Keshav Vashisht

I belong to North India, Jammu to be precise. In my hometown we speak the language Dogri. A dialect which you can only speak, not write. Often when I tell people I belong to Jammu and Kashmir, they get confused and say ‘Oh you belong Kashmir’ not realising that people who belong to Jammu and those who belong to Kashmir are two different people, two different cultures. Kashmiris eat different types of food, wear different clothes, speak a different language and follow a totally different type of lifestyle and same goes for the people who belong to Jammu. People who belong to Jammu are known as Dogras and those who belong to Kashmir are called Kashmiris.

In Jammu people have a very good habit, they will never let you go empty handed and empty stomach. Like, be prepared when you enter a dogra household you will definitely leave with a box full of sweets and a stomach full of food, food that you would want to eat even though you're full. In Jammu we have a special tea called ‘Desi Chai’. I really don't know how to explain how it's made but it's entirely different from regular tea. People over there are a little lazy as well, but loving and caring to no end. Ask anyone for help and they will not turn you down.

Seeing the people over there I have learnt to be kind, it helps you a lot. Because you never know when you will come across that person and need their help. Being in my hometown I have learnt that sometimes others will never know about your roots or background but it shouldn't stop you from being proud of who you are and where you come from. Not many people know about Dogras. Imagine speaking a language that you CAN NOT write. Not everyone knows that people of Jammu are different from those who belong to Kashmir. Often people confuse that the two are the same. But still even if most people are alien to our culture, we still take pride in ourselves and in who we are. We never stopped speaking our language, we never stopped being who we are. After all, you can't always change yourself just because others don’t get you.