Jammu: Lauding the contribution and efforts of youngsters in the fields of art, music and culture in promoting Dogri, National Conference (NC) Provincial President, Jammu Devender Singh Rana Sunday said preserving the language was imperative for upholding identity of the Duggarland and the Dogras.
“The role of the people in general becomes equally important in achieving this objective in terms of speaking Dogri, which many of us shy away in our daily lives and while interacting with children in homes,” Rana said releasing a Dogri album produced by Joginder Jolly and Nirbhay Singh Slathia.
He said that the scholars, who were conscious keepers of the Dogra heritage, should also play their crucial role in promoting and propagating Dogri.
Rana exuded confidence that harmony and reconciliation could be achieved as a result of reclamation of Dogri language.
He said that the Hindus, the Muslims, the Sikhs and the Christians were proud inheritors of the Dogra heritage and a collective effort was needed to make Dogri a day-to-day language besides being promoted by organising cultural events and literary festivals.
“We owe it to posterity to preserve Dogra language and bequeath it to future generations with a sense of pride and instill a sense of respecting all languages among our youth,” Rana said. “Any laxity on this count cannot be forgiven.”
He said that the death of the language amounts to the death of the soul.
Rana expressed happiness over singers and radio jockeys doing their best in popularising Dogri by preparing albums and giving performances at various events.
“Being rich in content and lucid in delivery, Dogri has huge potential of bringing communities together,” he said.
Rana also hailed the huge role being played by writers, intellectuals and artists in promoting Dogri over the years and said it was due to their strenuous and tireless efforts that the lovers of Dogri were getting well accustomed to the language.
He said that languages were essentially to bind the people and the mother tongue could play a great role in this regard.