K for Kashmir: Agony of the valley

Ruins of the Martand temple, the cries of “Maryu, Batav, Maryu” (Die, you Pandits), “hum kya chahte, azaadi” (what do we want, freedom), “Na Bhatto Aham, Na Bhatto Aham” (I am not a Pandit, I am not a Pandit), the torn shelters, the marked houses, the piles of janeu, to this day, haunt the victims of history.

Elections are to be held in the valley. The quashing of Article 370, inauguration of Ma Sharda temple and the hoisting of Tiranga on Lal Chowk, has not stopped selected shootings in Jammu and Kashmir. Refer: https://article-14.com/post/-there-is-no-solution-we-will-be-killed-one-by-one-kashmiri-pandits-4-years-after-modi-govt-revoked-j-k-autonomy–64cdb4886bec6

History of the valley didn’t begin with this. The land gave birth to the first historian of Bharat, Kalhana. Rajatarangini deals with a logical timeline of kings in the country. Tantraloka, the Kashmiri version of Shaivism, and Abhinavshakti, a commentary on Bharat Muni’s Natyshastra, are a few of the brilliant treaties composed in Kashmir.

For a while, syncretism, as well was fancied.

There is nothing that reflects this melding more than a vaakh by Lal Ded, Kashmir’s revered poetess-saint:

 “Shiv chhuy thali’e thali’e rozaan, Mo zaan Hyond tty Musalmaan”

God pervades every particle and every being. Don’t distinguish between a Hindu and a Muslim.

[Excerpt from “Our Moon has Blood Clots”]

Afghans in the valley

A Hindu, who converted, was fed beef and had his janeu/ the sacred thread, snapped; the infidels were straight up beheaded. Zain-ul-Abdin was one of the very few who let Kashmir retain its peace.

Butshikan

In the early medieval centuries, Sikandar Sultan had wreaked terror on Hindus. After failing to destroy Martand, it was taken down through a series of attempts by the like-minded individuals.

Jehangir, a lover of Kashmir, wished to see the valley on his deathbed. His governor had other plans. Iftikhar Khan persecuted Pandits on such a scale that seven mounds of janeu had to be burnt. Pandits approached Tegh Bahadur, the tenth Sikh Guru, who embraced death but saved the former.

On the eve of partition

The political dice played by Maharaja Hari Singh, the inaction of leadership and cunningness of local leaders, left Kashmir at the mercy of barbaric tribes. The state never recovered fully. To read more about Kashmir in 1947, refer to ‘The Nehru Epoch’ by Dwarka Prasad Mishra.

1980s

Kashmir celebrated a Diwali-like joy when Pakistan defeated India, in a cricket match, on April 18, 1986. Otherwise, forced blackouts have always been the norm. On June 23, 1989, pamphlets were distributed by a group called Hazb-i-Islami. It asked Hindu women to wear tilaks/the sacred mark for identification and warned Muslim women to adhere to the Islamic codes of modesty in two days or face consequences.

Political Sterility

A veteran communist leader, Reshi Dev, a Kashmiri Pandit, questioned Surjeet Singh, a minister on visit.‘Aisee baatein chalti rehti hein—such things keep on happening,’ Surjeet shot back, on the issue of targeted killings. Jagmohan, the newly appointed governor in 1990s, though sympathetic to the cause, was not given any means or power. His memoir, My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir, can be referred to. Rubaiya, the daughter of the then-Home Minister, was abducted, and the acquittal of five terrorists was demanded in return. The ruin of Babri invited inexplicable horrors. All while the New-Delhi high command remained mute.

A few to pay tribute

While the killings in the valley raised to millions, this was not the first mass transfer that the Pandits undertook, but the seventh. Known for their beauty and hard work, longing for a home is accompanied by deep fear. Satish Tickoo, killed by Farukh Ahmed, was freed in a few years. Farroq is a father now. Lasse Kaul, the Doordarshan Kashmir’s director, was killed. Ashok Kumar Qazi was found dead, on his way to Nund Baba temple. Naveen Sapru bled to death, an old Kashmiri lady who begged to spare Sapru, was abused. Many remain unnamed. The army personnel fare no better.

Last two decades

The historical stalwarts are hell bent on proving the tolerance tales of Kashmiriyat. From giving Kashmir to Pakistan to publicly celebrating Yaseen Malik, their failures are lined up in a row. India made a huge blunder by taking Kashmir to the Security Council. Such headlines are common, Al Jazeera- As Kashmir’s Hindus face targeted killings, hundreds flee the valley.

 Now that the situation is minutely better, let us not trade sovereignty. The smooth elections will be a relief to the country. Return of the migrants is still an oblivious and far-feigned dream.

A slow and protected welcome of Pandits, secured occupation and quotas in the governance may be helpful to win the trust. The process will take decades. Historical wrongs must be corrected by political rights.

To read more of such content, visit https://test.inpactimes.com/weaponization-of-secularism-and-blasphemy/ .