A Voice Long Silenced: The Imperative for a Dogri Satellite Channel

India’s linguistic richness is often presented as a reflection of its civilizational depth.

- MOHD YASEEN

With 22 official languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and hundreds of dialects spoken across its vast geography, the country has long taken pride in promoting linguistic plurality. However, the reality often falls short of this ideal. One of the most glaring examples of this is the absence of a dedicated Doordarshan satellite channel for Dogri, a classical language spoken by nearly 2.6 million people, primarily in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Several regional languages with smaller speaker populations already have exclusive Doordarshan channels. These include languages like Mizo, Manipuri, and Santali. Dogri, on the other hand, continues to appear only in scattered segments within general programming. This lack of consistent visibility is not just unfair, it highlights a pattern of institutional neglect towards Dogri and its speakers.

Dogri belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family and has a long-standing literary and cultural tradition. In 2003, it was officially included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The language is known for its rich oral heritage including folklore, poetry, theatre, and folk songs. Dogri literature expresses the everyday life and cultural values of the Duggar region. The Dogra community has made significant contributions to India’s armed forces, administrative services, and cultural landscape. Yet, they remain without a dedicated media platform to represent their language and heritage.