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| Face onslaughts and maintain faith thy name is Kashmiri Pandit | | | M.L.Waza
Kashmir is a piece of land of peerless beauty. It is a real Paradise for all those who love Nature. This land of ours has everything that one can term as beautiful. This land of ours has everything that one can term as beautiful. Beauty in all her manifestations is captivating luring the beholder to enjoy peace of mind, ever soothing to forget the sad moments of life. J.L. Nehru wrote about it.
Like some supremely beautiful woman, whose beauty is impersonal and above human desire, such was Kashmir in all its feminine beauty of river and valley and lake and graceful trees. And then another aspect of magic beauty would come to view a masculine one of hard mountains and precipices and snow clad peaks and glaciers and fierce torrents rushing down to the valley below. It had a hundred faces and innumerable aspects ever changing, sometimes smiling, sometimes sad and full of sorrow.
The salubrious climate tempts one to spend the hot months of summer listening to the gentle murmur of ever flowing rivers-gently clam, seldom roaring. The land shines in her green cover the sky is azure blue, with huge chunks of clouds kissing the mountains clefts and above all sunshine subdued to the minimum. Here is a place where we enjoy he beauty of all the four seasons of the years distinctly marked apart spring, summer, autumn and winter each unfolding what appears beautiful to human mind. The mstle of leaves in autumn & setting sun, followed by rigours of winter help one to remember the words of the poet.
“If winter comes, can spring be far behind”.
We sustain ourselves in the sweet & sad memories of the past we were born in Kashmir, now cherish once again to cradle in the bosom of such land away from the inconveniences of hard summer and outside in different parts of the country. Air, water & each gram of the earth comprise the ingredients of life of a Kashmir Pandit. We have a distinct culture of our own supported by our utter regard and faith in pious and spiritual life. We have no malice against anyone, nor do we harbour ill will and spite. Every morning we pray for well being of each and every one. But still the wound of tyranny inflicted on us with unspeakable violence torments us in our lighter moments. That time we prop up ourselves with an ounce of endurance, what cannot be cured must be endured.
The sweet calm murmur of ever flowing rivers, the chirp of birds, beauty of sky in azure blue colour, the gentle breeze the green verdant fields, the shade of majestic chinar and above all the colourful glamour of flowery world is different to forget.
The paradise is lost to us, so we plod on with almost broken souls and tense minds, we are a community discouraged more enmeshed in a web of unforeseen and helpless slaps of times. Perhaps, it is the reason, we suffered untold misery and ignominy at the hands of tyrant rulers.
Kashmiri Pandits constitute a distinct class of their own considered to the purest specimen of ancient Aryan settlements. The progeny of rishis, seers, this small community have been and still are by and large, sober, peace loving and socile. They are characterized by their being highly educated and learned, we feel proud to have had a galaxy of sages, saints, poets, statesmen, administrators & so on. Their contribution helped in the development of composite heritage and culture.
With the advent of Islam, Ominous clouds surrounded and engulfed us in a bad way. Centuries of humiliation, persecution and torute at the whim of foreign tyrant rulers left us shattered. Every submission of ours was quelled with unspeakable violence. We managed to survive the numerous periods of hame, idignity, physical touture and recovered by our own power of self preservation. Some how inspite of fierce odds Kashmiri Pandit succeeded in preserving the rich cultureal heritage inherited from our forefathers, who among them included great saints, thinkers, intellectual and literary giants. Kashmiri Pandit is a produce of that vibrant culture and civilization that never showed a showed a whiff of apathy and aversion to new and alien influences, thoughts and faiths. A Kashmiri Pandit is a known for this dignity of soul, tolerance and piety hospitality and forbearance.
Upto 12th century, the population was predominately Hindus living was simple with absolute Harmony on socio-political plane. Places of worship were confined to purely religious moral, philosophical literary pursuits. All effects were aimed at transmitting the message of peace and co-existence of all faiths.
