HEALING THROUGH YOGA HOW WORLD YOGA DAY AT JAGTI CAMP ADDRESSES THREE DECADES OF KASHMIRI PANDIT TRAUMA

 

For 11 years, Sharika Foundation has been pioneering trau ma-informed yoga sessions in Kashmiri Pandit settlements, transforming International Yoga Day from a global celebration into a powerful healing intervention for a community still grappling with the psychological wounds of forced displacement from 1989. In the sprawling concrete blocks of Jagti camp near Nagrota in Jammu, where over 4,000 displaced Kashmiri Pandit families call temporary shelters their permanent homes, an extraordinary heal ing initiative unfolds every June 21st. As the world celebrates Inter national Yoga Day, the Sharika Foundation, led by Kashmiri Pandit activist Sanjay Dhar, transforms this United Nations-endorsed global event into something far more profound: a therapeutic intervention for trauma that has persisted for over three decades. T he Forced Exodus and Lasting Trauma The statistics paint a stark picture of one of India’s most overlooked humanitarian crises. Press releases from militant organisations published in local newspapers demanded immediate departure, while explosive speeches from mosque public address systems became routine. Over 219 documented with thousands of undocumented killings occurred between 1989 and 2004, with 75% during the first year of insurgency. Today, over 4,000 families remain housed in the Jagti migrant colony, having moved through multiple displacements since 1990. Many displaced Pandits experienced emotional depression and helplessness, while those who remained in the valley faced severe psychological challenges, including victimisation, isolation, and threats to their cultural identity. The Science of Yoga as Trauma Therapy Approximately 160,000-170,000 Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave the Kashmir Valley during the 1989-1990 insurgency through a campaign of targeted violence and intimidation. On January 19, 1990, mosques issued declarations demanding that Kashmiri Pandits leave Kashmir, convert to Islam or face death. The ultimatum “Ralive, Tsaliv ya Galive” (convert, leave, or perish) echoed throughout the valley. Special Commissioner Jawahar Habibullah noted that Pandits could hardly be expected to stay when mosques were broadcasting threats and community members had been murdered. The choice of yoga as a healing modality for the Kashmiri Pandit community is grounded in robust scientific evidence. Meta-analy sis of randomised controlled trials reveals clinically relevant effects of yoga on PTSD symptoms, with studies showing significant re ductions compared to no treatment. More specifically, yoga works with both the mind and body, helping to forge a sense of a safe community from which individuals can draw comfort and support. For trauma survivors, yoga helps address the dysregulation of the body’s defensive response, where survivors release higher levels of stress hormones and react to benign situations as if under threat. The physical benefits include reduced muscular tension and pain, while biochemical changes such as increased GABA and decreased cortisol produce anti-stress effects and improve emotional regulation. Participants in trauma-sensitive yoga programs report increased self-compassion, feeling more centred, improved coping skills, better mind-body relationships, and enhanced relationships with others. Particularly relevant for the Kashmiri Pandit community, group yoga practice among women survivors helps build connections based on shared experience, allowing bonding on a ‘mind-body spirit’ level and fostering feelings of support and acceptance within a healthy community. Strategic Location Selection: Why Jagti, Muthi, and Purkhoo Sharika Foundation’s decision to focus on specific settlement areas isn’t arbitrary; it’s strategically designed to reach the most vulnerable populations. Jagti migrant colony represents the third displacement for many families since 1990, with residents having previously lived in tents along drains before being moved to vari ous colonies across Jammu and Udhampur. T hese government-funded refugee camps, including Purkhoo, Muthi, and Mishriwala, house displaced families who receive a monthly sustenance of ₹3,500 per person along with food rations. The conditions in these settlements create additional psychological stressors: there are limited medical facilities, with only one govern ment hospital and basic infrastructure lacking X-ray machines and specialised equipment. The camps represent concentrated populations still processing collective trauma. Many residents report that “fate has dealt us a harsh blow, compounded by the actions of successive govern ments,” reflecting ongoing feelings of abandonment and institutional betrayal. The Eleven-Year Journey: Building Trust and Community Since 2005, Sharika Foundation has understood that healing trauma requires consistency and community trust. The organi station’s approach goes beyond yoga sessions; they provide scholarships for education, healthcare donations, including cancer treatment support, and create spaces where children can “meditate, play and upskill” while connecting with their cultural heritage. This holistic approach addresses what trauma specialists call “complex PTSD,” the layered psychological effects of prolonged exposure to threat, displacement, and loss. Trauma Centre Trau ma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), which became the first dedicated yoga program listed as evidence-based practice for psychological trauma treatment in 2017, emphasises that yoga interventions must create safety and choice for participants. For the Kashmiri Pandit community, the annual World Yoga Day celebrations serve multiple functions: they provide structured healing interventions, maintain cultural identity, build communi ty solidarity, and offer hope for psychological recovery. The 2025 theme, “Yoga for One Earth, One Health,” particularly resonates, as it acknowledges that personal wellness and planetary health are in separably linked, a principle that speaks to the need of a displaced community to reconnect with both inner peace and their sense of SHARIKA FOUNDATION place in the world. Psychological Benefits: From Hypervigilance to Healing 33 Sharika Foundation’s yoga interventions directly address core symptoms of displacement trauma. Research demonstrates that yoga interventions significantly reduce PTSD symptoms, with par tic pants experiencing meaningful improvements in anxiety and depression levels. The community-based approach creates a safe space where survivors can process their experiences collectively while rebuilding their sense of agency and hope. For children in the camps, who have grown up with inherited trauma and uncertainty, trauma-sensitive yoga enhances mindful ness, interceptive awareness, attention regulation, and self-ac ceptance, directly addressing stress, dysfunctional coping, and avoidance behaviours. This is particularly crucial given that many children in Jagti have never known life outside displacement. Studies demonstrate that yoga enhances self-regulatory skills, leading to reduced emotional interference and lower anxiety in trauma victims. For a community that has experienced systematic targeting and forced displacement, these skills are essential for rebuilding a sense of safety and agency. The Path Forward: Yoga as Cultural Preservation and Healing What makes Sharika Foundation’s work particularly powerful is its integration of trauma healing with cultural preservation. The organisation recognises that for Kashmiri Pandits, healing isn’t just about individual psychological recovery, it’s about maintaining community identity and hope for the future. As the UN recognises, yoga “embodies unity of mind and body, thought and action; a holistic approach valuable to our health and well-being”. For the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community, this unity represents more than physical wellness; it offers a pathway to reconnect fragmented identities, process collective trauma, and build resilience for future generations. T he eleven-year commitment to World Yoga Day celebrations in these settlements demonstrates understanding that trauma healing is not a one-time intervention but an ongo ing process requiring sustained communi ty support. As families in Jagti, Muthi, and Purkhoo roll out their mats each June 21st, they’re not just participating in a global celebration; they’re engaging in an act of resistance against despair, choosing healing over helplessness, and building bridges between their traumatic past and hopeful future. In a world increasingly recognising yoga’s therapeutic potential, Sharika Foun dation’s work stands as a powerful example of how ancient practices can address modern humanitarian crises, transforming a UN-endorsed wellness day into a beacon of hope for one of India’s most resilient yet overlooked communities.

DISCLAIMER: 

The views expressed in the Article above are   SOHUM DHAR  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:  SOHUM DHAR  and  Spade A Spade-July 2025