Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 30: Duggar Biradari, an offshoot of Team Jammu, today held a day-long hunger strike near the Maharaja Hari Singh statue on the banks of the Tawi River, urging the Government to introduce Dogri as a compulsory subject up to the primary level across the Jammu region from the upcoming academic session beginning March 2026.
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Convener of Duggar Biradari and renowned poet, Randheer Singh Raipuria, who led the protest, emphasized that the survival of the Dogra identity is deeply tied to the survival of the Dogri language. He said that Dogri is losing its foothold among the youth because children are not being introduced to their mother tongue during their early learning stages.
Raipuria asserted that the primary years are crucial for linguistic retention and cultural grounding, and warned that failing to act now would result in irreversible cultural loss.
Team Jammu chairman Zorawar Singh Jamwal strongly criticized the administration for not implementing the New Education Policy (NEP) in its true spirit. Jamwal pointed out that while the NEP emphasizes mother-tongue instruction in foundational years, Dogri remains missing from the mandatory curriculum in Jammu.
Jamwal urged the Omar Abdullah-led government to act decisively and ensure Dogri’s compulsory inclusion across all Government and private schools in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi, and parts of Rajouri and Poonch.
Heena Mahajan, co-convenor of Duggar Biradari, called upon policymakers, educators, and civil society stakeholders to recognize the collective responsibility of preserving Dogri. She stressed that empowering children with their mother tongue at the primary level strengthens comprehension, cultural confidence and overall academic performance.
Several prominent personalities including Padma Shri Mohan Singh Salathia, Sahitya Akademi awardee Vijay Verma, cultural and social activist Urja Salathia, actor Janak Khajuria, poet Pooran Chandra Sharma, Rajeshwar Singh Raju from Dogri Sanstha, poet and writer Ashok Gupta, actor Madan Rangeela, scholars and PhD holders from the University of Jammu, Kamala Singh Jamwal (pralekhan pramukh, RSS), and poet P S Choudhary joined the hunger strike.
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