Early Times Newspaper Jammu
Breaking News :  
 
NEW DETAILS
Effort aims to collectively reconcile with Muslim society, eradicate wedges, foster new bonds
After 30 years, Kashmiri Pandits are returning to their ancestral homes on Navreh
Early Times Report
jammu, Apr 10: For the first time in three decades, Kashmiri pandits who had to leave Valley at the onset of militancy in the region are coming back in droves to their ancestral homes on Navreh- scheduled on April 13, this year.
According to the reports coming to the fore, under this initiative, a batch of more than 50 Kashmiri Pandits will reach Kashmir from Delhi to visit their ancestral villages and reminiscence the old memories.
On April 13 on Navreh (the first day of the New Year), there will be an effort to collectively reconcile with Muslim society through the collective Navreh meeting in Srinagar. The Kashmiri Pandits believe that there will be an effort to eradicate wedges and foster new bonds of harmony and brotherhood.
The batch of Kashmiri Pandits residing in Delhi has left for Kashmir. Those in the batch will also visit their ancestral villages located in Baramulla, Shopian, Kheerbhani, Sheikhpora, and other places to connect with their land. On April 13 on Navreh, there will be mass worship in the Chakreshwari temple in Kashmir.
Reports inform that the 30-year-old tradition will be revived through the Navreh Milan program at the Shitalnath temple in Berbershah in Kralkhud area. On the occasion, special prayers will be held for peace in the valley and restoration of normalcy so that the old traditions of harmony and religious tolerance could be relived with the people of the Muslim community. Reports inform that it will be resolved to live together with brotherhood and to stand together in happiness and sorrow like in the old days.
This initiative has been taken by the Reclamation of Kashmiri Pandits, the Return Rehabilitation of Migrants. The chairman of the organization, Satish Mahaldar has stated that since the displacement of Kashmir pandits, religious-cultural memories have been forgotten and that through Navreh efforts will be made to revive them. There will also be an effort to increase mutual brotherhood and through this event, the Pandit community will also try to connect with their roots.
Reports inform that many Members of Parliament and religious leaders have been invited to the program Navreh Milan. Those who have been invited are Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former union chief Mohan Bhagwat, Dr. Karan Singh, Dr. Subrahmanyam Swamy. Noted Sufi expert Ghulam Rasool will also be present in the program. There are hopes that this will help in spreading the message of peace and tranquility in the valley through Sufi tradition. However, there has been no confirmation whether the invitees will join the event or not owing to the ongoing COVID-19 crises.
According to some estimates, of 75,343 Kashmiri Pandit families in January 1990, more than 70,000 fled between 1990 and 1992. The flight continued until 2000. The number of Kashmiri Pandits killed by militants from 1990 to 2011 stood at 399, the majority during 1989-90. Some 800 families have remained in the Valley through these three decades.