Dying as he lived: Playing on the front foot

  DYING AS HE LIVED: PLAYING ON THE FRONT FOOT

                                                      BY

                                      Col Tej K Tikoo, Ph.D.

        If one were to choose the first family of the Jammu and Kashmir State’s cricket fraternity, the Tikoo family of Khankah-e-Sokhta, Nawa Kadal, would win hands down. The father and patriarch of the family, Sh Ram Chand Tikoo, fondly known as Ramjoo, still holds the record of being the oldest ever cricketer to have played Ranji Trophy tournament, the nation’s premier cricket championship. He was 53 when he represented the State in 1959-60 season; what is even more significant is the fact that being a fast bowler, he opened the bowling attack with a new ball. This record is unlikely to be broken any time soon. During the same season, in which the State cricket team played in this tournament for the first time, the family created another record; it became the only family whose father-son duo (son being Girdhari Tikoo) played in the same tournament together. Another feather in the sporting cap of the family was that besides the father, two of the four sons of Ramjoo, played for the State cricket team in the Ranji Trophy tournament, at varying times; eldest, Prithvi Nath, popularly called Gasha, and Girdhari Tikoo, a prominent cricketer, first qualified cricket coach of India and a well known sports administrator, being the younger sibling.

                                       

              Sh Ramchand Tikoo being honoured by Governor Jagmohan on 15 Aug, 1987, at Emporium Garden, Srinagar, for his contribution to the State’s Cricket   

As a young cricketer, Sh. Ramchand Tikoo had formed a cricket team, called the Kashmir Cricket Club, (KCC) which he had got registered in 1930. It was, perhaps, the only team that was registered with the Registrar of Societies (cricket teams formed later, were required to only affiliate themselves with the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association). In Kashmir’s cricket club fraternity, KCC was a prominent team, boasting of some of the best cricketers of the State. The team was, however, totally identified with the Tikoo family. Besides the father and two State players, Prithvi and Gidhari, the other two sons of Ramjoo, Avtar and Roshan, too played for the team. Being comprised of players from down-town Srinagar, KCC mostly carried out net practice at Eidgah, which became its Karam Bhoomi.

Being pioneers in spreading the cricket culture among the youth of the area, mostly inhabited by the Muslims, the Tikoo family was well respected, particularly their father, Sh Ramjoo. Prithvi, aka, Gasha, was a bold cricketer who would volunteer to face the fastest of the opening bowlers, without a wink, when the regular openers were hesitant to do so. He was an aggressive cricketer, a great motivator and a never- say- die player, who refused to concede defeat till the very last ball. If Sh. Ramjoo was the patriarch of the family, Gasha was certainly the patriarch of KCC. He groomed and helped many cricketers, mostly from the Muslim community, who  were to become prominent faces of the game in the state, in the years to come. As the craze for cricket spread among the youth, Gasha became a well known face, not so much because of his cricketing abilities, but because of his helpful nature, leadership qualities, organizing abilities and his rapport with the local youth. He was forthright and had a devil- may- care attitude; precisely the qualities that young cricketers, particularly the Muslim youth of the area, admired in him.

In eighties, as the political situation started changing in the Valley and Kashmiri Pandit’s religion became the overriding factor in determining his Muslim friends’ and admirers’ relationship with him, Prithvi Nath saw his many friends now becoming less enthusiastic in their attitude towards him. Nevertheless, he continued to play a leadership role within his mohalla, voicing the concerns of both the Muslims, who were more numerous, and Bhattas, consistently. After the brutal assassination of Tika Lal Taploo, it was apparent that down town Srinagar, particularly Khankah-e-Sokhta and the areas adjoining it, had turned their backs on the Pandits. For the latter, the place gradually became uninhabitable.

In Oct 1989, Prithvi Nath solemnized the marriage of his children at Srinagar, after which most of the relations left for Jammu and other places outside the State. Among them were those posted at Jammu and Prithvi  Nath’s parents and his wife, who would normally shift to Jammu in winter to avoid the intense cold of the Valley. Prithvi Nath, however, continued to stay back. As winter set in, he noticed a great change overtaking even his close Muslim friends, whose trust and confidence he had always enjoyed. They became less enthusiastic in their attitude towards him. In the meanwhile, every day brought news of Bhattas getting killed in some part of Srinagar or far corners of the Valley. But Gasha was confident of his safety because of the trust he reposed in his Muslim friends. Besides, the very thought of fleeing from the Valley out of fear was abhorrent to him.

