When a college student recently began an interview in English with Dr. Farooq Abdullah, the president of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, the veteran leader gently asked him to switch to Kashmiri, stressing that it is our language and we should promote it. The exchange quickly went viral because it resonated deeply with the emotions of identity and belonging that language evokes. Yet it also exposed a tension that lies at the heart of Kashmiri society today. While cultural pride in one’s mother tongue is vital, English remains the primary gateway to opportunities in the modern economy. Achieving this balance is not merely a linguistic concern; it is a matter of social justice, ethics, and leadership integrity.

Kashmiri has ancient roots and a sizeable speaker base. The 2011 Census records roughly 6.8 million Kashmiri speakers in India, primarily in the Valley, and the language is one of the country’s scheduled languages. The language is classified as “vulnerable,” meaning that while children still learn it, usage is increasingly confined to domestic settings—an early warning sign that its public presence could erode. These facts reveal a paradox: Kashmiri is both alive and under pressure. India’s National Education Policy 2020 and subsequent curricular frameworks advocate mother-tongue instruction at least to Grade 5, recognising that children learn concepts best in their home language. Strengthening Kashmiri in early education and community life, therefore makes pedagogical and cultural........

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