Persian was the basic of administrations all over western Asia and highly prestigious language at the courts. Hence, Persian learning radiated into Kashmir and found a fertile soil after the initial impulse. Persian literature contains an immense treasure of Kashmiri culture and history almost totally obliterated form the present realm. Continuous efforts in all fields of science brought forth treasures on medicine. Its always the dominant language that influences another language’s on different linguistic and literary levels.
The Persian intertwined with the history of Kashmir. It remained the official language in Kashmir from the first quarter of eighth century right up to 1947. In the past Persian was also a part of the school curriculum in Kashmir from the primary level. It is believed that the best literature ever produced in Kashmir is in the Persian language. We have abundant Persian literature in all the fields, in fields like astronomy, astrology, medicine, engineering and even in industrial knowhow- all written by Kashmiri Persian writers, all those texts are still untouched. Thousands of Persian manuscripts, which form a wealth of Kashmiris literary history, remained unpublished and untranslated, thus depriving Kashmir of their literary and cultural history extensively documented in the Persian language.
The increased interest towards the Persian language can be found at the higher secondary and college level too, the teachers of Persian language say that the trend among students of taking up Persian as a subject has picked up in the last few years. The renewed interest in Persian comes at a time when this language and its heritage literature remains neglected at the hands of successive governments, suffering a slow and quiet death in Kashmir.
At the university level too, the subject is attracting more students in recent years. In the Persian department of university of Kashmir, the total intake capacity is 55 students in open merit and there are 22 seats available on payment. Every year the department gets students for all the open merit and the payment seats as well. The department also offers short and part time courses n Persian studies for outside candidates and professionals interested in the language.
B.A in Persian studies furnishes candidates with a strong background in literary, linguistic and cultural aspects of Persian language. This degree course helps the candidates to go for various Persian language related employment’s, as it being used in business in Persian communities. Students having B.A degree in Persian can go for teaching in schools and colleges. The candidates can also be made the member of the delegation going in other nations for different political, economic and other strategic purposes. Such postgraduates are hired in capacities such as linguistic, cryptologic language instructor, foreign language analyst, language instructional developer, teacher content writer etc. Most passed out students of Persian department are getting recruited in the different departments. In 2017 assistant professors recruitment five applicants of the department got recruited as assistant professor in higher education department of J&K and in 2020, seven more candidates have been recruited as assistant professors in higher education department of J&K.