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| India, Pak should work unitedly to promote Kashmiriyat: Guv, CM | | |
SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 29
Governor Lt. Gen (Retd) S K Sinha today gave a clarion call to India and Pakistan for working unitedly to promote Kashmiriyat, which holds key to the future of mankind while Chief Minister Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad said that Kashmir has been a role model of secular and characteristic, amity and pluralistic culture in the Subcontinent..
Inaugurating 3-Day International Seminar on Approaches to Kashmir Studies organized by the Centre for Kashmir Studies, University of Kashmir here this evening, the Governor referred to the functioning of Department of Kashmiriyat at Punjab University, Lahore and said that it can interact with the Centre for Kashmir Studies closely to strive for the common goal.
Union Minister for Panchayati Raj & Sports, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar was the Chief Guest while Chief Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad presided over the inaugural session. Delegates from Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan besides different parts of the country participated in the seminar.
Referring to the participation of Pakistani scholars in the seminar, the Governor said that India and Pakistan are united by history, geography, culture and even language, yet there has been six decades of trust deficit, soured relations and conflicts between the two. ‘Winds of change are now blowing. ‘It is also very gratifying that we have representatives of Central Asian countries here, reviving our old cultural, spiritual and economic links. They played a significant role in the flowering of Kashmiriyat in Paradise on Earth’, he said.
General Sinha said that Kashmiriyat is influenced by different religions and is a vibrant force that has sustained the people of Kashmir throughout history. Though a some misguided people tried to trample it yet it has bounced back, revitalized and refurbished.
‘It stood out at a time when our Sub-Continent was engulfed in communal holocaust leading to millions getting killed and millions uprooted. In those dark days, Kashmiriyat from this Valley showed the light and Mahatma Gandhi rightly referred to it as a ray of hope for the future’, he added.
The Governor said that although Kashmiriyat is not a religion but it is no doubt influenced by different religions, which he called humanism. The three religions, which have influenced Kashmiriyat, are Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. Without altering their basic concepts, all religions have different streams of thought. In the case of Islam, it was Sufi Islam that came to valley from Central Asia, in the case of Buddhism, it was the Mahayana variation believing in salvation of the society and not of the individual as such and in the case of Hinduism it was the Kashmiri Saivism with it’s monotheistic belief, which blended into the culture of Kashmiriyat, he said.
In his presidential address, the Chief Minister said that greatest strength of Kashmir has been its multi-dimensional pluralism, culture of tolerance and infinite capacity to accommodate, cultural, religious and ethnic differences. He said that the diversity of Kashmiri finds expression in their life-styles, arts, culture, music and literature. ‘Kashmir was a model for the sub-continent’, he added.
Tracing back the rich ethos of the Valley, the Chief Minister said that Kashmir was home to Sharada Peeth, the finest seat of learning in the region during the ancient times. The great king of Kashmir, Zain-ul-Abudin (Budshah), refused a tribute of horses and instead preferred books for his library. ‘It is time to recall and recover Kashmir’s glorious past’, he said.
The Chief Minister said that there has been a proliferation of studies on Kashmir in recent years. While some are driven by a sense of objectivity, unfortunately for some Kashmir has become an industry. He urged the scholars to study the contemporary problems of Kashmir, which will aid and help policy-makers. ‘In the absence of reliable data on various issues, well thought out policies cannot be easily formulated’, he added.
Mr Azad expressed happiness over the holding of seminar and said that it will provide a larger canvass to the scholars to throw light on the glorious ethos of Kashmiriyat. He said Kashmiriyat is not a political slogan but is a way of life, essence of which is ‘Live and Let Live”.
He said that Kashmiriyat’s spiritual and cultural heritage goes back to the dialogue and symbiotic relationship between three great religious traditions, Sufi Islam, Mahayana Buddhism and Shaivite Hinduism. He said Sheikh-ul-Alam’s life and massage besides Lal Ded’s Vakh’s provide eternal radiance to Kashmiriyat. He emphasized the need for injecting greater nourishment and strength to Kashmiriyat.
Expressing happiness over the establishment of Centre for Kashmir Studies in University of Kashmir with the keen efforts of the Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha, the Chief Minister hoped that it will grow as a full fledged research centre. ‘It is an irony that while there are institutions across the globe studying Kashmir, there was no academic department in the valley devoted to the study of Kashmiri.
He congratulated the organizers for holding the seminars and hoped that the delegates coming from various countries will move outside the conference hall and see the breathtaking beauty of this land to experience the legendary hospitality of the Kashmiri people.
Mr Aiyar delivered the special address while Prof Riyaz Punjabi presented keynote address at the seminar. Vice Chancellor, University of Kashmir, Prof Abdul Wahid and Director, Centre for Kashmir Studies also spoke on the occasion. |
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