At a time when the younger generation of Kashmiris is losing touch with their language, this poet is igniting their interest with her eloquent verses that describe the beauty of the Himalayan region.
Nighat Yasmeen, a 62-year-old resident of Lolab valley in Jammu and Kashmir, is doing something that’s interesting as well as inspiring. She’s contributing to keeping the Kashmiri language alive through her poetry.
Yasmeen’s debut work, titled Kairwan, isn’t just about words; it’s like a story about her village that describes the stunning landscapes and green meadows of the area. It’s also a way for her to invite people to visit and discover the beauty of the Kashmir region.
Yasmeen’s dedication to preserving the Kashmiri language is significant considering the challenges the language has faced over the years. The decline in the usage of Kashmiri can be attributed, in part, to government negligence, as policies and educational practices often favour other languages.
“The marginalisation of regional languages in India, including Kashmiri, has been a concern for many years. This has led to a gradual erosion of the country’s linguistic diversity,” said Yasmeen, who holds a diploma in education and worked as a Kashmiri and Urdu language teacher at a girls’ school in her hometown.
Teaching helped her share her love for language and poetry with her students.
“Since I was young, I was fascinated by the beauty of Kashmir and its culture,” said Yasmeen, who was inspired by the surrounding mountains and greenery to write poems about nature and her homeland. Despite her prolific writing, she never got the chance to publish her poetry or receive recognition for her talents in her younger days.
While working as a teacher, Yasmeen explored different topics like social issues in her poems but she always came back to the natural beauty and culture of the Valley. After her retirement, she decided to focus entirely on her writing, and has received support from her husband in the pursuit. In 2023 she published Kairwan, which has earned her recognition from literature enthusiasts.
Now Yasmeen believes that by expressing the beauty of the Kashmir valley through poetry, she can inspire a renewed interest in the language among the younger generation. Her efforts are not only about preserving words but also about safeguarding the cultural heritage of the region.
Suhail Bhat is a multimedia journalist from Kashmir, currently based in New Delhi. He has 5 years of experience as a multimedia journalist.
