Model Answer

Introduction

India is one of the world's most linguistically diverse countries. This diversity, however, is under severe stress: UNESCO has flagged that India has the largest number of dialects facing extinction, and experts note that over 220 languages have been lost in the last fifty years. The decline of languages like Dogri weakens cultural memory, erodes intangible heritage and reduces the pluralism that is central to India's identity.

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Causes of decline

• Economic and social incentives favour dominant languages. Globalisation, labour migration and the link between English/Hindi and better employment/education opportunities encourage language shift away from regional tongues.
• Intergenerational transmission failure. Younger generations increasingly use dominant languages at home, school and online; hence, reading and writing skills in regional languages are not passed on.
• Institutional neglect and delayed recognition. Late constitutional/official recognition and weak implementation of language policies result in low state support for curricula, teacher training and administration in regional languages. (Dogri's delayed institutional backing is a case in point.)
• Urbanisation and migration. Movement to cities and mixed-language environments dilute daily use of mother tongues.
• Cultural prestige and colonial legacy. The perception that English equals progress (a colonial hangover) and higher prestige attached to global languages reduces the perceived value of local languages.
• Data gaps. Lack of up-to-date, disaggregated language data hampers targeted interventions — e.g., the need to use 2021 Census and other surveys to identify endangered languages and local hotspots.

Measures to preserve and revitalise regional languages (policy + community approach)

1. Legal and policy measures
   • Strengthen implementation of existing laws. Convert constitutional/official recognition into practical measures: official use in local administration, public signage, and documentation.
   • Language policy at school level. Enforce mother-tongue medium (or bilingual) early-childhood education and include regional languages in the curriculum at primary and secondary levels with appropriate textbooks and trained teachers.
   • Dedicated funding and institutions. Create or strengthen language academies, grant schemes for research, documentation and teacher training, and earmark funds for community language projects.
2. Education and capacity building
   • Teacher training and materials. Prepare graded reading materials, primers and teacher-training modules in Dogri and similar languages to improve literacy in reading/writing among children and adults.
   • Promote bilingual pedagogy. Use family language alongside state/national languages so children gain competitive skills without losing mother-tongue literacy.
3. Technology, documentation and media
   • Digital documentation. Create corpora, dictionaries, audio-visual archives, transcribed oral histories and language apps to preserve lexicon and grammar.
   • Localised digital content. Encourage news portals, social media creators, podcasts, YouTube channels and OTT content in Dogri to increase prestige and daily use.
   • Script and font support. Develop Unicode fonts, keyboards and OCR tools to facilitate writing and publishing.
4. Community and cultural initiatives
   • Language nests and intergenerational programmes. Support community centres and family-based initiatives where elders teach children through songs, stories and cultural activities.
   • Cultural festivals and literature promotion. Sponsor regional literature, theatre, music and film in Dogri to boost pride and visibility.
   • Incentivise local authors and translators. Grants, awards and publication support for works in regional languages.
5. Data, research and monitoring
   • Use updated census/survey data. Analyse 2021 Census and targeted linguistic surveys to identify endangered languages, speaker demographics and intervention priorities.
   • Periodic monitoring and impact evaluation. Set targets (increase literacy/speaking rates) and measure outcomes of language programmes.
6. Decolonising linguistics and changing mindset
   • Promote multilingualism as an asset. Reframe mother-tongue knowledge as complementary to global languages rather than as a barrier.
   • Public campaigns. Run awareness campaigns that value regional languages' role in identity, local knowledge systems and social cohesion.

Implementation priorities and practical steps (short roadmap)

• Immediate: Map linguistic hotspots using 2021 Census/surveys; launch pilot mother-tongue programmes in district schools with high Dogri speaker populations.
• Short term (1–3 years): Create digital resources (parallel primers, storybooks, audio recordings), train teachers, and integrate Dogri into local administration where appropriate.
• Medium term (3–7 years): Scale up bilingual education, fund community media, and institutionalise language revitalisation budgets at state/UT level.
• Long term: Normalise intergenerational transmission through continued cultural, educational and economic incentives.

Conclusion/Way Forward

Preserving regional languages such as Dogri is not merely an act of cultural nostalgia — it is essential for maintaining India's pluralism, safeguarding local knowledge and ensuring social inclusion. The problem is multi-faceted (economic, institutional, social and attitudinal) and therefore requires a coordinated response combining policy implementation, educational reform, technological documentation and strong community ownership. Reviving and normalising regional languages will strengthen democratic participation, enrich India's knowledge systems and honour constitutional commitments to cultural diversity.