Genesis of Kashmir
language-I
Sir,
Refer to Balraj
Puri's 'Major Identities of J&K State' date
lined 19.4.2001.
The Kashmiri
Pandit scholars who were intimately connected
with Dr. Grierson were not at all in agreement
with his formulations about the genesis of
Kashmiri language. There were lot many European
scholars like Ralph Turner, Joules Block,
Stenkonow and George Morgenhtiarnor who
pooh-poohed and openly flouted the observations
made by George Grierson about the origines of
Kashmiri language.
The fundamental
word-hoard of Kashmiri Language, its syntax, its
noun and verb forms and more than most words
related to the agricultural operations and names
of tools and implements used during such
operations owe their origin to the Sanskritic
word-hoard. Despite it, Dr. Grierson has placed
Kashmiri in the Dardic group of dialects and
sub-dialects. These as per him are intermediate
to the Indo Aryan and Iranian groups of
languages.
Stenkonow and
Joules Block have placed the Dardic languages or
dialects within the Indo Aryan group of languages
and not in the Iranian cluster of languages. Even
the very word 'Dard' has sanskrit origins and all
language. Clusters subsumed under the
nomenclature of Dardic languages are
metamorphosed forms of old vedic sanskrit.
Chitrali, Kafri, Shina, Kashmiri and Kohistani
are the Dardic group of languages which in terms
of linguistics are directly related to Paishachi,
which is a recognised prakrita having a
sufficient quanta of literature. How Dr. Grierson
missed it is puzzling.
According to the
Hormley, Paishachi is a Dravidian prakrit but
Purshotamdeva and Dr. Gyune as expert linguists
consider it a metamorphosed form of sanskrit and
shraurseni prakrit.
It is pertinent to
put that Dr. T N Ganjoo under the scholarly
guidance of Dr. R K Sharma, former HOD of Hindi,
University of Kashmir has thoroughly researched
the subject and established the origins of
Kashmiri language in the vedic sanskrit.
It is equally
relevant to put that Dr. Grierson had colonialist
imperatives in distorting the genesis of a
language in a region which was being eyed by the
British Imperial Government for imperialist
designs. Dr. Grierson whose presumptions were
accepted uncritically was also unaware of the
fact that the literature of Kashmiri language
pre-dated 14th century AD and reference material
in this behalf which is of extreme relevance is
available from the works of Abhinavgupta, Bilhan,
Kalhan et al.
It is earnestly
hoped that Balraj Puri as known scholar will
re-orient his views about the unique political
identity of Kashmir which he believes got
fractured by the migration not the expulsion of
Kashmiri pandits. The 1989-90 expulsion is
seventh in the series of their expulsions from
their land of genesis. The truth has to be told,
not camouflaged under the compulsion of
expediencies.
Yours etc...
Prof Mohan Lal Koul
Talab Tilloo, Jammu
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