Kashmiri Pandit Body Seeks Academy and Museum for Cultural Preservation

SRINAGAR: The All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS) has demanded the establishment of a Kashmiri academy and a museum to showcase the community’s language, heritage, and art. The body said these institutions should be set up in the Delhi-NCR region on the pattern of existing Urdu, Sindhi, and Punjabi academies.

The demand was put forth during a meeting of an AIKS delegation led by its president, Ravinder Pandita, with Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in New Delhi on Tuesday. Pandita said the academy could be managed by AIKS in collaboration with the state government to promote Kashmiri language and scripture.

He further requested the minister to accord approval for a two-day ‘Sharda Festival’ in Delhi in October, with plans to expand it to other parts of the country. Pandita, who also heads the Save Sharda Committee Kashmir, stressed that such initiatives would strengthen cultural preservation and awareness.

The minister assured the delegation that their proposals would be examined. The AIKS team comprised General Secretary Sunil Koul, Kusum Shishoo, entrepreneur Rakesh Thussu, and activist Mahaveer Thussu. [KNT]