Is the Dogra community facing an identity crisis in the present era? This is a question which many Dogra’s are asking each other among themselves and to their friends and relatives but in closed rooms. Dogra community as is said in the past was living over an area comprising many regions of present Punjab (including Pakistani Punjab) and Himachal Pradesh. This can be vindicated by the fact that many people of these regions above the age of sixty or seventy still speak Dogri language. Even in Sialkot and adjoining areas of Sialkot many people till date speak Dogri language. In Jammu division, people residing in districts of Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Samba, Kathua, some parts of Rajouri, Poonch, Doda districts speak Dogri language fluently. Gujjar and Bakarwal community also speak Dogri fluently, but they are also known for fluently speaking other languages. Jammu since long has also been a shelter home for many communities and till date many people of various communities have with one or other reason have migrated to Jammu and many of them have also permanently settled here. This has also to some extent posed a challenge to the identity of Dogra’s. These migrations have not succeeded in fully dominating the Dogra culture, language and traditions, but to a large extent they have made their impact upon them in several ways. Most of the migrants were traders and businessmen so they soon controlled the trade and business activities of Jammu which is a major medium of the exchange of language and culture. So this community with the time succeeded in occupying the medium of conversation and interaction with their own language. Dogra’s on the other hand, who are known for their hospitality, cordial behavior and their nature of adjustments, instead of making others to speak the Dogri language, they theirself started to speak the language of migrants. To a large extent this could be said as a big mistake, which today the Doga’s are realizing. Similarly, Dogra’s instead of following their own culture, traditions, customs and other rituals, started adopting the culture, traditions, customs and other rituals of those migrants. This was the second and perhaps the biggest jolt to the Dogra identity.
