Entering the Sindh Forest Department on the road to Tullamulla, with the verdant and peaceful expanse of countryside rolling forth from the base of the majestic Pir Panjal range, Kashmiri Pandits travelling to the annual Khir Bhawani festival must feel a pang of nostalgia for the beautiful land they no longer call home after their exodus following the raging militancy of 1989. With thousands of pilgrims making the journey to the sacred spring and the equally enthusiastic attendance of many locals, the new generation visiting Kashmir, some for the first time, are presented with a positive atmosphere of tolerance and unity. However, the maxim “Home is where the heart is” still remains a divided predicament for Kashmiri Pandits; for many the longing to return to a place they see as their true homeland is stronger than ever before, but there still remains a lingering doubt over the security of the region, social acceptance and who should facilitate their return. The fact that the younger generations have forgotten much of their cultural heritage, with the numbers of those speaking Kashmiri dwindling and some having almost no knowledge of the history of the region, there is an emphasis on both the current distancing of Kashmiri Pandits from their homeland and the urgent necessity for them to embrace their origins before they are forgotten. Political banners bustled for space above the moving throng entering the grounds of the shrine, all welcoming the pilgrims. A Muslim man pours water for one of the pilgrims and his young daughter. There is absolutely no sense of enmity whatsoever, rather a harmonious celebration of two communities which in reality are one. There seems to be no reason why the Kashmiri Pandits should not return, since many of them to claim they want to, and it is obvious that the Kashmiri Muslims consider them as brethren, and feel they belong.
Kashmiri Pandits at the festival spoke with enthusiasm about the positive atmosphere they experienced here and the sense accord, discussing with conviction and hope about returning. Bansi Matto, originally from Rainawari, now residing with his family in Talab Tillo Jammu, makes a point of coming to Kashmir every year. He poignantly states that “Kashmir is our nation and the kind of closeness the two communities have experienced doesn’t exist anywhere else. No one can separate us.” He worries however that the new generation of Kashmiri Pandits, due to living outside of Kashmir, are losing the culture that is their birthright: “Our younger generation is fast drifting away from the language, ethos, culture and civilization they belong to. We couldn’t teach Kashmiri to our kids. About 99% of the new generation cannot speak Kashmiri. I don’t think you’ll find a Kashmiri after 50 years or so, except in a zoo perhaps!” People like Matto have a positive sense of unity between Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims, and see no reason not to return here.
Ashok Kumar from Jammu also visits every year, having left in 1990. He similarly comments on a sense of kinship, appreciating that “Muslims participating in our rituals is a great example of how we used to live here and it has not undergone a slightest change. We’re positive about our return and long for the day the dream turns into a reality.” He stands with his young son in his arms, the shrine draped in flowers and incense smoke behind him, and says proudly: “We don’t feel threatened at all.” He is anxious to return to a place he sees as his home. Shreshta Bhat, a 21 year old, who speaks good Kashmiri, shares this yearning to return to the Valley. Taken from Kashmir by her family when she was only nine months old and was only told when she was older of her origins. Travelling here has increased the desire to return and settle here, she says: “I feel like when I finish 10 years of my job or something, I wish I get a house here and stay here. It’s beautiful and I love it. “It seems an absolute enigma as to why Kashmiri Pandits, who have such a longing to return, are still living outside Kashmir, only visiting on special occasions such as the festival.
The most common reason given for not returning by Kashmiri Pandits who dismiss the possibility coming back to live here is that there remains the danger of militancy and terrorism. 14 year old Vidhi Tickoo encapsulates in one sentence the conflict in the hearts of many Kashmiri Pandits, between a natural yearning to return and paranoia over the threat of violence in the Valley: “It is ok to travel here, but return to live, I don’t think so, there’s a lot of terror here.” When asked about this terrorist threat most have only vague references to Pakistan and arms training, and no real knowledge of militancy in the Valley. Almost all agree that it is in no way the Muslim community that it feels threatened by or sees Kashmiri Muslims as a source of terrorism and an isolated case. Most emphasize that terrorism is a problem all over India and not just in the Valley. Shreshta deconstructs this myth, ardently stating “When we talk about terrorism, it is everywhere – Jammu, Mumbai, Bangalore – people say there’s terrorism in Kashmir, there’s nothing like that here. I’m fine and I don’t feel scared in Kashmir.”
