Lalit Gupta
Name of Book : ‘Duggar Ke Sanskritik
Aanchal-Part 1′
Writer : Kewal Krishan Sharma
Publisher : Shiva Printers, Paloura,
Jammu Price : Rs 300
The culture of Jammu traces its roots right from pre-historic times. It is formed of very many layers such as shamanism, animism, pre-Vedic cultic practices of different races and groups along with religious and ritual world view espoused by Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism. In course of time, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains have further enriched the composite cultural fabric of Jammu region.
In recent times there is an emerging assertion by communities from the so-called marginalized pockets of Jammu and Kashmir for sub-regional identities which are further shaped in the name of ethnic and social identities. In this background, religion vis-à-vis identity politics appears to be a sensitive issue on regional level, especially when culture is increasingly being brought into the public sphere as a tool for political and other contestations.
In this light, Kewal Krishan Sharma’s latest book ‘Duggar Ke Sanskrit Anchal-Part-1’, with its emphasis on the shared cultural practices amongst communities irrespective of their geographical locations, is a welcome publication on culture and heritage of Jammu.
The use of word ‘Duggar’ in title of the book by author, is not meant to allude to a homogenous political entity, but rather refers to the area of influence of languages like Dogri and its ‘sister’ languages and dialects such as Bhadarwahi, Kishtawari, Padari, Shirazi and Pahari.
The salient feature of the book is that it provides an overview of cultural practices of Dogras and other ethnic groups in Jammu region. Beginning with a description of general rite of passage followed by Hindus such as jaat karam, namakaran, anna-prashan, mundan, upnayan and marriage, the author illustrates various sanskars in Kishtawari culture with quotes from Kishtawari folk songs.
Next chapter describes the sacred days and festivals such as Baisakhi, Naga Panchami, Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami, Navratre, Dussehra or Vijay Dashmi, Karwa Chouth, Dhan Treudashi, Dipawali, Bhratr Duj, Tulsi Puja, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Lohri, Basant Panchami, Shivaratri, Ravi Das Jayanti, Holi, Mahavir Jayanti, Id-ul-Fitr, etc.
The chapter on Dogri language presents an interesting comparison between Dogri and Kishtawari proverbs. In the chapter on Music and Art, the author while classifying different kinds of folk songs has also given examples from folk poetry. There is also mention of some folk beliefs and faiths.
The subsequent chapter of the book is about Bhadarwah’s Art, Culture and Language in its historical backdrop. The author gives a brief history of Bhadarwah, its important places and tourist spots, an introduction to society and folk life, professions and cottage industries, Naga worship, important fairs and folk dances.
The next chapter highlights common festivals and celebrations of Bhadarwah and Kishtawar such as Kanchouth, Gauri Tritya and Dharam Divas. The section of Bhadarwahi literature also makes special mention of folk songs like Aianjali, Sukali, Musadhe and Ghuraie.
The chapter on Kishtawar Art, culture and language begins with a general introduction about the area, its historical setting, rulers etc. The section on Kishtawari language forms an important aspect of the chapter as the author not only builds a case of Kishtawari language’s roots in Sanskrit with help of common words but also highlights typical linguistic structure of the language. The list of analogous words in Dogri and Kishtawari adds a further dimension to the historic cultural exchange between the two languages. Other sections of this chapter give an overview of literature created in Kishtawar in languages like Sanskrit, Hindi, Persian, Urdu, Kashmiri and English. It is followed by a section on folk sings, folk tales, local festivals, folk beliefs, well known pilgrimages, Urs of Sayed Shah Mohammad Farid-ud-Din and Shah Asrar Sahib. The chapter on Padar Culture and Languages focuses on historical background, common words with Bhadarwahi and Kishtawari and brief introduction to Padari folk songs. The last chapter highlights the salient characterstics of Shirazi and Rambani dialects, and common pool of words with Bhadarwahi and Kishtawari languages.
Since the author belongs to Kishtawar, his knowledge and understanding of the linguistic features of sub-regional languages and dialects and their level of interaction, development of literature along with intimate description of folk life emerges as a highlight of the book which joins the growing list of publications on the culture and heritage of Jammu region.
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