Its quite late to talk about this topic as many would say but what compelled me to pen this is the NDTV programme on Kashmiri Pandits last nite. In the war of the nations its the Pandits who have suffered the most. Uprooted from their land, from their heritage, a 'refugee' in their own country with no one to stand by them.
In my view it all started way back during partition. And the one responsible - another Kashmiri Pandit. Yes the first Prime Minister of the country. The dandy, colourful, charismatic personality for whom the Prime Minister's post was more important than the country itself.
- First the partition for which he was equally responsible besides Jinnah.
- Second his refusal for a plebiscite. It was Shyama Prasad Mukherjee's proposal to settle the
people displaced by partition in Kashmir and hold the referendum. Nehru obviously felt
threatened by his growing stature.
That was the beginning of the strife in Kashmir which today is on the verge of being split from the country. The 'Heaven on Earth' has slowly and painfully graduated to 'Hell on Earth'.
90's was the worst time for the Pandits. It was the beginning of the open undeclared war by Islamic fundamentalists for Kashmir and the Pandits became the biggest casualty. Close to 400000 pandits were forced to flee their houses and today live in transit camps across the country.
What went against the Pandits?
1. Too few in number (As per last figure its 700000).
2. Too less representation in politics & power.
3. Even though groups like Panun Kashmir exist still they're not big enough or powerful enough
to make a difference.
4. And ofcourse the apathy of the government.
With so much stacked against them, the Kashmiri Pandits are waging an already lost battle. Pandits have given illustrious personalities to the country. From Aryabhat to Kalidas and Nehru to Karan Singh, Kashmiri Pandits at one point of time represented the upper echelons of the Kashmiri civil service and were the most higly educated members of Kashmiri society.
But years of living in transit camps with a subsistence of as low as Rs. 3200, the Pandits today face a among others some immediate problems which require urgent remedial steps to be taken.
- The community today faces extinction for lack of a base.
- Years of living in unhygenic circumstances in transit camps has taken a toll on the fertility
numbers of the Pandits. The birth rate has significantly reduced.
If today the Pandit takes up arms against the government and society, are they really to blame?
But with the dwindling population, peaceful nature and an insignificant representation, even this is not an option for them.
While writing this piece i thought of many solutions for their plight. In my opinion, the best option would be to relocate them in a state like Uttaranchal or Himachal which is not so densely populated and also lags in education and progress. That will give the Pandits to re-establish them in the mainstream with proper jobs and security and will give them the a platform to continue their fight for their lost land.
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6 comments:
Wonderful read and quite a thought to be mulled over!
Agree Absolutely
hmnn, thought provoking.
Thanks all of u! I only wish that something good happens soon for the Pandits. Its been close 2 2 decades now.
The solution, though sounds wonderful, is not so simple. Relocation would create another monster... Do you think people are that open to refugee influx, even if they are of your own country? I am not so sure... Then there is a political angle to look into. There would be greedy chillar people who will try to get milage out this entire excercise..
But you never know.. it might still work!
Rusty - I do agree. But this was neway not supposed to be an easy thing. The pandits are significantly lesser in number so its will be less difficult to try and do this. maybe some other states too. But the political will is most important. And that is something which I dont see happening in the near future.
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