Srinagar, 10 July: With deep concern and unwavering hope, we, from the entire cultural fraternity of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the President of the National Conference, Dr. Farooq makes this necessary and emotional appeal for Abdullah, whose lifetime praise and support for art, music and culture, is known across the country.
For more than a decade, the cultural sector in Jammu and Kashmir has faced serious neglect. Once a frequent living institutes withering, the funds have dried up for creative initiatives, and thousands of dedicated artists, including musicians, singers, writers, folk artists, visual artists, technicians and filmmakers, have been left without support, recognition, or without a platform to maintain their work and livelihood.
These cultural professionals, once stood as ambassadors of Kashmiri identity, peace and spiritual heritage, are now struggling for existence.
Art and culture are not luxury. They are essential for emotional, spiritual and intellectual welfare of society. Jammu and Kashmir, blessed a land with unmatched cultural diversity and a rich artistic heritage, from the Mystic Sufi traditions and soul-creed folk music to classical performance and storytelling, seeing his treasure faded into forgetting. The disappearance of our traditional art forms, local languages, rituals and indigenous aesthetics is not just a cultural loss, a civilization crisis.
Despite repeated representations, memorandum and public pleas, our concerns remain unheard to a large extent. While other areas such as tourism, industry and infrastructure have found a place in the plan and policy, culture is seen later, not receiving a comprehensive vision, dedicated budget or administrative attention. Without the revival of institutions such as JK Academy of Art Culture and Language, JK Culture Department, All India Radio Srinagar, Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar, and a strong cultural policy of Lok, Sufi and classical arts, a lot of souls of Jammu and Kashmir are at risk.
Therefore, we make a humble appeal to the Honorable Chief Minister Omar Abdullah yet to take solid, visionary steps to rejuvenate the cultural field, to form a clear cultural revival policy, revive the institutions, to strengthen the academies and artist associations, ensure the fair representation of Jammu and Kashmir artists in national and international festival Are.
We also turn to Farooq Abdullah, a huge person who always stands by the artist community, lends his influence to raise his voice once again, and guides administration in restoring the pride, dignity and right place of artists and cultural professionals in his land. Their appearance and active participation can re -awaken Asha and ensure that the next generation artists are not forced to give up their calling.
This is not just an appeal, it is a call from the heart, a cry for cultural justice, and a plea for our civilization inheritance. Let us not allow the silence of neglect to change the songs, stories and souls of Jammu and Kashmir.