A day before Shivratri I boarded Malva Express at Jammu railway station. After few a minutes, a Kashmiri Pandit along with his sister and her two kids boarded the same compartment. The pandit was having a problem. He had to drop his sister in Delhi and celebrate Shivratri at his home next day in Jammu. For a while he looked around, after noticing me he straight away came to my seat confirming that I am a Kashmiri Muslim, asked two passengers next to me for exchange of seats so that he and his sister could share my company. After some persuasion the passengers agreed to exchange the seats. Kashmiri Pandit, his sister and the two kids came and occupied the seats next to me. After sitting for a while, the Pandit stepped out of the train. He told me that since you are here now to accompany my sister, I do not need to travel with her. He did not know me, nor did he know my whereabouts. He trusted me merely because I happened to be Kashmiri Muslim. He did not trust any other passenger in the compartment although all of them happened to be Hindus.
This is not a single instance of trust that a Kashmiri Pandit reposes in a Kashmiri Muslim. In every day life we come across hundreds of instances in which a Kashmiri Pandit is found to be more receptive to a Kashmiri Muslim than his co-religionists from India. But all this is experienced in the individual behaviour of Kashmiri Pandits. Here they act on the basis of dictates of their conscience and their experience. In their collective efforts they are guided by the dictates of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee-(1901-1953) former leader of Rashtrya Soimsevak Sangh (RSS) . It was he who asked them to shed their dress, replace Pheran with Sarri and teach their children Hindi instead of Urdu. This made them aliens within their own land and created a gap between them and their neighbours. Kashmiri Pandit ladies no more resembled Himal and Arnimal.
Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz, the only genius among Kashmiri Pandits and a person ahead of his times did ask them to evade this disastrous path. There was no one to heed him. On the contrary, Kashmiri Pandits conspired against him and he was expelled from the state by Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah(1905-1982). Kashmiri Pandits got further alienated because of land reforms. No doubt these reforms adversely effected their economy but they could have been seen as an extension of the same type of reforms that were enacted in other parts of India. In Kashmir landlordship was an exclusive domain of Pandits, same way as Muslims of Uttar Pradesh (U.P) owned most of the jagirs. Twentieth century experienced a process of social churning which tore apart the hegemony of some elite classes. Both Kashmiri Pandits and Muslim zamindars of U.P were among these classes. They instead of reconciling with new realities tried to block march of history. Muslim zamindars of U.P after failing to check the tide of events against them migrated to Pakistan. Moulana Azad like Prem Nath Bazaz persuaded his community not to follow this path. No one responded to his voice. Muslim zamindars of U.P were under the illusion that they can maintain their over lordship in Pakistan over the tenants of their own religious community.
The process of social churning that had frozen their avenues of exploitation in U.P overtook them across the borders as well. They after some decades were made to face the realities by the upcoming down trodden classes in Pakistan. Now they are trying to blunt this tide by raising the issues of ethnicity. This card is unlikely to work to their advantage.
We shouldn’t be surprised if something similar happens to Kashmiri Pandits. They too weren’t ready to digest the elevation of those whom they exploited for centuries. They were also under the illusion that their distant co-religionists will provide them an alternative green pasture for exploitation. They too used the tool of religion against a societal change and after failing in this pursuit resorted to migration. Present turbulence was not the beginning and the end of Kashmiri Pandit problem. Right from 1947 they have been migrating to various Indian states. Pamposh colony of Delhi and Subash Nagar of Jammu came into existence long before eruption of the ongoing militancy. Migration of ninety’s was climax of this process. It was quest for greener pastures on the part of the former landlords of Kashmir. They didn’t digest emergence of Muslim middle class and were not ready to rub shoulders with those whom they have been taking for a ride for centuries. The ongoing turbulence provided them with a pretext to migrate enmasse the same way as a skirmish over a trivial issue leads to separation of spouses who are otherwise unable to go along with each other. Some of the Pandits no doubt became victims of the militancy in its early phase but they were not the only ones to suffer. Muslims also suffered a lot and continue to get killed in scores even now. They didn’t resort to mass migration. Even Dogra shopkeepers and employees continue to live peacefully in the valley. Same is the case with Hindu labourers from Bihar. Other groups of Hindus do not have the type of problems which have become destiny of Kashmiri Pandits. Dogras for example being by and large an exploited group too benefited from the socio-economic changes of past fifty years. They don’t harbour notions of being a privileged group unlike Kashmiri Pandits. It was easy for them to adjust with the realities of this era.
Days have gone when some classes could claim monopoly over high positions. Elites of yesteryears are facing the competition in every part of the world. Kashmiri Pandits and Muslim Zamindars of U.P on account of peculiar complexion of their societies tried to give a religious colour to this social transformation. Both these groups belonged to exploiting classes while those whom they exploited belonged to a different religious group. It was easy for them to portray economic reforms carried out against their interests as an agenda of communalism. After failing in it, both these groups migrated in search of greener pastures. Muhajirs of Pakistan are facing the music of their blunder. They are being made to come to terms with the realities of this era in their dreamland, Pakistan. Kashmiri Pandits I am sure will be made to reconcile with the forces of history in their dreamland, Hindustan.
