Tributes to Community Father AmarNath Vaishnavi On his 6th death anniversary

 

The legendary and veteran leader honoured with title Father of the Community, late Amar Nath Vaishnavi Jee, father. was a symbol of national of school of thoughts, who presented an example of an alternative way of life worked in adverse circumstances to strengthen nationalist forces in the state throughout his life He showed the path for leading life with dignity and self respect without striking compromises for short-term interest at the time when nationalist society in the J & K State was subjugated to develop slavish mentality.

It was God's will that Vaishnavi Jee should do selfless service to society as he was born in 1925 when the RSS was founded by a great visionary Dr Hedgewar. Vaishnavi Jee is remembered as one of the flamboyant leaders of Kashmiri Pandits who devoted his entire life for the welfare of his community. His inner qualities of faithfulness, honesty, humble nature, patriotic feelings and courage gave him the strength to lead the community.

He, always, stood like a rock to defend interests of his people and the nation under all circumstances. He was always seen at the forefront in pleading the course of the community at every platform His activities and deep Involvement in the community and the country affairs gained him reorganisation as a towenng personality among Kashmiri Pandits by State and Central governments towards the plight of Kashmir Pandits.

The mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in 1989-90 set a challenge for the leadership of the community, and Amar Nath Jee took the challenge as a worship and left no stone unturned in mitigating pain and sufferings of his community members. His tireless efforts in motivating BJP and Shiv Sena leadership for reserving seats in professional colleges and Universities for the displaced students was a remarkable work of the community.

Apart from being a Government employee, staunch social activist and community leader he was also a staunch RSS Pracharak who spread the ideology of RSS in the valley. He was part of the Praja Parishad movement launched by Pt. Prem Nath Dogra and front runner of the Parmeshon agitation. As a young boy he took active part in the Durga Nath Protest March and played a key role in safeguarding the Pandit and Sikh community during the tribal invasion in 1947 During the communal nots in parts of south Kashmin in 1986, he stood like a rock and met with then President of India Gyani Zail Singh in this regard. He was a great advocate for the total integration of the J & K state with the Union of India.

As a front line community leader Vaishnavi Jee, who was commonly known as Lalla Jee, also pleaded the cause of the community at various platforms in order to draw an attention of the global think tanks He reachedt the doorstep of Sh. VP Singh the then Prime Minister of India and urged him to save the community form terrorism and repeatedly met with top leadership of the BJP during the turmoil which included Sh Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sh. LK Advani, Sh. M.N. Joshi, Sh. Kidar Nath Sawhney and sought their help in solving the burning issues of the displaced community His revolutionary ideology and nationalist outlook made him a mass leader and the voice of the community.

The memories and the sacrifice of Vaishnavi Jee can never be forgotten, nor his close association with top leadership of the country In 2009 he net with Sh. Vajpayee along with myself at his residence at Krishna Marg, New Delhi where his foster daughter Nimrita and her husband worded. warning to the Government for serious Ranjan were present. This followed a visit to the house of consequences if the community is ignored and isolated by Sh. Kidar Nath Sawhney at his residence in Chattarpur the Government and the leaders at the helm of affairs.

New Delhi Besides the welfare call, matters related to A need was felt for effective voice and powerful Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandit community were discussed platform at New Delhi for the KPs to find solution for the problems caused by an unexpected exodus as well as to launch an effective and sustainable struggle to get KP problems resolved which included separate Kashyap Bhoomi for seven lakh KP's in the valley with the writ of the Indian Constitution and abrogation of Article 370. An organisation in the name of Kashmiri Pandit conference (KPC) was launched under the patronage and guidance of community fathere Vaishnavi Jee at New Delhi in March, 2010, to carry forward the agenda of ASKPC at New Delhi and other parts of the country. I was declared the President of the organisation with them In 2010, Vaishnavi Jee, along with me, had a couple of meetings with the Election Commissioner of India where Vaishnavi Jee and myself pleaded for four constituencies in exile to be allotted to the displaced community During this period he also sat on dhama outside the police station near Jantar Mantar, Delhi, for the release of about three dozen Kashmir Pandits, men, women and children who were detained for protesting in the VVIP zone near the residence of Salk-ud-Din Soz the then central Minister who simultaneously approached top BJP leadership including LK. Advani and others for their release.

He, along with myself, attended twenty years exile Maha Shradh function at ITO New Delhi, organised by Panun Kashmir and later attended a big programme of Kashmir Pandits at Jantar Mantar, organised by KSD and other organisations, in which Vaishnavi Jee gave a strong-

Vaishnavi Jee and I attended National Human right commission at New Delhi for longer period to plead the community cause as well as dozens of community meets at various places in New Delhi were also attended with displaced KP's by the community father.

(The writer is the KPC President)

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Courtesy:-  Kundan Kashmiri  and Koshur Samachar June 2018