Kishtwar is a multi-lingual district where dialects vary from one to another. But Kishtwari and Kashmiri is the main language, spoken by a majority of the people and in a vest area comprising Kishtwar, Mandal, Palmar, Chhatroo, Thakrai, Keshwan, Sarthal, Kuntwara, Nagseni and Dachhan. It is the medium of communication of both the have now switched i.e. Muslims and the Hindus although a majority among Muslims have now switched to Kashmir – Kishtwar an admixture of Kashmiri and Kishtwari languages but not Kashmiri, in its entirety as some writers claim It is due to the interaction between the migrant population of Kashmir, which settled here and the original inhabitants of this place.
Kishtwari has originated from Prakrit. The literary language was Sanskrit which has close relationship with Prakrit. Kishtwari can conveniently be called sister language of Kashmiri as both have originated from Prakrit which is much simpler than Sanskrit. The present form of Kishtwari is the direct outcome of Prakrit, Pali or Sanskrit language.
Padderi is spoken, exclusively in Paddar only while in Saroor and Bonjwah, people speak in Saroori and Bhalesi both dialects of Bhadarwahi. Buddhists speak in Bodhi and Gujjars in Gojri language.
The variety of dialects prevalent in Kishtwar has been preserved from the times immemorial without getting disturbed from outside influence. This may be due to the in-accessibility and rugged and mountainous terrain of the area.
Kishtwar and all other dialects used in the area have originated from ‘Prakrit’ the spoken language of the people when Sanskrit was the literary language; Sanskrit is therefore, the mother of all the language of the Indo-Aryan family of Language. Sentence structure of Kishtwari, Kashmiri and other dialects is also the same as that of Sanskrit and different from English.
Writer differs on whether Kishtwar is a language or a dialect. Some claim that Kishtwari is a language with its various dialects spoken in Nagseni, Dachhan, Chhatroo, Kontwara, Pogal – Paristan, Desa and Siraj.
Despite this no literature worth mentioning is available in Kishtwar language. The reason can be:-
(a) No state patronage gives to Kishtwar by the local Raja’s.
(b) Complete isolation of the place from rest of the country due to its mountainous, rugged and difficult topography and non-availability of road connectivity.
(c) Scarce schooling facilities till sixties.
A dialect qualifies to be a language when it is spoken by the people of a particular country / region as a source of communication, having its own system of sound, words and grammar, script and literature in the form of books of prose and poetry. On this measure – rod, Kishtwari, as on today, does not qualify to be a language in the true sense of the word. However it is a vibrant language, consistently adopting words from neighboring languages and enriching it self.
With the boom in educational activities and availability of road – connectivity and interaction with the outer world, Kishtwari is well on its path to be recognized as a language. Galaxies of poets and writers have now been writing in Kishtwari and publishing books and articles. A literary organization known as ‘Kishtwari Sahitya Kala Sangam’ has taken up the responsibility of the enrichment of the Kishtwari language and the day is not far when it will be recognized as a language fit to be included in the 8th scheduled of the constitution.
The common language has no narrow mindedness. It includes, accepts and adopts common words from other languages be it National or International. We do not find any language presently in the same form, style and tone as it is spoken by our ancestors long long ago..
Kishtwari has originated from Prakrit. The literary language was Sanskrit which has close relationship with Prakrit. Kishtwari can conveniently be called sister language of Kashmiri as both have originated from Prakrit which is much simpler than Sanskrit. The present form of Kishtwari is the direct outcome of Prakrit, Pali or Sanskrit language.
Padderi is spoken, exclusively in Paddar only while in Saroor and Bonjwah, people speak in Saroori and Bhalesi both dialects of Bhadarwahi. Buddhists speak in Bodhi and Gujjars in Gojri language.
The variety of dialects prevalent in Kishtwar has been preserved from the times immemorial without getting disturbed from outside influence. This may be due to the in-accessibility and rugged and mountainous terrain of the area.
Kishtwar and all other dialects used in the area have originated from ‘Prakrit’ the spoken language of the people when Sanskrit was the literary language; Sanskrit is therefore, the mother of all the language of the Indo-Aryan family of Language. Sentence structure of Kishtwari, Kashmiri and other dialects is also the same as that of Sanskrit and different from English.
Writer differs on whether Kishtwar is a language or a dialect. Some claim that Kishtwari is a language with its various dialects spoken in Nagseni, Dachhan, Chhatroo, Kontwara, Pogal – Paristan, Desa and Siraj.
Despite this no literature worth mentioning is available in Kishtwar language. The reason can be:-
(a) No state patronage gives to Kishtwar by the local Raja’s.