Muhajirs being a large ethnic group having sizeable presence on both sides of the border could maintain their identity and existence irrespective of this situation. Kashmiri Pandits are numerically an insignificant group. They are crazy about opting alien life styles. This will lead them nowhere except to their extinction as a community. Every culture and identity needs an environment for its survival. For the existence of Kashmiri Pandit identity, the Kashmiri Muslim society is the only environment. Economic benefits and doles (Mund Fund in Kashmiri) are not going to continue forever. They may continue the traits of parasitic life style to which exploiting communities usually get addicted but cannot guarantee the community’s survival. I often feel sorry for this state of affairs but what others can do when the community itself has chosen the path of suicide.
This is not a single instance of trust that a Kashmiri Pandit reposes in a Kashmiri Muslim. In every day life we come across hundreds of instances in which a Kashmiri Pandit is found to be more receptive to a Kashmiri Muslim than his co-religionists from India. But all this is experienced in the individual behaviour of Kashmiri Pandits. Here they act on the basis of dictates of their conscience and their experience. In their collective efforts they are guided by the dictates of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee-(1901-1953) former leader of Rashtrya Soimsevak Sangh (RSS) . It was he who asked them to shed their dress, replace Pheran with Sarri and teach their children Hindi instead of Urdu. This made them aliens within their own land and created a gap between them and their neighbours. Kashmiri Pandit ladies no more resembled Himal and Arnimal.
Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz, the only genius among Kashmiri Pandits and a person ahead of his times did ask them to evade this disastrous path. There was no one to heed him. On the contrary, Kashmiri Pandits conspired against him and he was expelled from the state by Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah(1905-1982). Kashmiri Pandits got further alienated because of land reforms. No doubt these reforms adversely effected their economy but they could have been seen as an extension of the same type of reforms that were enacted in other parts of India. In Kashmir landlordship was an exclusive domain of Pandits, same way as Muslims of Uttar Pradesh (U.P) owned most of the jagirs. Twentieth century experienced a process of social churning which tore apart the hegemony of some elite classes. Both Kashmiri Pandits and Muslim zamindars of U.P were among these classes. They instead of reconciling with new realities tried to block march of history. Muslim zamindars of U.P after failing to check the tide of events against them migrated to Pakistan. Moulana Azad like Prem Nath Bazaz persuaded his community not to follow this path. No one responded to his voice. Muslim zamindars of U.P were under the illusion that they can maintain their over lordship in Pakistan over the tenants of their own religious community.
The process of social churning that had frozen their avenues of exploitation in U.P overtook them across the borders as well. They after some decades were made to face the realities by the upcoming down trodden classes in Pakistan. Now they are trying to blunt this tide by raising the issues of ethnicity. This card is unlikely to work to their advantage.
We shouldn’t be surprised if something similar happens to Kashmiri Pandits. They too weren’t ready to digest the elevation of those whom they exploited for centuries. They were also under the illusion that their distant co-religionists will provide them an alternative green pasture for exploitation. They too used the tool of religion against a societal change and after failing in this pursuit resorted to migration. Present turbulence was not the beginning and the end of Kashmiri Pandit problem. Right from 1947 they have been migrating to various Indian states. Pamposh colony of Delhi and Subash Nagar of Jammu came into existence long before eruption of the ongoing militancy. Migration of ninety’s was climax of this process. It was quest for greener pastures on the part of the former landlords of Kashmir. They didn’t digest emergence of Muslim middle class and were not ready to rub shoulders with those whom they have been taking for a ride for centuries. The ongoing turbulence provided them with a pretext to migrate enmasse the same way as a skirmish over a trivial issue leads to separation of spouses who are otherwise unable to go along with each other. Some of the Pandits no doubt became victims of the militancy in its early phase but they were not the only ones to suffer. Muslims also suffered a lot and continue to get killed in scores even now. They didn’t resort to mass migration. Even Dogra shopkeepers and employees continue to live peacefully in the valley. Same is the case with Hindu labourers from Bihar. Other groups of Hindus do not have the type of problems which have become destiny of Kashmiri Pandits. Dogras for example being by and large an exploited group too benefited from the socio-economic changes of past fifty years. They don’t harbour notions of being a privileged group unlike Kashmiri Pandits. It was easy for them to adjust with the realities of this era.
Days have gone when some classes could claim monopoly over high positions. Elites of yesteryears are facing the competition in every part of the world. Kashmiri Pandits and Muslim Zamindars of U.P on account of peculiar complexion of their societies tried to give a religious colour to this social transformation. Both these groups belonged to exploiting classes while those whom they exploited belonged to a different religious group. It was easy for them to portray economic reforms carried out against their interests as an agenda of communalism. After failing in it, both these groups migrated in search of greener pastures. Muhajirs of Pakistan are facing the music of their blunder. They are being made to come to terms with the realities of this era in their dreamland, Pakistan. Kashmiri Pandits I am sure will be made to reconcile with the forces of history in their dreamland, Hindustan.
Muhajirs being a large ethnic group having sizeable presence on both sides of the border could maintain their identity and existence irrespective of this situation. Kashmiri Pandits are numerically an insignificant group. They are crazy about opting alien life styles. This will lead them nowhere except to their extinction as a community. Every culture and identity needs an environment for its survival. For the existence of Kashmiri Pandit identity, the Kashmiri Muslim society is the only environment. Economic benefits and doles (Mund Fund in Kashmiri) are not going to continue forever. They may continue the traits of parasitic life style to which exploiting communities usually get addicted but cannot guarantee the community’s survival. I often feel sorry for this state of affairs but what others can do when the community itself has chosen the path of suicide.
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