Dogri Literature of Jammu

Dogri is mostly spoken in the region that includes the parts of J&K State that are located between the Chenab and Ravi rivers, as well as the Himachal region that borders it, the districts of Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur, and the Pakistani regions of Sialkot, Zaffarwal, and Shakargarh.

Dr. J. Voghel has described a stone inscription in Takri Script at “Salhi” on “Sechu Nallah” dated 1160 A.D. as evidence of the Dogri language’s ancient usage. In his Masnavi Nuh-Sipihir, Amir Khusro (1253–1325) lists Dogri among the important Indian languages. The widespread use of this language in ancient periods is established by several later references, including copper plates, records of Raja’s agreements, letters, and title deeds written in Dogri in Takri script.

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Dogri has a long history of oral literature, and there is a rich collection of folk songs, folk stories, riddles, proverbs, idioms, and other cultural artefacts that represent many facets of Dogra culture. However, it is a relatively recent development in terms of written literature.

A few verses by poets like Manak Chand (born in 1565 A.D.), Rani Vikram Singh (1662–1675), Ghambir Chand (born in 1690), and Kanshi Ram (1743–1836) provide evidence of sporadic literary endeavours made in previous periods. A song by Devi Ditta (Dattu), “Killiya Battana Chhuri Ditta,” and two other poems deserve special note as outstanding instances of literary masterpieces.

The Braj bhasha poet Dattu was a contemporary of Raja Ranjit Dev (1735–1750). Among other things, the well-known poem “Kandi Da Bassana” by Pt. Ganga Ram (1777-1858 A.D.) paints an accurate portrait of the difficult life of the Kandhi. During the reign of Maharaja Ranbir Singh (1857–1855), when particular efforts were made to promote and grow the Dogri language, books began to be printed in Dogri.

Along with Persian, Dogri served as the official court language. New Dogri literature was written, significant works from other languages were translated into Dogri, and a better version of the Dogri (Takri) alphabet was created. The important translations are “Leelavati,” a treatise on mathematics, and Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta. The original works comprised texts on law, medicine, a primer, the Vyavahar Geeta, and army practise.

But after Maharaja Ranbir Singh passed away, Dogri entered a state of neglect and deterioration. Ram Dhan’s famous poem “Channa Di Chanani Channa Kane,” Har Datt’s publishing of the Dogri Bhajanmala, and Prof. Gouri Shankar’s translation of the Bhagwat Geeta in 1934 are the only accomplishments worth remembering during this dismal period.

The Sahitya Akademi of Delhi’s recognition of Dogri as an independent literary language in 1969 was the most significant accomplishment of the 1960s. About 100 books were published during this time period, including 21 translations of classic literary works from various languages and three novels written concurrently by Madan Mohan Sharma, Narinder Khajuria, and Ved Rahi and released in 1960.

In 1962 and 1966, respectively, books by Tara Smailpuri on Dogri idioms and proverbs were published. There were many new writers who joined, including more than a hundred poets. With the establishment of the “Tilak” test in 1964 and the higher level “Parveen” and “Shiromani” examinations in 1967 and 1969, respectively, Dogri made inroads into the educational system.

Dogri folk songs and folk stories were first published by the J&K Academy in volumes, with 18 and 15 volumes, respectively, published by 1992. J&K Academy began publishing its six-monthly periodical, “Sheeraza,” in Dogri in 1964. The inaugural Dogri Writers Conference was organised in 1966 by Dogri Sanstha. As a result, by the 1970s, Dogri literature had undergone a phase of comprehensive development that included nearly all genres.

The Sahitya Akademi established the yearly prizes for the best Dogri book in 1970, and Narinder Khajuria was the first to win them, albeit posthumously. In the 1970s, there were two more All India Dogri Writers Conferences. J&K Academy began work on the Dogri-Hindi and Dogri-Dogri dictionaries.

In 1975, Jammu University founded the Dogri Research Centre. Both the number of authors and the frequency of articles both greatly increased. Dogri literature was given new perspectives by young, talented writers, establishing the 1970s as the decade of modern sensibility.

In this context, many eager writers are hard at work producing Dogri literature in a variety of genres. Numerous events are held to celebrate the publication of Dogri Books. However, the issue that causes the most fear and concern is the declining number of persons who speak Dogri.

Those who claim to love Dogri cannot even name four of the books that they have read.

The future of Dogri does not seem to be very bright unless Dogras treat their mother tongue with the respect it deserves in their homes, by speaking Dogri to their children, and by keeping at least a few Dogri books and publications in their houses.

[Agrita Chhibber is from Jammu, and a Research Scholar]

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