Wednesday, August 31, 2016



Razdan Sahib's Puranic Picture Gallery

Author: ??? (Please let us know)
Krishna Joo Razdan's "Maharaja Mahadevun Che Chhui Saal" is a superb Puranic picture gallery. In this devotional lyric cosmos is the studio-cum-exhibition hall, Lord Vishnu is the model and Krishna Joo Razdan, incognite as Narada, is the inspired literary painter. The bard's devout imagination, telescoping Lord Vishnu's variegated associated exploits, objectified them on literary canvas. Like impressionistic painters, Krishna Joo paints diverse fleeting associations conjured up by his unique model. Each quatrain in the lyric is a picture-frame exhibiting two or more pictures. Here the model remains unaltered but there are constant changes in the perspective.
Narada, journeying through the vast cosmic expanses, informs Lord Vishnu about developments in the celestial regions. He invites Lord Vishnu to Lord Mahadeva's marriage. Krishna Joo Razdan, incognite as Narada, paints ingratiating memories associted with his unique model. In the incarnation as Lord Rama, Lord Vishnu showers bounteous love upon Mother Sita. By quickening up the associated memories of the readers, Krishna Joo conjures up the picture of Lord Rama and Mother Sita enjoying perfect conjugal bliss.
Radha-Krishna Deep Love
He juxtaposes with it a picture depicting deep love between Lord Krishna and Mother Radha. In the same frame he fits in the portrait of Lord Krishna lifting the Goverdhan mountain to protect the cows, cowherds and calves against the torrential rain sent by jealous Lord Indira to lash the Gokul landscape. Next Krishna Joo paints Lord Krishna enjoying butter offered with love by Ma Jessuda. He conjures up infant Krishna with butter-besmeared mouth and face playing pranks about Jessuda. Alongside with this picture is placed the picture of Kubza whose hunch is set right as she unhestitatingly applies sandal paste to Lord Krishna's forehead meant especially for Kans, the king of Mathura. This is followed by a suggestive painting of Sudama offering Lord Krishna rice chaff to eat.
Shrimad Bhagwatam mentions that Sudama was one of the dearest boyhood friends of Lord Krishna. One cold rainy evening he was munching some grains. On enquiry he attributed chattering of his teeth to intense cold. This false statement subjected him to perpetual penury in his later life. Once he is directed by his wife, Sushila, to seek help of his boyhood friend who is now the king of Dwarika. In the royal place, Sudama is received very warmly. Lord Krishna himself washes clean his tired feet. Sudama has brought for Lord Krishna some chaffy rice. The Lord enjoys a handful of the offering of love. He is prevented from enjoying more by Rukmini. She fears that the kind Lord will bestow everything upon Sudama rendering his own person and family impecunious. This incident too is the content of a picture in Razdan Sahib's picture gallery.
Bhagwatam & Ramayana Juxtaposed
Sugreve, the king of Kishkindha, is driven out of his capital city by his unrighteous brother Bali. Along with his faithful lieutenants, he retires to a hilly eminence where Bali is destined to die under a curse pronounced by a sage. Lord Rughvir befriends Sugreve and, after killing lascivious Bali, he places upon his head the crown of Kishkindha. Vibhishana, deserting the camp of his demoniacal brother Ravana, joins Lord Rughvir in Kishkindha. He is enthroned in exile as the king of Lanka. Bali Dhaanav, the demon king, is bestowed the underworld for his generosity. These three Puranic episodes are held by a single picture-frame forming the fourth quatrain of the poem. Feeling envious of the tremendous popularity of Lord Krishna, Lord Brahma, the god with three heads, hides away all his calves and cowherd companiuns in a cave. Lord Krishna creates all the stolen creatures himself. This abashes Brahma. Lord Krishna forgives Brahma's insolence. Krishna Joo paints this episode without going too deep into its ontological implications. He feels ecstatic while painting Lord Krishna dancing with the gopis. Devki, the dear sister of Kansa, is married to the Yadhava prince Vaasudev. When the newly wedded couple are driven towards Vasudev's country, the elements predict Kansa's death at the hands of Devki's offspring. Thereupon, Kansa imprisons Devki and her husband. He assassinates Devki's six babies in succession and Lord Krishna, the seventh, is spared by divine intercession. As Lord Krishna grows up, he kills Kansa for the restoration of moral order. Leaving his foster mother, Yashodha, in Gokul, he comes to Mathura. At the request of Devki, he brings to life the six children which she has lost. These children later become Gandharvas. This Puranic episode forms the sixth picture-frame in Razdan Sahib's picture gallery.
