author and anthropologist onaiza drabu grew up in srinagar but never learnt to speak or write in her mother tongue as she was encouraged to learn english because it would help her make a career however she felt a void i remember at school one of our teachers told us that the definition of a literate person is one who can read and write in her mother tongue and this hit hard i could barely speak mine recalls drabu 29 she resolved to learn more about kashmiri language and literature to record all that she learnt she started the lipton chai a beautifully illustrated blog that explains kashmiri idioms abuses and untranslatable words for example kaek describes someone who incessantly argues questions nitpicks and criticises this year she published a book for children okus bokus a to z for kashmiri children which showcases the kashmiri way of life through stories woven around a grandmom naen and her two little grandkidsdrabu is one of several young kashmiris who are trying to keep their language alive since it doesnt have a script it is best learnt at home from parents and elders however years of conflict in the region have resulted in migration of kashmiris first pandits and later even muslims to other parts of india and the world as a result younger generations of kashmiris who grew up outside the valley mostly speak hindi and english in their homes away from home local breads like girda a fermented hard bread have been replaced by the parathas pizzas and paninis and lipton chai the name by which kashmiris refer to brewed darjeeling and assam varieties has pushed the salty noon chai and kahwa off the tablepragnya wakhlu a singer and songwriter says that every time she visits srinagar fewer and fewer people are speaking it while she grew up in pune her grandparents still live near the dal lake she left her it job in the us to turn fulltime musician so that she could take kashmiri language and music to more people the title track of her album kahwa speaks tells the story of how a cup of fragrant kahwa is prepared in kashmiri with almonds saffron and cardamom and then switches to english to explain how life is also a beautiful brew and like kahwa made of different identities it was important for me to shift the perspective on kashmir from just conflict and violence to its culture and help displaced people reconnect with kashmir and its language says wakhlu who released the video last yeardrabu says her book reflects on aspects of kashmiri culture that fascinated her the most these bits of history and culture often intangible are mostly lived and therefore slowly losing relevance i have tried to capture the a to z of being kashmiri by bringing in aspects of food flora and fauna as well as folklore she saysfor 23yearold rapper ahmer javed writing songs in kashmiri and english is a way to tell people