving government policy, community participation, media innovation, and educational reform.

Education Reform

Kashmiri must be taught not as a burden but as a source of pride and creativity.
Schools should employ engaging pedagogies — storytelling, theatre, poetry recitation, and digital learning tools — to make the language come alive.
Scholarships and incentives for Kashmiri language students can help attract more learners and teachers.

Parental Responsibility

The revival of any mother tongue begins at home. Parents must consciously speak Kashmiri with their children, making it a natural part of daily life.
Even bilingual households can preserve Kashmiri by dedicating certain times or days to speaking it exclusively.

Media and Technology

Encouraging Kashmiri-language content creation — music, short films, YouTube channels, podcasts, memes, and audiobooks — can make the language relevant in the digital age.
Government and private media outlets should allocate dedicated slots for Kashmiri-language programming, especially for youth-oriented themes.
Policy and Institutional Support:
The government must implement Kashmiri language education uniformly across schools and ensure funding for training teachers and developing quality textbooks.
Official correspondence and signage in the language can help normalize its public use.
Collaboration with tech platforms like Google and Wikipedia to enhance Kashmiri language tools, fonts, and translation resources is vital.

Cultural Revival

Cultural festivals, literary workshops, and theatre performances in Kashmiri should be encouraged.
Public figures, artists, and influencers should use Kashmiri in their interactions to set positive examples.

Language as Identity and Resistance

In Kashmir’s complex political and historical landscape, language also represents resilience and continuity. Through centuries of upheaval, Kashmiri identity has endured — often expressed most authentically through the native tongue. Preserving Kashmiri is not just about nostalgia; it is an act of cultural survival.
When a community safeguards its language, it safeguards its worldview. The revival of Koshur is therefore not only a linguistic project but also a moral and cultural one — a way of asserting identity without hostility, pride without exclusion, and belonging without boundaries.

Conclusion

The slow death of the Kashmiri language is a collective tragedy in the making — one that can still be averted. It is not enough to blame the government, schools, or media; the revival must begin within families, communities, and individual hearts.
Languages die when people stop loving them. They revive when people begin to speak them again — to laugh, sing, dream, and think in them. The young generation of Kashmir must understand that speaking their mother tongue is not an obstacle to modernity but an anchor to identity.
If Kashmiri disappears, a part of Kashmir’s soul will vanish with it. The loss would not be measured merely in words, but in silence — the silence of stories untold, songs unsung, and wisdom unspoken.
Reviving Koshur is, therefore, a moral duty — a promise to the past and a gift to the future.