The number of people who are literate in the Kashmiri script has dropped to 5% in 2013, leaving the Kashmiri language’s survival merely to oral traditions. Microsoft and Google have now undertaken the task of reviving the Kashmiri language. Through a collaboration between the tech giants and various cultural organizations, the revival of the language will be spearheaded.
What steps have been taken by the tech giants to revive Kashmiri?
The tech giants have taken some steps to promote linguistic diversity, including the revival of Kashmiri. The initiative aims to include Kashmiri in Microsoft and Google’s translation software, benefiting around 70 lakh speakers of the language. This inclusion is anticipated to enhance Kashmiri writing skills and broaden access to literature, facilitating a stronger connection between the younger generation and their cultural heritage. The translation software is seen as a powerful tool to impart linguistic knowledge and bridge the gap between cultural roots and the contemporary generation.
The revival attempts of the language have received a significant boost with its recent designation as an official language of the Union Territory. Modern platforms such as YouTube, Google, and Microsoft are contributing to the creation of comprehensive knowledge repositories about the language. This development ensures that the younger generation has access to their cultural heritage in written form. The unprecedented revival of the Kashmiri script as a written medium not only secures its continued existence but also preserves a crucial aspect of the region’s rich cultural legacy.
Steps taken towards linguistic diversity
Microsoft India has expanded its support for major Indian languages by adding four new languages—Bhojpuri, Bodo, Dogri, and Kashmiri—to Microsoft Translator. This brings the total number of supported Indian languages to 20, including popular ones like Hindi, Bengali, and Tamil. Microsoft Translator aims to cover all 22 official Indian languages, now including all those spoken by nearly 95% of the country’s population.
This broader coverage is expected to help with improved education, literacy, governance, communication, and information outreach in native languages. Additionally, it creates economic opportunities for local artisans and businesses to connect with a wider audience, while contributing to the preservation of indigenous knowledge and cultural identity by bridging the gap to the mainstream.
Concerns of Extinction
Kashmiri is influenced by Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic and has been facing endangerment due to its exclusion from school curricula for almost 50 years. A 2013 research paper highlighted that 95% of literate Kashmiris could not write the language, and less than 5% could fluently read it. Urdu was instead made the official language during the Dogra monarchy, and although the language was introduced briefly after Independence, it was withdrawn in 1955. This had raised concerns about the extinction of the language altogether.
Revival efforts began around 2000, with initiatives such as reintroducing the language in schools and as an optional subject at the undergraduate level. By 2008, these efforts had laid the foundation for the language’s revival as a written medium, ultimately enabling a generation capable of reading and writing the language and reviving its literature.
Opposition to Kashmiri
In 2020, the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill incorporated Kashmiri as an official language in the Union Territory. Despite this official recognition, internal resistance stems from societal perceptions of Kashmiri as inferior and its association with lower social status. However, the younger generation’s use of music to popularize traditional Kashmiri songs challenges this bias. Around 30% of people in the state can now read and write in their native language. Professor Mehfooza Kamili from Kashmir University has noted a resurgence in the language, attributing it to modern platforms like YouTube, Google, and Microsoft, which are creating valuable knowledge repositories. This technological accessibility is expected to reconnect the new generation with their cultural roots.
