‘Kashmiriyat’ is soul of coexistence & humanity must rise above religious considerations: Karan Singh

Former J&K Governor Karan Singh championed Kashmiriyat and interfaith harmony during a Srinagar dialogue. Emphasizing that humanity must override religious divisions, Singh also defended Urdu's indigenous roots, calling for the protection of the language as an intellectual heritage

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir ‘Sadr-e-Riyasat’ (Head of State) and Governor Karan Singh said on Saturday that Kashmir’s centuries-old tradition of coexistence, rooted in Kashmiriyat, Sufism and shared cultural values, must be preserved through sustained interfaith dialogue, while stressing that humanity should always take precedence over religious differences.

Addressing the gathering during the Interfaith Dialogue on “Urdu, Kashmiriyat and Shared Cultural Traditions” at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre in Srinagar, Karan Singh, congratulated the organisers for bringing together the themes of interfaith dialogue, Urdu, Kashmiriyat and shared cultural traditions under one platform, describing them as subjects that could individually be discussed for days.

---

Speaking on the importance of interfaith dialogue, Singh recalled the historic Parliament of the World’s Religions held in Chicago in 1893, where Swami Vivekananda presented India’s message of universal acceptance before the world.

He said that interfaith dialogue is not about proving one religion superior to another, but about understanding each other’s beliefs and recognising that all faiths ultimately lead towards the same truth.

Quoting the Rig Veda’s famous verse, “Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti” (Truth is One, the wise describe it in different ways), Singh added that all religions worship the same Almighty through different paths.

“If God is one, there cannot be different Gods for different religions. Just as there are many routes to reach the top of a mountain, different religions, too, lead towards the same destination,” he said.

Highlighting Kashmir’s civilisational heritage, Singh added that the Valley has witnessed the flourishing of Vedic traditions, Buddhism, Shaivism and later Sufism, with saints like Lal Ded, Mir Syed Ali Hamdani and Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani (Nund Rishi) nurturing a culture of love, tolerance and coexistence.

“Sufism flourished in Kashmir because it spread the message of love, not hatred. No religion can prosper through hatred; humanity must always come first,” he said.

Singh added that efforts are being made through the Interfaith Harmony Foundation and the Dara Shikoh Centre to strengthen dialogue among different faiths and expressed hope that a dedicated interfaith movement would also take shape in Kashmir to continue promoting mutual understanding and communal harmony.

Speaking about Urdu, Singh rejected the perception that it is a foreign language, saying it was born in India and has been an integral part of the country’s cultural and literary heritage.

He noted that Urdu had served as the official language of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State because it connected people speaking different mother tongues, including Kashmiri, Dogri and Ladakhi.

Calling for the promotion and preservation of Urdu, Singh said opposing any language amounted to disrespecting knowledge itself.

“Urdu must be protected, promoted and used wherever possible. Every language is a gift of Mother Saraswati, and opposing any language is like insulting the very source of knowledge,” he added.