(b) Complete isolation of the place from rest of the country due to its mountainous, rugged and difficult topography and non-availability of road connectivity.
(c) Scarce schooling facilities till sixties.
A dialect qualifies to be a language when it is spoken by the people of a particular country / region as a source of communication, having its own system of sound, words and grammar, script and literature in the form of books of prose and poetry. On this measure – rod, Kishtwari, as on today, does not qualify to be a language in the true sense of the word. However it is a vibrant language, consistently adopting words from neighboring languages and enriching it self.
With the boom in educational activities and availability of road – connectivity and interaction with the outer world, Kishtwari is well on its path to be recognized as a language. Galaxies of poets and writers have now been writing in Kishtwari and publishing books and articles. A literary organization known as ‘Kishtwari Sahitya Kala Sangam’ has taken up the responsibility of the enrichment of the Kishtwari language and the day is not far when it will be recognized as a language fit to be included in the 8th scheduled of the constitution.
The common language has no narrow mindedness. It includes, accepts and adopts common words from other languages be it National or International. We do not find any language presently in the same form, style and tone as it is spoken by our ancestors long long ago..
Some common Kishtwari words and their meanings:-
English Kishtwari
Me Bov
You Tuse
He Sov
She Saa
We Aisay
Boy Bokut
Girl Koudi
Few sentences in Kishtwari language with their meaning in English :-
1. Kishtwari--- Meyoun naam thu Pardeep.
English---- My name is Pardeep.
2. Kishtwari--- Tusi kya thav Karan?
English--- What are you doing?
3. Kishtwari---Tusi kichid thav?
English--- How are you?
4. Kishtwar--- Main thay na Kishtwari katha ivaan.
English-- I do not know Kishtwari language.
5. Kishtwari--- Kishtwar thay vara soundar jaye.
English--- Kishtwar is very beautiful place .
.
Literary Organizations of Kishtwar
1. Anjuman Taraqqi Adab:- This organization is the oldest literary organization of District Kishtwar. It is said that this organization was founded on the insistence of the Late Ishrat Kashmiri in 1935. At that time the late Ghulam Haider Gagroo, Qaiser Kishtwari was appointed its President while Nishat Kishtwari as Vice President and Ishrat Kashmiri as Secretary. Due to this organization many unknown people came to the forefront and got name and fame for their poetic works.
Anjuman Taraqqi Adab, under the patronage of Nishat Kishtwari, rendered yeoman's service to poetry and literature. Due to this organization new faces appeared in Kishtwar, who have become habituated to hard work in establishing their identity. Some of the active members of this organization are Khushi Ram Sen, Ghulam Qadir Berwari, Jagdish Raj Ushaq, Aijaz Sabat-e-Nishat Kishtwar, Mohd. Amin Doolwal, Manmohan Gupta Qaiser, Makhmoor Kishtwari, Mushtaq Ahmad Dev etc.
2. Chalant Cultural Forum:- Under the leadership of Late Ghulam Nabi Doolwal Janbaz Kishtwari, Cultural Forum, Kishtwar had come into existence much earlier. The aim of this forum was to encourage music in this area due but worsening of the situation a sort of inertia has gripped it also. However, this forum has published a comprehensive book Pas-e-Ufaq about the past poets on the first deat anniversary of Janbaz Kishtwari. The organization still exists but hardly any activities are undertaken on a bigger scale.
3. Gulistan-E-Adab:- This literary organization was estabblished in 1984. A meeting was held in Dak Bunglow Kishtwar, where all the poets, writers and artists of Kishtwar were invited to it. In the meeting all the participants stressed the need to work with sincerity for a conductive literary atmosphere and for this purpose decided to form a literary organization for achieving this objective.
4. Chinab Cultural Forum:- This is an active organization so far its name and activities are concerned. It was formed in 1990 with the idea that local artists and singers might be organised and brought to the fore and in this aim the organization has done well. At present under the leadership of this organization many group of singers are active in the field of music.
5. Kishtwari Sahitya Kala Sangam:-
S.No
|
Name
|
Designation
|
1
|
D.C Sharma
|
Patron
|
2
|
Kewal Krishan Sharma
|
President
|
3
|
Lekh Raj Parihar
|
Vice- President
|
4
|
M.L Bhandari
|
Cashier
|
5
|
Bansi Lal Aryan
|
Gen. Secretary
|
6
|
Swami Raj Parihar
|
Joint Secretary
|
7
|
Ram Sewak Sharma
|
Executive Member
|
8
|
Om Ji Goswami
|
Executive Member
|
9
|
Chander Mohan Gupta
|
Executive Member
|
10
|
Mohd Amin Doolwal
|
Executive Member
|