In early May 1990, Prithvi Nath decided to visit Jammu to meet his siblings and his larger family there. After staying there for a couple of days, he decided to return to Srinagar. With the situation in the Valley going from bad to worse and killings of Bhattas now increasing by the day, all members of the Tikoo clan felt that for their elder brother to return to their own home in Kashmir, was not a wise thing to do. However, one fine morning, despite protestations of every one at home, he picked up his bags and left for his Maej Kashir; his wife following in tow. When his relations warned him of the dangers there, he turned round and said, “I was born in Kashmir, I have lived in Kashmir all my life, all my friends are there; if I have to die, I might as well die there.”

As would be known to most of us, down town Srinagar was truly a hot-bed of militant activity when insurgency broke out in late eighties. Militants were keen to see him leave as that would have ensured that other twenty odd families, still continuing to live in the Mohalla, would follow suit. Forcing Prithvi Nath to leave was, therefore, an important element of their plan to cleanse this part of the Valley of Bhattas.  Often he received threats; some veiled and some open. But he continued to trust his close Muslim friends as far as his own safety was concerned.

By the end of May 1990, when the third wave of our community had fled across the Pir Panjal Range and the increasing bloodshed of our own community members had reached an unprecedented levels, it needed enormous courage on the part of any Bhatta to stick on in a place as dangerous as khankah-e-Sokhta. But Prithvi Nath was not an ordinary Bhatta and he continued to stay on. What is even more significant, the other Bhatta families living in the mohalla , too decided to stay on in solidarity with Prithvi Nath.  Drawing inspiration from Gasha, they continued to cling to their place which had been their home for as long as they or their ancestors could remember. By now, it had become quite clear to the militants that as long as Prithvi Nath stayed on in his house, the other Bhatta families were unlikely to flee. In the existing circumstances prevailing in the Valley, it was an eye sore that militants could ill afford to overlook.

In the meanwhile, undeterred by the looming danger surrounding them  all around, Prithvi  Nath and his wife, continued with their routine, which included an early morning visits to the temples close by. Despite the worsening situation in the Valley in general and in Khanka-e-Sokhta in particular, all remaining Bhatta families there remained steadfast in their resolve to rough it out with Gasha, who, by now, had become a symbol of defiance in the face of extremely heavy odds.  In the beginning of June, 1990, his close friends warned him that his continued stay in Srinagar was no longer safe anymore. Around the same time, the local SHO of Khanka-e-Sokhta met Prithvi Nath and requested him to leave at the earliest as he felt gravely apprehensive about his safety. But Prithvi Nath reminded him that he belonged here and he would prefer to die here rather than run away.

May and June 1990, were particularly difficult months for our community in the Valley. The number of killings of Pandits registered a huge increase, as did the barbarity of the methods employed to assassinate them. Prithvi Nath’s relations at Jammu were getting terribly worried and concerned about the safety and welfare of their elder brother in Kashmir.

Sometime in the third week of June 1990, a Shii boy belonging to Khanka-e-Sokhta , was killed in cross-firing between the militants and the police near SMHS Hospital in Karan Nagar. Huge protests erupted in Khanka-e-Sokhta, thereafter. The protestors repeatedly shouted, “Khoon ka badla khoon se lenge”. The message was ominous.

On 23 June 1990, Sh Girdhari Tikoo, Prithvi Nath’s younger brother at Jammu, tuned to Radio Jammu, to listen to Gujjar News, as a matter of routine. While reporting on the situation in the Valley, he heard his brother’s name being mentioned. He tried to listen in again….. Yes, he had heard it right! It was 4.30 P.M. Without wasting any time, he rang up the then Divisional Commissioner and requested him to confirm what he, Girdhari, had heard. After some time, what appeared to be an eternity, the former confirmed the news.

On that fateful day, Prithvi Nath’s wife, as usual, had left to visit the local Mandir early in the morning. After sometime, Prithvi Nath, without waiting for his wife to return, as was his wont, too had left his home after handing over the keys to the Guir. After walking a few meters, the militants (no one knows the number) had sprayed bullets into him. He lay there crumpled, but still alive, when the police landed up at the spot, very close to his home. He was rushed to the hospital where he breathed his last. He was 55 years old.

After Prithvi Nath’s wife returned from the temple, she was handed over the keys of her house by the Guir. It was much later that she learnt about brutal assassination of her husband. Sh Prithvi Nath’s Dah Sanskar was performed by the police.

After a couple of days, his wife carried his ashes back to Jammu.