Though overnight rains played a spoilsport, yet thousands of devotees,
especially migrant Kashmiri Pandits had reached the temple to pay
obeisance and seek blessings of the goddess.
Amid the smoke emanating from incense sticks and praises for goddess Maharagya Devi popularly known as Mata Kheerbhawani, a group of Kashmiri Pandit women were hoping for better days ahead.
“We have seen worst, not show us good,” they sang in the premises of the temple abuzz with hymns and intermittent sound of bells.
Though overnight rains played a spoilsport, yet thousands of devotees, especially migrant Kashmiri Pandits had reached the temple to pay obeisance and seek blessings of the goddess.
For BhusanLalKoul, who had come from Jammu, travelling to Ganderbal is always a “sacred journey.”
“I am growing older, but I will continue to come here till I am alive,” he says. For 78-year-old Koul, the plan to bring back KPs to Valley is a serious concern. “I had a good house at HabbaKadal, which I sold in 1998. If I return, where would I go, I have no property. At the same time, I am not ready to live far from my Muslim brethren. What to do in these circumstances?” Koul asked.
Accompanied by his wife Rajni, he says let there be a place where “we can live the way we used to. Old days were great, no tension, no worries and there was only peace and love all around.”
Many devotees asserted that the return of KPs was a complicated matter. “It is not easy to go back to the places where we used to live. We have sold our properties to Muslims. How can we ask them to sell it back to us,” says Poornima, who lives with her husband RavinderBhat at Muthi camp in Jammu. “The idea of separate township doesn’t suit us. We want same culture, ethos, brotherhood, peace and harmony, which we had before leaving this place.”
For young Vijay, the idea of homecoming is full of challenges. “If I come, I have to resign from the present post at Bangalore. My wife is also working there in a school. She too has to leave her job. And here, we don’t want to live in isolation,” he says. “If government would ensure job to me and my wife, I will return and live at my village in Kulgam district.” For Vijay’s wife, Shewta, return is only possible when members of Muslim community support it. “In a garden, you will never see flowers of one kind only. Different kinds of flowers make the garden perfect and beautiful. Kashmir is a garden and you need to have Muslims, Sikhs and others by your side.”
While old lot is yearning to return to their homeland, there is a visible generation gap between them and the youngsters. 24-year-old Shikha is an architect in Mumbai. “I was not born when my parents left this place. I am earning more than Rs 50,000 a month. If government gives me the same package in Kashmir, I would return and settle down here forever,” she says. “I would like to return and live jointly with the majority community. See how Muslims are helping us today here. How can we live far from them in isolation?” Many friends of Shikha echoed similar views.
However, in the temple, there were also those who supported the idea of separate colonies. MotiKoul, who contested on BJP’s ticket from HabbaKadal Assembly segment unsuccessfully, says that there is no harm if Pandits return and live in a separate town.
“Whatever properties they had, they have sold. Every KP yearns to get connected to Valley,” he says. “I believe that to ensure return there is a need of taking some Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) like providing jobs to Pandit youth, ensuring protection of temples and ordering an inquiry into their migration. This will help raise the morale of Pandits and ensure smooth return. Let there be a separate smart city to begin with.”
Amid the smoke emanating from incense sticks and praises for goddess Maharagya Devi popularly known as Mata Kheerbhawani, a group of Kashmiri Pandit women were hoping for better days ahead.
“We have seen worst, not show us good,” they sang in the premises of the temple abuzz with hymns and intermittent sound of bells.
Though overnight rains played a spoilsport, yet thousands of devotees, especially migrant Kashmiri Pandits had reached the temple to pay obeisance and seek blessings of the goddess.
For BhusanLalKoul, who had come from Jammu, travelling to Ganderbal is always a “sacred journey.”
“I am growing older, but I will continue to come here till I am alive,” he says. For 78-year-old Koul, the plan to bring back KPs to Valley is a serious concern. “I had a good house at HabbaKadal, which I sold in 1998. If I return, where would I go, I have no property. At the same time, I am not ready to live far from my Muslim brethren. What to do in these circumstances?” Koul asked.
Accompanied by his wife Rajni, he says let there be a place where “we can live the way we used to. Old days were great, no tension, no worries and there was only peace and love all around.”
Many devotees asserted that the return of KPs was a complicated matter. “It is not easy to go back to the places where we used to live. We have sold our properties to Muslims. How can we ask them to sell it back to us,” says Poornima, who lives with her husband RavinderBhat at Muthi camp in Jammu. “The idea of separate township doesn’t suit us. We want same culture, ethos, brotherhood, peace and harmony, which we had before leaving this place.”
For young Vijay, the idea of homecoming is full of challenges. “If I come, I have to resign from the present post at Bangalore. My wife is also working there in a school. She too has to leave her job. And here, we don’t want to live in isolation,” he says. “If government would ensure job to me and my wife, I will return and live at my village in Kulgam district.” For Vijay’s wife, Shewta, return is only possible when members of Muslim community support it. “In a garden, you will never see flowers of one kind only. Different kinds of flowers make the garden perfect and beautiful. Kashmir is a garden and you need to have Muslims, Sikhs and others by your side.”
While old lot is yearning to return to their homeland, there is a visible generation gap between them and the youngsters. 24-year-old Shikha is an architect in Mumbai. “I was not born when my parents left this place. I am earning more than Rs 50,000 a month. If government gives me the same package in Kashmir, I would return and settle down here forever,” she says. “I would like to return and live jointly with the majority community. See how Muslims are helping us today here. How can we live far from them in isolation?” Many friends of Shikha echoed similar views.
However, in the temple, there were also those who supported the idea of separate colonies. MotiKoul, who contested on BJP’s ticket from HabbaKadal Assembly segment unsuccessfully, says that there is no harm if Pandits return and live in a separate town.
“Whatever properties they had, they have sold. Every KP yearns to get connected to Valley,” he says. “I believe that to ensure return there is a need of taking some Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) like providing jobs to Pandit youth, ensuring protection of temples and ordering an inquiry into their migration. This will help raise the morale of Pandits and ensure smooth return. Let there be a separate smart city to begin with.”
No comments:
Post a Comment