Kashmiri proverbs are
proverbs
A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phra ...
in the
Kashmiri language
Kashmiri () or Koshur (, /kəːʃur/) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by around 7 million Kashmiris of the Kashmir region, primarily in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
In 2020, the Parliament of India passed a bill to make ...
, spoken
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
. The best available source for the study of these proverbs is a book by Sh. Omkar N. Koul, ''A Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs''. It was first published in 1992, then a second edition was published in 2005, and is now available online.
Kashmiri proverbs come in a variety of grammatical forms, such as:
*simple statements: "An apple gets its colour from another apple."
*conjoined phrases: "(She) came to visit the shopkeeper but went to visit a baker instead."
*dialogues: "Mother, no one abuses me." "Son, go and sit on the road."
*
wellerism
Wellerisms, named after sayings of Sam Weller (character), Sam Weller in Charles Dickens's novel ''The Pickwick Papers'', make fun of established clichés and proverbs by showing that they are wrong in certain situations, often when taken literally ...
: "The horse has said, “I will help you to go up the steep, but you lead me down the slope."
*rhetorical question: "How will a lamp help a blind person in the dark?"
*sentence fragments: "With short hands and long tongue."
[p. 24. Sh. Omkar N. Koul. 2005. ''A Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs''. Delhi: Indian Institute of Language Studies.]
Examples
* ''Naar Veez Krool Khanun'' : (Too late to do something)
* ''Acher Vaalav Seeth Kond Kadun'' : (Deepest Love)
*''Akh te akh gayi kaah'' : (Unity is strength)
* ''Ach ongji Thukni'' : (To strike the eyes with fingers. To tease someone.)
Notes
Relevant publications
*Keith, Anand. "Kashmiri Proverbs." ''Indian Antiquary'' (1933): 71-76.
*Knowles, James Hinton. ''A Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs & Sayings: Explained and Illustrated from the Rich and Interesting Folklore of the Valley''
*Koul, Anand 1933. Kashmiri Proverbs. ''Indian Antiquary''. vol. 1xii, pp. 71-198.
*Nazir, Ghulam Nabi 1988. ''Kə:šir’ dəpity'' (Kashmiri sayings). Srinagar: J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.
*Reshi, Lubna. "Study of Kashmiri Folklore in current Scenario." ''Mass Communicator: International Journal of Communication Studies'' 11, no. 4 (2017): 33-35. Education Society's Press, 1885.
Proverbs by language
Kashmiri culture
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