Sarwanand Kaul Premi - known un-known

 

On May 1, 2018, I was presented a set of books written by martyr Sarvanand Kaul Premi. The occasion was the 28th year of martyrdom of the writer. He was a poet, journalist. academic, intellectual and an activist.

As dozens of community members belonging to the group of geniuses were gunned down by the zealots in the Valley of Kashmir in the nineties, to muzzle the voice of the Kashmiri Pandit community So was to gag the articulation of Sarvanand Kaul Premi. He was kidnapped and assassinated On 29th April. 1990, after sunset. Three armed men knocked at the door of his house and announced a decree to Premiji to accompany him for questioning His son Virendar perceiving danger, accompanied his father with the abductors After two days, on 1st May, 1990, bodies of father and son were found hanging with their limbs broken, hairs uprooted, and portions of their skin split open and burnt.

Premi Jee was born in the Kaul family of Soul-Shali, a village near Kokemag resort in Kashmir's Anantnag district of Kashmir, parented by Gopinath Koul and Omravati Koul, on 2nd November, 1924 He was married to Oma Jee from Hangalgund in the year 1948. They brought into existence three sons and four daughters. One son, Virandar, was brutalised and killed along with his father.

Acquiring his School education from Church Mission School Anantnag completing matriculation in 1939 from Anantnag district Punjab University, attained degrees of B.A MA(Hindi) and B.Ed from Punjab University, Lahore. He initially worked for Khadi Industries Board and Industries Department of Punjab He was appointed as a teacher in the Education Department of Jammu & Kashmir. He worked in the Department from 1954 to 1977.

He was a revolutionary and worked over ground during the Quit India Movement from 1942 to 1946. He was arrested six times during the period. He was a social activist and believed in communal harmony. He would read both Gita and Koran with admiration.

His initial works were in Hindi and Urdu and he, later, wrote in Kashmir. He knew the languages of Hindi, Urdu, English, Kashmir, Persian and Sanskrit. His embryonic works were about the sufferings of the people of Kashmir.

Amongst the contemporary writers. he was influenced by Master Zinda Koul, Gihulam Ahmed Mehjoor and Abdul Ahad Azad. Arjan Dev Majboor, the poet, is influenced by Premi's writings. The name of "Premi" was bestowed on him by the famous poet Mehjoor, He wrote for Daily Khidmat, the official organ of the National Conference and Weekly Desh. He brought Nath Tagore into the Kashmir language. His writings are referred to the composite culture of Kashmir. He has authored about 24 books, besides articles and poems. Amongst his published works are Kalami Premi Payami Premi Rood Jer Osh ta Vush, Gitanjani, Russi Padshah Katha, Panchadara (poetic collections), Bhakti Koosum, Akhri Mulaqat, Mathura Devi, Mirza Kak (le and works), Mirza Kak Ji Wakh, Kashmir ki beet Bhagwat Gita (Translation), Tal Rupa Bhawani and Ramayana. Many of his works are not published. His sons Rajinder and Ravinder are in the course of action to publish these His unpublished works are Kehn Dharmik Katha, Bhakdi Qusa Walkh hia Premi, Pushkin Sanza Nazma, Araadhana Aalst, Laleshwar Madhushala Sunuhas Kun, My Holy Father Tears of Joy and Love Spiritual Doses, Utterances of Premi Hamara Mahout and Parmarth Shalak, A film titled Alakh Ishwan, on the life of Rupa Bhawani by Kanwal Peshin has used Prem's bhajan as a title song of the film.

In 1997 he was posthumously awarded a Gold Medal by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir for his contributions to the field of social, cultural and communal amity.

His martyrdom led to displacement of the families from the areas like Kokemag Verinag and Chinigund of the Anantnag district.

 

Premi ji loved Kashmir and in-particular his village. The beauty of the place is echoed in his poems. His description of the place does not only explain the beauty of the place but it seems the place had mesmerised him and the vibration was living in him. He was also influenced by Late Dena Nath Nadim, a revolutionary poet. When Kashmir was recovering from the onslaught of raiders, he had associated himself with the writers of liberal thoughts..

He liked and had the audience with Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Maulana Azad All Mohammad Jinnah Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Bakhshi Ghulam Mohammad Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Robinder Nath Tagore, Devinder Satyarthi, Harivansh Rai Bachan, Balraj Sahni and Ali Sardar Jaffri.

Great men come to lead us on the path but their martyrdom should make us brave to heal the suffering of millions Pt. Sarvanand Kayl Premi became a martyr for our sake to create more faith in him.

"It is not punishment but the cause that makes the martyr" -Saint Augustin .

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Courtesy:-   Vijay Kashkari   and  Koshur Samachar May 2019