Vibudh Matoo, 13, shows a thoughtful perspective for one so young, refusing to buy into the concept which has since 9/11 has become worryingly accepted, that all Muslims are terrorists:
“I’ve been hearing a lot that Muslims are terrorists but I feel Muslims have greater faith in their religion for which they can even sacrifice their life. I think Muslims are better than some people. It’s the indoctrination that is something to worry about. They’re being taught if you kill somebody God will give place you in heaven which is not a good thing. I like Kashmir, its climate and more importantly the people are polite. I’d like to come here and live. “
Unfortunately there are still some who regard Kashmir as a hostile and dangerous place, whose Muslim community is in support of terrorism and violence. Pawan Bhat, a young man from Jammu whose parents were born in Srinagar, who finds the Valley a beautiful place to visit, refuses to consider the idea of returning and is adamant that the army’s presence here is positive and necessary. When asked why he thinks the army should be posted in Kashmir, keeping people in an environment of occupation, his answer is simply: “I know they should because I’m educated. Any educated person knows – educated people understand.” When asked did he consider all Kashmiris as uneducated people who do not know what’s best for them, he quickly changed his verdict to “misguided”. Unfortunately this sort of prejudice and mistrust still exists between the two communities.
A common opinion is that the government should facilitate the return of the Kashmiri Pandits. Minu Kaul, originally from Vicharnag and now living in Jammu also believes that it is the responsibility of the government of India as well as the international community to encourage and assist religious reconciliation, stating that “Unless there’s an effort by the international community to bridge the gap between Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits so that the hatred is no more there, the return seems difficult.” Virender Matto lives in Jammu and feels that in the Valley there are no job opportunities in the government sector and with most young people working in the private sector, it is difficult for them to return. However, he bears no grudge against the Muslim community, saying that “The hatred that Kashmiri Pandits have in their hearts is uncalled for. I know if we return today, we’ll be treated nicely. It’s completely wrong to think Kashmiri Muslims drove us out.” He believes that the demand for a ‘separate homeland’ which has been made by organizations such as Panun Kashmir is genuine, and the best solution, stating: “It’d be nice if we’re rehabilitated in some areas because it’s difficult for us to return to our respective places. Once a feeling of confidence develops, other can think of a return and live elsewhere as well.” If such a separate homeland was realized, he believes the return of Kashmiri Pandits would be inevitable. “We could not adapt to the Indian culture in terms of our language, way of life, eating habits. Whenever we have a chance to come here, we feel everything—air, water, fragrance, mountains—talking to us.” Kashmir for him and for many Kashmiri Pandits is a place they feel intimately and innately connected to and a part of. Neelam Kaul believes there will be inevitable hostility between Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits, due to the conflict in the past, and agrees that only if the Kashmiri Pandits’ demand for a separate homeland is met will there be any chance of constructive coexistence.
“Kashmiri Muslims drove us out of Kashmir and we’ll return triumphantly. I wouldn't say Muslims were responsible but the outsiders changed their mindset to such an extent that they started killing us. We can’t have the same kind of camaraderie that existed between the two communities. We’d return only is the demand of separate homeland is met. Our demand for a separate homeland is pretty genuine; we would not like to live in the neighborhood of Muslims.”
This concept of “a struggle to reconquer that Kashmir which is almost lost”, as Panun (“my own”) Kashmir words it on their website is positive in the sense of encouraging return, but is in many ways highly divisive and almost contradictory in its mentality. Rather than focusing on reconciliation and integration it seems to focus on maintaining an emphasized distance between the two communities. Its December 1991 convention ‘Margdarshan’ staged in Jammu called for the creation of a separate homeland East and North of the Jhelum for the estimated 700,000 Kashmiri Pandits who migrated to return and settle. This endeavor seems to seek to reappropriate land in Kashmir exclusively for Pandits with no thought to reconciliation between communities, or the idea of a shared homeland.
Like Kashmir itself, the idea of a return for Kashmiri Pandits to their place of origin is fraught with conflict. Although there is a growing enthusiasm among Pandits to return from exodus and take their place once again in what is rightfully their homeland, to complete Kashmiri society which has been missing for too long an integral aspect of its identity, there are still many who feel that this return will not be realized in the near future due to a continued sense of hostility and violence that stems from a past they have not been able to move on from. Kashmir is still a place most will only visit on holiday, not a land they will call their home. There is hope however in such festivals where both communities are brought together, where experiences are shared, a platform for dialogue and reconciliation can perhaps be formed. As Bansi Matto states simply: “It’s the place where I would like to breathe my last.” The desire to return prevails, the journey back is already being plotted in many hearts and as at Khir Bhawani, constituents of the Muslim community have shown that they are there to provide their full support.
The storyhas appeared in the August issue of the Conveyor magazinewww.conveyormagazine.com being published for Srinagar, Kashmir.
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