Emotional scenes were witnessed at Tagore Hall here as members of Kashmir Pandit and Muslim communities came together to rejuvenate their age-old communal harmony during the two-day event which concluded here today
The event Salaam Mahra was organised by Space Communications and H. N. Wanchoo Trust run by Dr. Amit Wanchoo.
“Salaam Mahra moved many hearts on both sides of what is largely now seen as a divide right from an 15- year old boy to a 70-year old senior citizen. The event was meant to pave the way for a reviving the old bonds that used to be between Muslims, Pandits and Sikhs of the Valley,” Dr Amit said in a statement.
The statement said the organizers had specially invited intellectuals and artists from the Pandit community including Satish Vimal, Meanka Handu,Pragnya Wakhlu, Dr Sanjay Parva, Jigyasa Labroo, Rajesh Raina, M K Raina, Veer Munshi, Ashwath Bhat, Khushboo Mattoo, and Suneel Wattal.
“As if to reaffirm their Pandit brothers that all was not lost yet, Muslim and Sikh intellectuals from the Valley, which included Zareef Ahmad Zareef, Rouf Tramboo, Abid, Prof Nusrat Andrabi, Gurmeet Kaur, Abdul Wahid, Khursheed Qureshi, Raja Bilal, and Sajad Bazaaz shared their own experiences of 29-years of separation from Pandits,” it said.
“What was reminiscent of old times, the event began with Isband Soz ceremony, a ritual, among many others, that used to be common between the two communities. The highlights of the program included famous stand up comedian DiDa expressing emotional bonding in a sweet comic form, emotional poetry of Rajesh Raina about homecoming, artistic presentation “My Lost Home” by Veer Munshi, Lal Vaakh and Kehwah song by renowned singer Pragnya Wakhloo,” it added.
“Such events are a need of then hour and must be held frequently so as to forge a rejuvenated sense of brotherhood and belonging between all communities”, said Dr. Amit Wanchoo.
Zareef Ahmad Zareef, the noted poet and writer of the Valley, prayed for peace in the Valley and brotherhood between all communities in his inimical style. As part of Salaam Mahara initiative, Suneel Wattal, a consultant did a workshop with Kashmiri youngsters on entrepreneurial strategy at Srinagar. Sajad Bazaz appreciated Space Communications and H N Wanchoo Trust for organizing this event and hoped that this will be carried forward.