Kashmiri scholar, poet, linguist and translator Professor Shafi Shauq, who has been named among the recipients of the 2026 Padma Shri Award for his contribution to education and literature, in Srinagar on January 25, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI
Professor Shafi Shauq, a 75-year-old poet, linguist and translator from Kashmir who has been nominated for the Padma Shri award, said on Monday (Jan 26, 2026) that Kashmiri is the language of workers and peasants and will survive.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Shauq, who hails from Shopian’s remote Kapran village, said Kashmiri would survive the threats posed by the cyber age and English.
“Kashmiri is the language of workers and peasants. Kashmiri does not need a poet, a writer, a journalist or a language activist to survive. It is a spoken language. It survives in grief, sorrow and lamentation,” Mr Shauq said.
He described the Padma Shri award, which is among India’s highest civilian honors, as “a recognition of the richness of the Kashmiri language, its antiquity and the importance it holds in the subcontinent and the world”.
“The award is a gratifying gesture. It is indeed a moment of pride to be considered for the most prestigious award and to be considered worthy. I have always considered the cause of Kashmiri language paramount, even more than personal,” said Mr. Shauq, who has written and translated more than 100 books.
For Mr Shauq, the Kashmiri language “defines the identity of the people of Kashmir and supports their existence”. “The Kashmiri language is known as ‘Koshir’ and the people as ‘Koshur’. They are synonymous. The language even survived the dominance of Sanskrit in the region,” said the writer, who was dean of the University of Kashmir’s Faculty of Arts until 2010.
Mr. Shauq translated from Kashmiri into English the works of all the popular Sufi poets who wrote between the periods of Mahmud Gami (19th century) and Shams Fakir (early 20th century). He also translated the English classics of Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Guy de Maupassant into Kashmiri and the popular book ‘Gul Gulshan Gulfam’ by Pran Kishore from Kashmir into English.
Published – 26 Jan 2026 19:25 IST
