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| "LATE KASHYAP BANDHU JI" | | | Prerna Bhat
Late Tara Chand popularly known as Kashyap Bandhu alias Bulbul-e-Kashmir was born on March 24, 1899 in the family of late Thakur Bhat. He was brought up by his family and father late Thakur Bhat in village Gairu of Noorpura, Tral, Kashmir and got his primary education in the local primary school and then his further education up to entrance examination at Srinagar. After passing his entrance examination, he got job in Revenue department, but after some time he left the job and went to Lahore where he came under the influence of Arya Samaj and joined Vrjanand Ashram which was head by Vishwa Bandhu as its principal .These were the days when Arya Samaj and Brahmo Samaj were fully preaching and advocating for social reforms. Vishwa Bandhu, observed the keen interest of late Tara Chand in public service and social reforms and advised him to serve to the people of Kashmir. Vishwa Bandhu became political guru of Pt. Tara chand and named him as Kashyap Bandhu.
While in Lahore, he saw the miserable condition of Kashmiri labour who used to migrate from Kashmir to Lahore during winter months to earn their livelihood. He organised them and started Kashmiri Mazdoor Board of which he became the Secretary. Simultaneously he became the editor of Arya Gazette in Lahore. He came into contact with revolutionaries and joined Bhagat Singh's movement party. The entire country was in turmoil during those days as the independence movement was assuming new dimension. Kashyap Bandhu also was arrested in connection with Saunders murder case at Lahore. This was his first arrest. He was set free soon on being found innocent.
In Lahore, he married a Brahmin girl, Vimal Kual, who was an active and spirited young graduate. She later on worked as a teacher in Govt. school Srinagar and after obtaining M.Ed. degree from London University, she became inspectress of girls schools Srinagar, Kashmir.
In 1931, when Kashmiri Pandits suffered of communal disturbance in the Valley, Kashyap Bandhu rushed to the rescue of the leaderless victim community. Being a staunch and dedicated social activist with huge caliber, he immediately set to the task of establishing the Sanatan Dharam Yuvuk Sabha (now ASKPC) along with other Kashmiri Pandit stalwarts like late Prem Nath Bazaz, late Shiv Narian Fotedar, late Jia Lal Kilam and others with its central office at Sharika Bhawan, Sheetal Nath, Srinagar, Kashmir . The daily Urdu Martand, established by Kashyap Bandhu, became the voice of the community. His magical pen made the paper a force in the Valley. He succeeded in getting around him many selfless and patriotic young men of the community like Jialal Kilam, Prem Nath Bazaz, Shiv Narain Fotedar and Prem Nath Kanna along with whom he was imprisoned during the Bread Agitation started by Kashmiri Pandits in 1933-34.
Kashyap Bandhuji approached Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the then President of J&K Muslim Conference, in 1932 seeking creation of a joint front by Hindus and Muslims in Kashmir and the same idea got materialized in 1939 with the creation of J & K National Conference under Sheikh Abdullah and Kashyap Bandhu was the first to join it along with some of his colleagues in the Sabha. He started an Urdu weekly " DESH " preaching socialism, upliftment of villages and villagers as also demanding civil rights for the populace irrespective of any consideration of caste or creed. During the Quit Kashmir movement in 1946, Kashyap Bandhu ji was jailed so many of times till 1947. The independence of India and the creation of Pakistan in 1947, and the consequent economic blockade disrupted life in J & K. The loot and plunder by the raiders sent thousands of refugees, Hindus, and Sikhs from the north and west of Kashmir to Srinagar, Kashyap Bandhu played a vital role to safe guard the interests of the people in particular of K.P. community. It was a very critical period in the history of Kashmir. Rising to the occasion, Maharaja Hari Singh acceded to India and invited Sheikh Abdullah to form an emergency Government in the State and Kashyap Bandhu was made the Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation Officer. It was his job to accommodate and feed the refugees in very adverse circumstances and this he did very smoothly and ably.
