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SRINAGAR: A row has erupted over the use of the term “Jammuiyat” in the name of a cultural event being organised by the University of Jammu, with BJP describing the coinage as divisive and “anti-Jammu”.The two-day cultural event, named “Jammuiyat: Sahitya–Sanskriti Samagam,” will begin on March 13 at the university.“You will not find the word Jammuiyat anywhere in our ancient texts. It has no historical or cultural reference. We have always stated that Jammu and Kashmir is one entity,” BJP spokesperson Arun Prabhat said at a presser in Jammu on Wednesday.“Using a word like Jammuiyat is part of a divisive narrative and it is unacceptable to people of Jammu,” he said.
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Earlier, some LLM scholars of the university also addressed a presser, saying Jammuiyat is not a good word as it resembles Hurriyat.BJP’s Ajay Bharti claimed the term “Jammuiyat” is being introduced in the same way Kashmiriyat was “invented” in the 1970s and alleged that the term is being used to dilute Jammu’s existing culture and has no real basis.Kashmiriyat is generally described as the syncretic culture of Kashmir. However, Bharti claimed it was part of a “homogenization process” and said a similar attempt is now being made in Jammu under the garb of “Jammuiyat” in a different way. “Kashmiriyat claimed to be described as syncretic culture in effect suppressed local identities or philosophies like Reshi culture or shaiva darshan,” Bharti said.In response, the University of Jammu Wednesday said “Jammuiyat” represents the “greatness of Jammu.”Addressing a presser, vice chancellor Umesh Rai said the suffix “iyat” has its origins in Sanskrit and denotes inclusiveness and expansiveness. “The word represents the unity and diversity of Jammu,” he said. “The diversity you see in Jammu, I don’t think you see in any other region of the country.”A statement by the university said that “Jammuiyat: Sahitya–Sanskriti Samagam” will bring together scholars, writers, artists, students and cultural practitioners to reflect upon, celebrate and reinterpret the literary and cultural heritage of Jammu and reaffirm the relevance of regional literature in contemporary discourse.
