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Gujjars want inclusion of Gojri in Eighth
Schedule
Sunday September 23, 2012 06:08:45 PM,
IANS
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Jammu: The tribal Gujjar community of Jammu and Kashmir Sunday demanded that Gojri
be recognized as an official language and included in the Eighth
Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Dr. Javed Rahi, secretary of Tribal Research and Cultural
Foundation, a frontal organisation of the Gujjars, appealed to the
union home minister "to amend the list of official languages of
India by including Gojri - the oldest tribal language - into it,
during the forthcoming session of parliament."
Rahi told IANS that recommendation has already been made to the
central government for Gojri's inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of
the Indian Constitution.
The Jammu and Kashmir government during the governor's rule in the
1990s had made the recommendation for an official status to Gojri.
"The decision is pending with the central government over the past
two decades," he said.
He said that Gojri is one of the oldest and significant languages
of the south Asian sub-continent. It is spoken by the Gujjar tribe
-- an ethno-linguistic minority of the state.
"Gojri has a locus standi for its inclusion in the Eighth
Schedule, as there are adequate provisions and facilities in the
Indian Constitution for linguistic minorities," he said. "Gojri
has a strong literary tradition. It has been recognized as a
tribal language of India by the Sahitya Academy."
The secretary said that a noted saint-scholar and Hindi-Persian
poet of 13th century, Hazrat Amir Khusroo, had formally mentioned
Gojri language in the list of eighteen major Indian languages of
his time.
"Several researchers and historians have already said that the
Gojri language is the mother of Rajasthani, Gujrati, Urdu and
Haryanvi languages," he said.
Rahi said the state government has already recognised Gojri by
including it in the Sixth Schedule of the constitution of Jammu
and Kashmir. The state has its own constitution.
He said: "According to current analysis, Gojri language is the
first language of 20 million people in south Asia, including
India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. A good chunk of Gojri-speaking
people is living in Jammu and Kashmir."
There are about 20 lakh Gujjars who speak Gojri in Jammu and
Kashmir, nearly four lakh non-Gujjars also speak Gojri besides
about six lakh who speak it as a second language.
Rahi said that besides Jammu and Kashmir, "Gojri is spoken in 12
other states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan
and Gujarat."
There are 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule. Of the languages
spoken in Jammu and Kashmir, Urdu, Kashmiri and Dogri are already
in the schedule. Dogri was the last to be added to the list in the
year 2003.
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