After stabilization of conditions in the State, Sheikh Abdullah was appointed Prime Minister and Bandhuji became the Director-General, Rural Reconstruction. He had the Rural Development and Panchayat Departments under his direct control apart from Co-operation, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Departments under his supervision. He again rose to the occasion. With his rural background and rustic sense he became instrumental in laying foundations of real rural development with HALASHARI (voluntary labour) constructing village link roads and canals, raising nurseries and plantation beats etc. Shopian Aharbal Road, Nowpowra-Babarishi Road and other roads and canals and plantations at Dub Akcora, Tulamulla and Ganderbal are among many of his achievements during this period. With the change of Government in 1953. Bandhuji was arrested alongwith Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and others. He declined all overtures from Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad for changing sides. The final release of Sheikh Abdullah in 1964 and the process of liberalization set in motion by late. Ghulam Mohammad Sadiq in 1964 gave Bandhuji another chance, as Project Officer of Sonawari Project, to complete his unfinished job of rural development in the Valley
Late Kashyap Bandhu JI was always keen to serve Kashmir, in particular Kashmiri Pandit community He realized that to ameliorate the condition of the community the social evils in the community should be removed and reforms brought in. During the beginning of the thirties he started his program me of Social Reforms. The Reforms which were taken up for implementation were, re--marriage of widow, girls education, change of dress from pharan to saree, weekly congregations, Mochchi phol, wasteful expenditure and other customs.
In those days widows were not allowed to remarry as the society did not approve of it. Young widows had to suffer for whole life and depend for their existence on the in-laws or own parents. Kashyap Bandhu started the movement, propagated for it alongwith other workers. Most of the workers who worked with him volunteered and married widows. That was the example they put forth for the community. In those years many widows got remarried.
The greatest contribution of Kashyap Bandhu is the spread of education among the girls. It was during that time that Girls Schools such as Vasanta School came into existence. We owe it to him that our women folk have taken to education and are not lagging behind in any field today.
Today we see our womenfolk in sarees and salwar kameez. During the period of early thirties, sarees and salwar kurtas were non-existent. Pheran was the common dress for our women without any under garment beneath it. This dress was responsible for lethargy and laziness. Bandhuji requested the women folk to change the dress and start wearing sarees and that too khadi sarees. There was resistance initially but he and his volunteers started visiting each and every house and requested the women to change the dress. His efforts bore results and today saree and salwar kameez have become the normal dress of our women folk.
Weekly gatherings used to be organised at Hari Parbat where the community people used to gather in large numbers. Yajnas (Havans) were also performed. This was done to imbibe unity and brotherhood among Pandit Community Most of the expenditure incurred during the marriages or other festivals used to be wasteful. The manner in which feasts were given for days together on such occasions and food stuffs and other things wasted was unbearable. To stop all this, Bandhuji and his colleagues started picketing and used to sit on dharnas wherever such feasts were organised. He requested the people to limit the number of Baratis and stop wasting the money and the food stuff. He also advocated limiting the number of preparations on such occasions and refrain from giving huge dowries. Those days it had a salutary effect on the community.
Kashyap Bandhu started collecting contributions and donations both in kind and cash to help widows. His volunteers used to visit each and every house to collect rice and other things just to give solace to the economically and socially backward persons. He started 'Silai centers' to give training to the needy widows so that they could sustain themselves.
To educate the people on these social reforms, he used the media to a great extent. He published many of his ideas through articles in the Daily Kesari, Desh and Martand, of which he was the first editor..
He is better known as a political leader rather than a social reformer. His efforts to revolutionize the thinking of Kashmiri Pandits - change their social structure and social disabilities, brought about a tremendous change in the community, the impact of which is visible even today in the dress of our women folk i.e. 'saree' and in the fast growing education of our women.
This great leader, social reformer and well-wisher of the Kashmiri Pandit Samaj attained his Nirvan on December 18, 1985, when he was of the age of 86 years, in the valley of Jammu & Kashmir.
But alas! today we have not only forgotten this great personality, but we betrayed him. He wanted us to shun dowry system - wasteful expenditure - show off on festivals, particularly on the occasions of marriages - we have not adhered to his teachings. Our demand for dowry has grown to awful proportions; the expenditure on marriages has multiplied, and our marriage festivities continue for days together. Many things have been added to our marriage and other festival menu- , which once was unheard of in our community. 'Nena Batta', 'Hyot Dyot', Gharachun etc. have become our culture. This is how we have betrayed the great man who gave us self confidence and self respect, wanted our emancipation and development. We can still pay him our respects and shradhanjali by following his ideas and teachings.
(Inputs from other sources also) |
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