Kashmir: the divide within

It was intriguing to go through AK Chrungoo’s column published in ‘GK’ last week on March the 12th. In his wide raging diatribe, he puts onus on Kashmir’s majority community to prove their take of Kashmir being incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits (KPs). This is a classical case of sincerity being subjected to proof. As it stands, there is hardly a doubt that cross section of Kashmiri Muslims (KMs) have time and again expressed their ardent wish to have Kashmiri Pandits back in their midst. And, live as KPs and KMs used to in various localities, basking in each other’s company. There is hardly any room to put an interrogatory note over a sincere feeling and subject it to sarcasm, as AK Chrungoo has chosen to indulge in.

In a long essay on Kashmir’s past, the attempt to ascribe the historical narrative to KPs exclusively is painful. It is instead a joint heritage. There is no denying the fact Kashmir has had a Hindu period, a Buddhist past and the advent of Islam in and around 14th century. This is recorded history and we may not play with it. True, Kashmir is credited with subscribing significantly to Sanskrit scholarship. Yet, again it is a joint heritage, and in no case the exclusive preserve of one community. It is an undeniable fact that KMs before the advent of Islam in Kashmir subscribed to Hinduism of Shivist bent. Lal Ded or call her Lala Arifa (the knowledgeable) talks of joint heritage in her poetic notes:

   

Shiv Chee Thal’e Thal’e Rovzan

Mau Zan Hiund Te Musalmam

Truk Hai Chuk Panun Paan Pravzan

Suee Chaye Maliks Seeth Zenee Zan

Shiv manifests in all living forms

Show defiance to religious bias

Astute self-assessment shall liberate you

To truly acquaint yourself with the Lord 

This poetic note stands for inclusiveness. The exclusive claims in AK Chrungoo’s write-up go against the very grain of Kashmir’s rich historical narrative. If Shivism of ancient past was a joint heritage, so was the Buddhist past. It is a period, when Kashmir gained international recognition with global event of Buddhist conference. Buddhism had evolved as an alternative socio-religious philosophy, which found a wide following in Kashmir, much as it did in the subcontinent, including Afghanistan. Its export to shores beyond India, and re-assertion of Brahmanism falls in a different historical realm, beyond the scope of our subject. If Buddhism was a passing historical phase, the advent of Islam proved to be a lasting phenomenon.

With the advent of Islam, Kashmir entered a new age. Apart from huge cultural impact, Persian replaced Sanskrit as lingua franca in Kashmir, in Indian plains as well. Mother tongue-Kashmiri imbibed the change, making it richer. The change is hardly touched by AK Chrungoo. History is thus held hostage to a bigoted view. Taken in a wider perspective, the older version of Sanskrit-Prakrit, as well as the older Pahlavi form of Persian had a deep linguistic interaction, resulting from joint Aryan heritage.

AK Chrungoo stays in religious frame, while as host of factors besides religion frame the historical narrative. It is worth noting however that Kashmiri Pandits were quick to adopt to change in linguistic form, thus acquiring prize postings in Kashmir royal court, in the Mughal Court as well. Much of KP migration in earlier times resulted from seeking greener pastures. Like Sanskrit of ancient times, 14th century onwards, Persian became a joint heritage of KPs and KMs. Ghani Kashmiri holds a high place in Persian poetic realm. Persian poetry was supplemented by scores of poets in Shahr-e-Khas: Pandan, Malarata and Qutub-ud-Din Pora. This is an aspect of Kashmir beyond Sanskrit, which AK Chrungoo conveniently skips over in scanning Kashmir’s past.

The migration out of Kashmir in different historical phases including the post 1990 migration of KPs had had varied dimensions. While as migration of KPs during Mughal and British rule was for seeking greener pastures in Indian plains, KMs migrated to escape tyranny.

The tyranny of forced labor (Baggar) claimed many a lives. The heavy taxation on farm produce, on famed Kashmir art hardly left enough for the farmer or the artisan to make a living. Any whimper of protest was massively put down. 1865 Shawl weavers protest resulting in Zaldagar tragedy stands as a stark testimony, so too the role of tax collector—Raj Kak Dhar. There is hardly a city in Punjab, which does not have a colony of KM migrants, especially Amritsar, Sialkot and Lahore. The victims of tyranny were not equipped with modern means of communication to highlight their plight or record the count of sufferers.

No doubt 1990 mass migration of KPs is a painful chapter in recent past; there is nevertheless a historical baggage of much propagated exodus and ethnic cleansing. It calls for a commission of eminent historians to assess and explore the truth of migrations—past and present. It is rooted in history; no amount of rhetoric can hide it. It is high time to unravel the truth—who has wronged whom in which period, and to what purpose??

AK Chrungoo’s suggestion for reserving parliamentary and assembly constituencies for KPs is a proposition better left to mainstreamers for an answer. I am rather intrigued to note that reserving Srinagar parliamentary constituency and two assembly constituencies has been set as the benchmark to prove that Kashmir is incomplete without KPs. It would be interesting to know whether mainstreamers can pay the price asked, in order to heal the divide within.

Yaar Zinda, Sohbat [Reunion is subordinate to survival

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