Meanka Handu On Her Channel Asvun Koshur And The Significance Of Saving Kashmiri Culture

Today as advancements in fury and correspondence develop, we will generally overlook the endurance of neighborhood dialects. As language rises above borders, the significance of our territorial dialects assumes a lower priority.

A Kashmiri, Menaka was aware that Kashmiri was ‘dying a silent death’ and firmly believes that ‘language is the backbone of any culture.’ Her YouTube channel called Asvun Koshur has garnered thousands of followers and praises for her exemplary ideation, execution, observation, and sincere efforts at preserving the Kashmiri language. 

In fact, her channel and project have stirred interest and inspiration, especially in the younger generation who have sadly been steadily withdrawn from Kashmiri land and language. Asvun Koshur which translates into a smiling Kashmir is Meanka’s sincere attempt to preserve the language and bring a lot of smiles. Her onscreen character called Dida is funny and at the same time talks about important issues, such as violence against women, child abuse, eve-teasing, online shopping, etc. 

You need to hear the language, and humor is a strong form of communication. It can help put across social and strong messages and people do respond well when things are told to them in a lighter manner.’ Meanka, a Kashmiri Pandit, had to forcefully leave her ancestral home in Kashmir as a child with her family. 

However, besides her humorous videos, Meanka recently began Project Asvun Koshur Zaan. With seven episodes done and more in the pipeline, this project aims at bringing kids (Kashmiri Muslim, Pandit, and Sikh) to converse with each other and get to know about their land, collective history, and individual traditions. The adorable live sessions on Asvun Koshur’s Instagram handle between the communities open up a whole range of emotional, social, and cultural interactions. 

Unlike many parts of India, Kashmir is one place where there is a seamless blend of cultures between different communities. Project Asvun Kshour Zaan hence is a wonderful platform that has gotten children living in and outside of Kashmir to connect and recreate their cultural heritages. We caught up with Meanka aka Dida as she spoke passionately about the Kashmiri language, Kashmir the place she calls home, and highlighting the lighter and positive aspects of the land that should be known for both its physical and cultural beauty. 

She has revived what Kashmir culturally means, who its people truly are, and what amazing bonds of unification lie at the core, which is often misunderstood and ignored in current circumstances. Meanka says Kashmir for me is my home and will always be. I have seen Kashmir through my parents’ eyes, who had a lot of Kashmiri Muslim friends and our culture is such that our surnames are also the same! 

Why is it important to preserve Kashmiri culture, especially the language? 

Meanka: But if people like us don’t talk about it how will the world know – and I also want to point out the positive picture. Tell us a bit about women in Kashmiri culture. From my memories of Kashmir and what I hear from my parents, Kashmiri society used to be a very liberal society and women had a lot of respect. For Kashmiri Pandits, dowry was never a part of the culture. 

What kind of challenges do you face being a Kashmiri social media influencer? 

Meanka: But people relate to this character I play called Dida who has two children. But I have also had many Kashmiri Muslim girls writing that Dida is their pet name, too. I would want to set up workshops in Kashmir and Jammu and for people who are in other parts of India and want to learn Kashmiri. I really want people to know more about their history which I think can be done via the medium I have chosen. 

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