archive: The lost identity
The lost identity
Pamela Bhagat
The Pioneer
July 28, 1999
Title: The lost identity
Author: Pamela Bhagat
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: July 28, 1999
It was in April last year that the Parankot massacre took place in
which 26 Kashmiri Pundits were killed by the militants belonging to
Lashkar-e-Toiba. The act was designed to intimidate and warn the
Kashmiri Pundits who were considering migrating back to the Valley
from their miserable existence in campsites in the plains. While this
gruesome strategy did shake the resolve of the Kashmiri Pundits to
return, the locals now want them back. There is growing evidence of
the vacuum that Kashmiri Pundits have left behind in the Valley and it
is being acutely felt and pointed out by the locals from all walks of
life - academicians, artistes, traders, even the petty fisherwoman who
speaks wistfully of Batanies (Pundit women) and their insatiable
demand for fish.
Normal functioning of educational institutes, hospitals, business
centres have all been affected. The Pundits, though a small minority,
contributed the Kashmiri society in a huge way. According to
unofficial figures, 50 per cent of nursing staff, 25 per cent doctors
and 35 per cent educationists have left the Valley. In an article
recently published in the book 'Dimensions of federal Nation
Building', Dr Bashir Ahmed Dabla, a professor in Kashmir University,
hypothesises that normalcy can be restored only with the restoration
of the former ethnic diversity: "The distinctiveness of Kashmir and
its people, irrespective of their differences and religion, region,
language, culture and so on, must be upheld sincerely and must reflect
in the future political and constitutional arrangements."
Similar sentiments were voiced by the senior Hurriyat leader Shakeel
Bakshi, at the Hurriyat conference held earlier this year in Jammu. He
urged the Pundits to return to their homes and pleaded for restoration
of mutual brotherhood and trust between Kashmiri Muslims and their
Pundit brothers. "We should build an atmosphere of confidence and
share our sorrows," says Bakshi. This feeling is vividly illustrated
by the acclaimed local artist Mohammed Shafi Chaman. His symbolic oil
on canvass 'The Last Bath' poignantly depicts a Kashmiri Pundit about
to take the last dip in the Dal Lake with a lit diya on his palm. It
signifies the snuffing out of light and knowledge with the departure
of the Kashmiri Pundits.
It is a decade since Kashmiri Pundits moved to safe havens in other
parts of the country, threatened with annihilation by Islamic
fundamentalists and gun-totting terrorists. According to the local
Kashmiri, the fear psychosis during the early years of insurgency was
not restricted to one community. Everyone felt threatened, there was
no family that was untouched by militancy. The reason why the Kashmiri
Pundits left en masse was because it was facilitated by the
administration. While they trash the rumour that letters were sent to
them asking them to leave, the fact is that trucks to move them were
allowed in even during curfew.
"Jagmohan did in five days what Pakistan couldn't do in 50 years. They
should honour him with 'Nizam-e-Mustafa', their highest civilian
award," is how Dr I M Mattoo feels. There are others who say that
there has always been Government apathy to them as a community. For
instance, according to 1941 census, the Kashmir Valley had 15 per cent
Kashmiri Pundits as against 83 per cent Muslims. This is believed to
be a fallacy and the figure of 25-30 per cent is more realistic. Since
then their population has been declined steadily. Till 1991, it was
put on 0.1 per cent which translates into 3,000. This is not true
since there are 50,000 Pundits still in the Valley (according to a
paper by M Rasgotra - 'Slow Eviction of Pundits From Kashmir').
This statistical assault translates into neglect of all facets of the
community and their identity. Kashmiri Pundits have never been violent
or even singularly courageous. Nor do they have any such pretensions.
There is little doubt that Kashmiri Pundits are not aggressive or
defiant, but that is probably because of their minority psyche.
Throughout history, Kashmir has always been colonised and whenever the
Kashmiri Pundits were pushed to the wall, they migrated to safety, and
never retaliated. No Pundit in the Valley has ever owned any weapon or
firearm. Probably it is their non-aggressive attitude that has
influenced their destiny. While the older generation talks longingly
of Kashmir, the youth is no longer willing to go back to the turbulent
Valley. They do not miss what they do not remember.
Today, most of the migrant property is in a bad shape since much of it
has been vandalised, looted and many orchards burnt down. This is
particularly sad since an apple tree takes ten years to come to
fruition. The Migrant Property Act enacted by the State Government
helped in disposing off property or renting it out and this did, to
some extent, prevent distress sales. Despite all odds, some families
have ventured back to test the waters but are dismayed at the lack of
administrative support.
The rural Kashmiri Pundit is more accommodating since he wants to go
back to the soil and the environment and has limited resources. The
Kashmiri mind is a creation of thousands of years of cultural and
spiritual integration and has survived a turbulent history. As the
Kashmiri poet-philosopher Iqbal has said, "Kuch baat hai ke hasti
mittee nahin hamari (There is something about us that our identity
hasn't been wiped out)." What needs to be seen is: Will the Kashmiri
Pundit return or cling to his identity as an emigre?
Back
Top
|
