From the President s Desk

 

Dear Beradari Members 

Namaskar!

Our country is bestowed with six seasons called Shad Ritu, 6 seasons 1. Vasanta (Spring) Grishma (Summar) Varsha (Monson) Sharad (Autumn) Hemant (Pre Winter) Shishar (Winter) each season being of two months thus the entire twelve months of the year are full of festivities and colorful activities of Dance and Singing, Religious Fervour, Rituality and lots of enjoyment and fun. In Kashmir, come Spring season and nature decorates the valley with flowers blooming in all directions. The almond trees, apricot trees, apple trees and beautiful gardens around the valley get turned into flower blossoming scents and landscapes, meadows and every inch of land is filled with multicolor brushes by the mother nature. The season of Madanutsav as described in Neelmata Purana which gives you a clear crystal picture as to how Kashmiri Pandits used to relish this season of regeneration, recreation and restoration. It should definitely be an eye opener to the entire people in world that when women in other parts of the world were treated no better than domestic slaves, we Kashmiris had the tradition and values of celebrating the freedom of both men and women in shape of a love carnival in Kashmir. Inspired by the season of natural recreation all around the young and old couples participated in this festival which starts from Holi and ends with Madanutsava on 13th day of Shukla Pkahsha of the month of Chaitra (Early April) There is even Madana Chaturdashi. The following day the description of this festival in Nilamata Purana points towards the freedom, love and respect women enjoyed in our society. Men would offer bath to their loved women, both would get decorated with flowers, scents and new clothes. Then a procession of these men and women accompanied by Musicians, Singers, Dancers and Actors would move through the streets of the city and villages. The King would be like a common man and participate by receiving the procession into his palace. This is the golden part of our history, which knew no undue restrictions, real freedom existed. The wisdom was respected, the art, language and culture flourished. When we could produce literary giants like Abhinav Gupta, Anand Vardhan, Mamat, Bharat Muni, Panani, Charaka, in all faculties of human knowledge we had experts and scientists to guide us, whom we called Rishis.

 

Today, it is in utter grief, sorrow, pain and agony I am writing that our creative, peaceful and constructive ideals about life are shattered under the onslaught of continued Islamic Jihad in our land, Kashmir.

 

There is no let up into the brutal targeted Killings of Kashmiri Hindus at the hands of Hindu Hating Islamic Jihadis in Kashmir valley. The recent killing of Sanjay Sharma at Achene Pulwama being one such act of cowardice which has yet again shamed humanity and kept our community bleeding since 33 years. The pan Islamic forces are targeting Hindus under different pretexts and creating uncongenial atmosphere for religious co-existence and thus forcing Hindus to leave their homes. In Kashmir however there is hardly any Hindu left now. Some four to five thousand Kashmiri Pandit Youth are employed under PM Package employment scheme, which was initiated by the Congress Government in 2008. This employment Scheme, which was wrongly linked with the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, had come under huge criticism and opposition from leading Kashmiri Pandit organisations. It was seen as one in-genuine and unjust policy to place KP Youth employment aspirants at similar places in Kashmir wherefrom they had braved genocide and exodus. It is most unfortunate that BJP government did not review this policy and meet the expectations of the Kashmiri Pandits to do away with such policy which makes it mandatory to place these young employees under duress at the similar places where from they have been uprooted and exterminated by Islamic Jihadis.

 

The said PM Employment Scheme was opposed by the right thinking Kashmiri organizations who believed that sending Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) in similar environs wherefrom they have faced persecution and genocide at the hands of Islamic Jihadis would prove suicidal for the community youth, but successive governments in Centre and State (now UT) J&K remained complacent and did not listen to any logic. They did what exactly Islamic Jihadis wanted them to do. Instead of rehabilitating Kashmiri Pandits in a dignified manner by respecting their opinion and resolve to be settled in a comprehensive manner at one place in shape of a self-sustaining UT like Chandigarh in Kashmir, Government pushed our youth at the altar for the sake of bigoted Secularism.

 

Thus the genocide of Hindus in Kashmir is going on unabated. In our attitude and approach our position should not be same as that of Islamist opportunist leaders of Kashmir valley, who instead of raising public opinion against terrorism and guiding people to fight collectively this menace, often give cover to such acts of terrorists by repeatedly calling such acts failure of government to protect life of common people from terrorists. How can people forget the role of such people in extending their covert and overt support to separatist and terrorist forces.

 

Therefore, at one hand when it is most important for us to prevail upon the Centre government for course correction in their policy towards the rehabilitation and resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir, at the same we need to rise above narrow self interest and make a strong resentment towards repetition of any act of cowardice against us at the hands of our Islamist Terrorists. We also will have to work out for a deterrent which can safeguard existence in Kashmir. A message should go down from the Hindus that no one can dare kill any Hindu without facing the toughest consequences. We need to speak from the position of our strength and react to any attack on a very larger scale. Any attack on a single Hindu on religious basis should be seen as one attack on all, we should take example from Sikhs. We are not against any religion which is tolerant of our faith but we should never spare those who turn intolerant to our existence as a different faith. So, the entire nation which has faith in mutual coexistence of different faiths should rise to the occasion and fight Islamic Terrorism in Kashmir and support government fight against terror in Kashmir. The Government of India should work on a comprehensive rehabilitation plan in consultation with the Nodal Agency of Kashmiri Pandits and other recognized groups who are prominently working in close contact with successive governments since 1990.

 

As we lay our all hopes and expectations on the current BJP Government, especially our beloved PM Sh. Narendera Modi, who has the first hand experience and knowledge about the entire landscape of Kashmir and knows it fully that how our mere existence in the same prevailing environs turns against us, we will insist and pray that our youth be given due reprieve and not compelled to go back and join their duties in the hostile atmosphere until a roadmap of final rehabilitation and resettlement of all Kashmiri Pandits is worked out and implemented. We are true nationalists and work in the interest of our people, which remains our natural commitment towards our country India.

DISCLAIMER: 

The views expressed in the Article above are Sumeer Chrungoo personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."

Courtesy:- Sumeer Chrungoo and Koshur Samachar 2023, March