When people retire from service they get busy with gardening or start taking care of grandchildren. Many in our Kashmiri society become religiously oriented. Some look after affairs of a local Masjid. Those who can afford, get a membership of a golf club. But there are very few senior citizens who in spite of being religious and God fearing dedicate their post retirement life for a much greater cause. They become activists and campaigners for many socio economic, cultural, political and environmental issues. Mohammad Ramzan Khan a resident of Achoora village in Gurez valley of district Bandipora is one such person.
Ramzan Sahib had been following our work on Right to Information (RTI) from 2007 onwards. This is what he told me on several occasions. He had been reading my articles as well which would appear in Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Uzma. One day he called me and we got to meet at our Chadoora office during our weekly Friday meeting around autumn of 2009. From that day he never stopped until his death recently.
Bernard Baruch, an American statesman has said that age is only a number, a cipher for the records. A man can’t retire from his experience. He must use it. Experience achieves more with less energy and time. Mr Khan had a vast experience. He worked in the department of animal husbandry for more than 35 years until his retirement in 2008. He was also a trade union leader during his service career. Hailing from a remote place Khan Sahib got a Government job (para-vet) soon after passing his matriculation and with the result he could not go to college or university. But he continued to read and write informally during his service career and nobody would even imagine he was just a high school pass out. This would be a shocker for many readers who knew him personally. Ramzan Khan was a good orator in urdu and english plus had good writing skills as well. He had a literary taste as he belonged to a family which was one of the few literate families in the entire Gurez region. His grandfather Munshi Noor Khan had got informal education from Indian / British travelers who would travel to Gilgit those days. Noor Khan able to read and write and because of those unique skills in early 20th century he was called Munshi.
Crusader for Shina language
Shina is a Dardic language spoken mostly in Gilgit, some parts of Baltistan and Chitral in Pakistan. In J&K this language is spoken in Gurez (Gurais), Drass, some parts of Kargil, and Chanderkot in Ramban. Ramzan Sahib was always worried about Shina culture and language as the new generation of Shins were more inclined towards urdu and English. He played a great role in the inclusion of Shina in the school curriculum. Mohammad Ramzan Khan was also the General Secretary of Dard Shin Development Organisation which has been working for Shina culture and language for last several years. I remember in 2013 when Ramzan Sahib was in Delhi with me, he repeatedly requested me to meet Mr Wajahat Habibullah, Chairperson of National Commission for Minorities. I thought he would have some personal work, but again it was the community issue. He requested Mr Habibullah to ensure Shina news bulletin was aired from Radio Kashmir Srinagar (now AIR Srinagar). Mr Habibullah spoke to the then CEO of Prasar Bharti and gave us a letter as well. Within a few months the Shina news bulletin was launched.
An RTI campaigner
After getting associated with RTI Movement Mr Khan became one of the founding trustees of this movement in 2011. He was our Secretary General as well for many years. He would always record the minutes of meetings every Friday in his unique style. Being a fatherly figure we never ever imagined having a generation gap. Even the young activists in their early 20’s treated him like a friend. His presence ensured maintenance of discipline in the meetings.He was always concerned about mis-governance in Gurez valley. He would seek information about the health, tourism sector and money allocated to Gurez and its utilization. On some occasions his own relatives got annoyed, but he kept moving.
Environmentalist and Cultural activist
In spite of being a high school pass-out Ramzan Sahib was much concerned about environmental degradation in Kashmir, especially in Gurez. He was against the construction of Kishen Ganga hydropower project, but unfortunately he could not get the support of locals. To preserve the traditional log huts of Gurez especially the old Dak Bunglow, Ramzan sahib filed several RTI applications and even wrote columns for local newspapers. He wanted revival of local handlooms & wool industry. For identification of several non-timber forest produce (NTFP) in Gurez valley he met with Tourism Minister. On one occasion the DC Bandipora was even summoned at CM’s residence around 2016 , but the DC was not able to understand the importance of the research project proposed by Khan sahib & the noted research institution. For the better production of Kala Zeera (black cumin), Ramzan sahib met with the then Agriculture Minister G N Hanjura several times and I would also accompany him. He was the man behind first ever Forest Food Festival in Gurez around 2019 June. Mr O P Sharma the then Principal Chief Conservator Forests who was heading State Forest Research Institute (SFRI) also accompanied him to Gurez. Ramzan sahib had a great knowledge about medicinal and edible herbs, NTFP found in forests of Gurez. He collected dozens of such herbs in the past also when we had organized the first ever forest food festival in Srinagar in 2015 which was inaugurated by the then Forest Minister J&K. Those herbs were cooked by value addition and served to dozens of guests at Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) Srinagar. I still remember how delicately Chef Yaseen of IHM had prepared those dishes. Mr Sharma was a great fan and friend of Ramzan sahib only because of his commitment and assiduity for his community & culture.
Conclusion
Post retirement Mohammad Ramzan Khan was associated with many social and cultural organizations. He is one of the founding members of Environmental Policy Group (EPG) and J&K Peoples Forum. Both these NGOs are known for their environmental activism which includes filing of several landmark Public Interest Litigations (PIL). Very few people in Gurez or the animal husbandry department are aware of his great contribution towards Kashmiri society. He was a real unsung hero who will be missed a lot by his admirers. Goodbyes are not forever, are not the end, it simply means I will miss you until we meet again. We belong to Allah and to him we shall return…Inna Lillahi Wainna Illahi Rajioon…
Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat is an Acumen Fellow. He is Founder & Chairman of JK RTI Movement