In everyday life in Kashmir today, a steady transformation is unfolding. It is visible in homes, in everyday settings, and in the flow of daily life. A person checks the news on a phone, while another follows a lecture on a laptop or tablet. Forms and many routine tasks are now completed online, and new skills are learned or shared across digital platforms. Knowledge no longer remains confined to one place. It moves freely, arriving instantly and becoming part of everyday life. This shift has reshaped how people learn, communicate, and manage their daily tasks. People are not outside this change; they are already living within it. This is simply how life now unfolds. Within this setting, a deeper question emerges: what does it truly mean to be literate in a digital age, especially in a place where learning has always been valued?

For a long time, literacy began and ended with reading and writing. That understanding carried dignity and opened doors to knowledge and participation. It shaped how individuals understood the world and expressed themselves within it. But the world has expanded, and the meaning of literacy must expand with it. Today, information does not arrive only through printed pages. It appears as images, short videos, messages, and continuous streams of content. Communication unfolds across platforms that shape how ideas are presented and received. In such an environment, literacy is no longer only about reading words. It is about grasping meaning. It is about knowing how to interpret what appears, how to connect it to reality, and how to use it with care. Digital literacy does not replace traditional learning. It deepens it.

Access to digital tools has steadily become part of everyday life. As in many parts of the country, including Kashmir, phones,........

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