National Conference National spokesperson Dr Sameer Kaul today said Zaeshta Ashtami is a conspicuous festival on Kashmiri Pandits’ religious calendar since times immemorial.
“On this day every year thousands of Pandit families drawn from rural/ urban parts of our state and rest of India flock to village Tullamulla in Ganderbal to worship and pay obeisance to Godess Raghnya popularly called ‘Mata Kheer Bhavani.’ Amidst clanging of bells and chanting of hymns gaily dressed devotees assign a unique character to this Mela Kheer Bhavani.
“Unfortunately this year Dharmarth Trust convener of this event was forced to cancel it in response to social distancing norms and lockdown stipulations because of ongoing Corona pandemic,” he said.
Unable to perform Aarti at ‘Amrit kund’ this year and in home quarantine at Nishat here, Dr Sameer Kaul greeted his community on this auspicious occasion. “Pandits are aboriginal inhabitants and therefore integral part of this land,” he said. He hoped that current separation shall not further depress his community and on the contrary further strengthen their faith and resolve in piety, peace and development in their motherland.
“Their full scale physical presence once again after their unfortunate exodus is eagerly awaited by their non-migrant co-religionists and majority community here. I pray for their overdue Reconciliation, Return and Rehabilitation with dignity,” he added.