The Indian Army has launched the Shina Gilgit Community Radio Station in Gurez Valley, in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, to promote the Dard-Shina language, preserve the region’s cultural heritage and strengthen community outreach in the remote border area.
Located in Dawar beneath the iconic Haba Khatoon Peak, the community radio station broadcasts programmes primarily in Dard-Shina and Hindi. Its content focuses on government welfare schemes, employment, education, healthcare, folk traditions, social awareness and other issues of public interest.
The initiative seeks to preserve the Dard-Shina language while promoting the region’s rich culture, music and traditions. By broadcasting predominantly in Dard-Shina, the station encourages the local community – particularly younger generations – to continue using and preserving their mother tongue.
The community radio station has also created new opportunities for local women to participate in public communication by serving as radio jockeys.
Speaking to DD News, radio jockey Wahida said the station’s mission is to keep the Dard-Shina language alive through regular broadcasts. She added that the language can survive only if it continues to be spoken and used in everyday life.
Nearly three-fourths of Gurez’s population speaks Dard-Shina as its mother tongue. However, the increasing use of Urdu, Kashmiri and English in education, tourism and digital platforms has contributed to a gradual decline in the language’s everyday use among younger generations.
The Dard community in Gurez, with a population of around 37,000 to 38,000, has preserved the language for centuries. Across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the number of native Shina speakers is estimated at around 50,000. Since Dard-Shina has traditionally been an oral language, initiatives such as the Shina Gilgit Community Radio Station play an important role in preserving and promoting the region’s linguistic and cultural heritage.
