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Project
ZAAN,
jointly undertaken by Lalla-Ded Educational and
Welfare Trust and Kashmiri Pandits' Association,
Mumbai, was conceived in the year 1998 and put into
implementation in the year 1999 after being ratified
by the governing bodies of the two trusts. A group
of people consisting Shri J. N. Kachroo (Ex.
Principal, National High School, Srinagar), Shri J.
L. Manwati (President, Kashmiri Pandits'
Association, Mumbai), Shri P. N. Wali (Ex. Executive
Director, Life Insurance Corporation), Smt. Neelam
Trakru (Educationalist), Shri Uday Upendra Mattoo
(Director, Human Resources Development, Colgate
Polmolive). and Shri M. K. Raina (Civil Engineer)
have been working on the project.
Under
this project, the Trust has already published
Information in the f.mp3 of compendiums titled
Information
Digest Volume 1 and
Information
Digest Volume 2 in March 2000 and January 2001
respectively. Volume 1 was reprinted in March
2001. A reader in Kashmiri, titled 'Basic
Reader for Kashmiri Language' constituting
Volume 3 in the series, has also been published in
March 2001. IInformation
Digest Volume 4 has
been published in April 2003.
The
Kashmiri Dictionary in the Devanagari-Kashmiri
script, with meaning in Hindi and English, is under
compilation. A team of highly dedicated members of
the biradari are presently doing preliminary work
for the project, which will of course involve
tremendous manpower and cost. The work is expected
to be completed in about 5 years time.
Objectives
- To
disseminate Information on the various facets of
the Place of our origin - Kashmir, like its
history, geography, culture, language,
literature, places of worship, fairs and
festivals, rites and riruals, historical places,
arts and artists, eminent personalities etc.
through Information Digests.
- To
inculcate interest in our youngsters in their
mother-tongue and arouse curiosity and interest
in their entity, through various educative
programmes.
- To
organise Quiz Programmes for the young and not
so young, based on the Information provided
through Information Digests.
- To
organise 'Contests' in reading Devanagari-Kashmiri
and encourage youngsters in this behalf, by
awarding prizes to those taking lead.
- To
compile and publish Kashmiri-Hindi-English
Dictionary and some basic books for propagation
of Kashmiri language and script.
- To
organise and conduct Spoken Kashmiri Language
classes.
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