History bear testimony to the fact that right from 13th to 17th century and even at present, Kashmiri Pandits have had to contend with enormous on slaught in one form or the other under the rule of foreign invaders. A concerted effort by such tyrant rulers wrought havoc and atrocious misery on peace loving people. The Hindu population of Kashmiri Pandit were subjugated under the stress of all form of tyranny human mind could conceive. The entire socio-political structure suffered subversion. The inhuman savagery on helpless, unarmed people caused intolerable affliction, miseries, torture, persecution, cruelty and pain.The result of all this persecution was that Hindus got converted to Islam and those who withstood the onslaught maintained faith in their own faith and religion. All this mode of Governance led to well, the number of the followers of Islam & Hindu population dwindled is a fair proportion. Now, we have Muslim majority and Kashmiri Hindus & Sikhs a minority.
Again came a time when foreign rulers, tyrant and inhuman as they were lost power and Hindu rulers swayed their sculpture in 1820. Religious activities resurged in temples. The Sikh rule brought peace for all. Life limped back to semblance of civility, but political chaos was summering on. Soon after descended upon Kashmir, Jammu & Ladakh Dogra rule, Maharajas became the monarchs. The rulers relieved and adhered to religious tolerance and harmony.
Overall command of the country was under the British rule who had their viceroys to oversee the good governance. Find the people of Kashmir, whether Muslim or Hindu docile to the fault, the politicians sowed the seeds of disharmony and adopted the method of divide and rule. Followers of National Conference and Sheikh Sahib help spite against the gollowers of Mohi Youssouf Shah. The ding dong battle between Sher (Lion) and Bakra (Lamb) tussle continued among the populace of course infused by politicians of various hues. The wrath inspired by inherent anger, resulted in an outburst on 13th July 1931. The trading centre at Maharaj Gunj in the down town was looted, with arson and other forms of inhuman behaviour. The Hindus were soft targets.
The NC became the prominent political party and was ably supported by the political leaders engaged in freedom, struggle. The rule of Maharaja continued til 1947. On 15th August we woke at Midnight hour to hear our PM (JL Nehru) speaks as.
“Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny and non the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge not wholly or in full measure but, very substantially. At the stroke of midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom”.
The colonial rule left India divided. Pakistan and India. There were about 522 states, each with monarchial head who were given choice to accede to Union of India or Pakistan. The partition involved transfer of power and population. There was a mad frenzy of communal dissatisfaction and colossal catastrophe. Gandhi Ji, the father of the nation did his best to control the monster of communal riots. He visited Kashmir in 1946.
It took some time of Maharaja Sahib to decide upon which way to go. Sensing political vaccum and uncertainity, He Muslim league leaders mobiled the tribal force of NWFP to usurp the land of Kashmir by force. They met some resistance at Uri, where the armed forces of the State could not hold on. They flooded in the state like a swarm of locusts, killed Hindus, Sikh and looted the populace. The rulers also left the people to their fate. In such a chaotic situation, Sheikh Sahib picked up the reigns of Government at Lalchowk. The leadership, who tool over chose to align our destiny with India.
The tribal invasion in Oct, 1947 to annex Kashmir with Pakistan was repulsed by the counter offensive of Indian armed forces, after they assumed the charge of the battle gear. The Supreme sacrifice of those who laid down their lives while fighting the tribals paved way to victory. The lost territory was resorted to State Govt. The present cease fire line is at Uri, beyond which is POK.
Political understanding between NC leadership, headed by Sheikh Sahib and Govt. of India resulted in the accession of the state of JK with union of India under the home ministership of Sardar Patel & PM JL Nehru.
The Kashmir problem between India and Pakistan has time and again been discussed in United Nations Security Council in all details. The western powers twisted the matter so intricately, that there seems, the solution of this vexed problem shall never be in sight. The problem is alive still our neighbour, Pakistan leave no stone unturned to headache India in one way or the other, be it subversion, loot, killing and religious propaganda too venomous to hear.
It is harmful to Hindus of Kashmir, as we have no roots anywhere to sustain, faith, culture and spiritual persuits.
Considering all this background, it is my humble appeal to all my brethren to stand under one banner and plan peaceful flight in full measure for justice, peace and prosperity.
Now it is the time, when intellectuals whose same voice and opinion matters, pool their collective wisdom and carve out a road map for complete resurrection. A slew of measures is needed to rid the community of all those evils that have creeped in and imbibed because of changed scenario & circumstances.
We are strewn all over the world. Let, each one of us contribute towards the goals of achieving social justice, educational and cultural renaissance.
We need to pay attention to Vedic studies and Sanskrit the language our religious books stand written.
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