Every year 21 February is celebrated as ‘International Mother Tongue Day’ all over the world. This day is to remind people about the importance of native language in their lives. People belonging to all countries use mother tongue as a part of their identification. If there was no mother tongue then things would have not been easier for people around the globe. We can quickly catch a person on the basis of mother tongue. In fact every creature on earth has its own language. We identify lion when he roars, a cat by meow meow. We can recognize others by their mother tongue without even seeing them. There are some parts of the world where mother language is perishing slowly that is a thing of concern for knowledgeable people. Nowadays people have no respect for the language that they learn from birth. It is sad that Kashmiri language ‘Koshur’ has been taken for granted from past few years. Earlier people in our valley spoke only Kashmiri language. ‘Koshur’ with eagerness and love. They actually admired the mother tongue and the enthusiasm was heard in their accent. Especially elderly persons had great hold on this language because they knew it’s value. As time passed, the new generation started saying goodbye to this language. Youngsters who went outside for studies, jobs or business purpose adapted and brought other languages inside the valley. By this we don’t mean that learning the other languages is wrong but adapting a foreign language is a concern for the people. We don’t understand why the so called youth in Kashmir often feel shame in speaking the language that belongs to them. Today English and Urdu are widely spoken by youngsters in Kashmir which has overshadowed the basic lab. It is unfortunate that toddlers are taught other languages and kept away from Kashmiri language. Some people don’t even know how to speak Kashmiri language. It is hilarious that nowadays few children speak a mixture of Urdu, English and Kashmiri which does not make any sense. The educational institutions are responsible for not teaching the importance of our native language. We read different subjects in different languages in schools, colleges, and universities but that should be spoken when required. Youth must develop a habit of speaking Kashmiri language and set an example to the world. Kashmiri language must be introduced in every educational institution of Kashmir so that it remains forever and keeps our culture alive.
