On a quiet summer afternoon in 2020, a calendar at a mosque in Indian-administered Kashmir caught Muneer Ahmad Dar's attention. It featured a poem written in Kashmiri, the language spoken in the region.
To his surprise, he struggled to read it.
It made him wonder how his generation had slowly drifted away from their mother tongue, as other languages like English, Urdu, and Hindi became more widespread.
With that realization, he launched a social media page - called Muneer Speaks - to preserve and promote Kashmiri culture.
Five years on, his profile has garnered over 500 million impressions across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
I want to tell stories about our places and histories, our proverbs, folklore, and poetry, he says. It's about capturing the way we have lived, laughed, cooked, and remembered.
Mr. Dar is among an emerging group of young content creators using digital platforms to preserve fragments of Kashmir's heritage.
The region, divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both, has been scarred by decades of conflict and has lost thousands of lives to insurgency.
In recent years, many young people have left Kashmir - some to escape violence, others in search of better opportunities.
But now, a new generation is changing the narrative - highlighting art, tradition, and daily life, beyond the unrest and violence.
When Mr. Dar started his social media page, the focus was on the Kashmiri language. But over the past five years, his work has expanded into a mix of content, featuring photographs of old architecture, cultural lore, and stories behind local delicacies.
In one of his popular videos, Mr. Dar shares surprising facts about the area's architecture - like how people once used eggs to help hold buildings together.
Meanwhile, the Instagram page, Museum of Kashmir, is taking a broader approach to archiving.
The page is run by 33-year-old journalist Muhammad Faysal, who, with a team of curators and oral historians, documents Kashmir's overlooked artefacts and traditions.
Videos of vibrant mosque ceilings and poetry recitals feature alongside captions that offer quick, insightful context.
Followers say the page helps them see Kashmir's history in a new light.
Heritage isn't just about grand monuments, one follower commented, but about the things people carried when they left their homes, books, shawls, and family recipes.
Experts say content creators must stay accurate, especially with oral histories that can lose detail over time.
The rise in Kashmiri storytelling offers a vital counter-narrative, but rushed documentation can blur nuances, according to author and researcher Khalid Bashir Ahmad.
To ensure authenticity, creators say they rely on researchers who cross-check their content with published sources, while preserving the original context.
On Instagram, 31-year-old filmmaker Sheikh Adnan runs 'Shawlwala', a page dedicated to Kashmir's iconic Pashmina scarves (called shawls) - handwoven from the fine wool of Himalayan goats and celebrated as both heritage and luxury.
Our shawls are not just fabric, he says, emphasizing that most of his subjects are elderly artisans who spin, dye, and weave each thread.
His goal is to shift the narrative by taking the scarves beyond fashion and tourism and presenting them as examples of Kashmir's history and resilience.
They are maps of touch, skill, and generations. Every thread carries a story.
But preserving a language online is only part of the battle - Mr. Dar says platforms still don't recognize Kashmiri as a regional language, affecting visibility and reach.
Despite the challenges, this young group is determined to keep up their work. From Mr. Dar to Ms. Hafiz, they insist their work proves that Kashmiri culture is not fading but fighting to be remembered on its own terms.
To his surprise, he struggled to read it.
It made him wonder how his generation had slowly drifted away from their mother tongue, as other languages like English, Urdu, and Hindi became more widespread.
With that realization, he launched a social media page - called Muneer Speaks - to preserve and promote Kashmiri culture.
Five years on, his profile has garnered over 500 million impressions across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
I want to tell stories about our places and histories, our proverbs, folklore, and poetry, he says. It's about capturing the way we have lived, laughed, cooked, and remembered.
Mr. Dar is among an emerging group of young content creators using digital platforms to preserve fragments of Kashmir's heritage.
The region, divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both, has been scarred by decades of conflict and has lost thousands of lives to insurgency.
In recent years, many young people have left Kashmir - some to escape violence, others in search of better opportunities.
But now, a new generation is changing the narrative - highlighting art, tradition, and daily life, beyond the unrest and violence.
When Mr. Dar started his social media page, the focus was on the Kashmiri language. But over the past five years, his work has expanded into a mix of content, featuring photographs of old architecture, cultural lore, and stories behind local delicacies.
In one of his popular videos, Mr. Dar shares surprising facts about the area's architecture - like how people once used eggs to help hold buildings together.
Meanwhile, the Instagram page, Museum of Kashmir, is taking a broader approach to archiving.
The page is run by 33-year-old journalist Muhammad Faysal, who, with a team of curators and oral historians, documents Kashmir's overlooked artefacts and traditions.
Videos of vibrant mosque ceilings and poetry recitals feature alongside captions that offer quick, insightful context.
Followers say the page helps them see Kashmir's history in a new light.
Heritage isn't just about grand monuments, one follower commented, but about the things people carried when they left their homes, books, shawls, and family recipes.
Experts say content creators must stay accurate, especially with oral histories that can lose detail over time.
The rise in Kashmiri storytelling offers a vital counter-narrative, but rushed documentation can blur nuances, according to author and researcher Khalid Bashir Ahmad.
To ensure authenticity, creators say they rely on researchers who cross-check their content with published sources, while preserving the original context.
On Instagram, 31-year-old filmmaker Sheikh Adnan runs 'Shawlwala', a page dedicated to Kashmir's iconic Pashmina scarves (called shawls) - handwoven from the fine wool of Himalayan goats and celebrated as both heritage and luxury.
Our shawls are not just fabric, he says, emphasizing that most of his subjects are elderly artisans who spin, dye, and weave each thread.
His goal is to shift the narrative by taking the scarves beyond fashion and tourism and presenting them as examples of Kashmir's history and resilience.
They are maps of touch, skill, and generations. Every thread carries a story.
But preserving a language online is only part of the battle - Mr. Dar says platforms still don't recognize Kashmiri as a regional language, affecting visibility and reach.
Despite the challenges, this young group is determined to keep up their work. From Mr. Dar to Ms. Hafiz, they insist their work proves that Kashmiri culture is not fading but fighting to be remembered on its own terms.