On the completion of his education at Sandipini's hermitage, the guru asks his illustrious disciple to bring to life his son drowned in a naval tragedy. Lord Krishna jumps into the sea and retrieves alive the son of his guru. Krishna Joo paints this episode in the seventh and the eight quatrains which run into each other In shrimad Bhagvatam there is mention of Shankhasur. This demon unleashes terror and unrighteousness all around. When pursued by superior righteous strength, he hides himself in the vast conch shell which forms his abode. Lord Krishna jumps into the sea and challenges to a battle the demon who has been perpetrating horrible atrocities upon the devout. Shankhasur is killed and his conch shell, called Panch Janya, becomes a coveted possession of the yaadavas. This episode too is the content of one of the pictures lightly sketched by Krishna Joo.
Spirituality in Devotion
As the Pandavas are befriended by Lord Krishna during their exile, they recognize the essential divinity of their kinsman. They start supplicating before him in deep devotion. This is resented by a contemporary prince, Shishupal, who regards Krishna nothing better than a common cowherd. Shishupal nourishes grudge against Krishna also for eloping away with his sister Rukmini, Lord Krishna, the merciful, forgives Shishupal's impertinence a number of times. He cuts off Shishupal's head with his rotating disc (Sudharshan Chakra) as the latter persists in pouring forth abusive language. This cpisode too forms one of the painted canvases in Krishna Joo's vast picture gallery.
With his carnal passions perfectly under control, Lord Krishna dallies with 16108 ladies and maidens. Razdan Sahib paints this fact with light verbal strokes. Lord Krishna's separate dalliance with each gopi is an objectification of the essential oneness of God. Lord Krishna sows rubies from a string which, first changing the sapling, develop into sizeable trees bearing rubies on boughs and branches. Collecting these rubis the messenger from Radhika grows quite rich. In this picture-frame, Razdan Sahib also includes the spectacle of a pearly shower sent by Lord Shiva to lash the Kashmir landscape. At the end of the frieze, Razdan Sahib juxtaposes the portraits of Lord Vishnu and Lord Mahesh with their divine consorts Laxmi and Gauri.
Razdan's Perpetual Struggle
Spiritual progress enjoins an arduous effort. Spiritual bliss and enlightenment are realizable only through constant meditation and assiduous observance of high psycho-physical discipline. This is manifest from Krishna Joo Razdan's all devotional lyrics. We observe him as a seeker constantly seeking to realize Brahman. Sometimes, he is a dualist with an impersonal concept of God. Soon he becomes a dualist with a personal concept of God. Again he feels that Advaita Vedantic monism is the highest truth. The bard's imagination, surcharged with devotional ecstasy, keeps shifting constantly from one point of view to the other. He is obviously living the experiences which he is communicating through his devotional lyrics. Being a true devotee of God, he feels divine contemplation an existential indispensability. He is painfully conscious about the dwindling numbers of Kashmiri Pandit community. He fears its complete extirpation due to the prevalence of numerous social evils.
Razdan Sahib is proud of Kashmiri language which is the principal medium of his poetic expression. He regards it dearest to the Mother Goddess. He is convinced that salvation for Kashmiris is attainable only by singing praises of the Mother Goddess in Kashmiri language. Razdan Sahib's poetry objectifies his perpetual struggle for comprehending the mysterium tremendum enveloping man all around.
Subjective Idealism
Idealism is the school of philosophy which regards God or Brahman as the ultimate reality. This Philosophy is the bed-rock of all religions of the world. Some philosophers believe that man and God are essentially one. God is attainable by directing sense perceptions inwards towards the self. This is the cardinal viewpoint of subjective idealists. Essential Brahminism too is subjective idealism. There are other idealists who, recognizing the existence of God, consider Him an entity separate from man. For them, God directs the course of nature. He is an entity outside man. Man is answerable for his actions to God on the day of resurrection. This type of idealism is called objective idealism. It is the main philosophic content of the religions like Islam and Christianity.
In some of his lyries, we observe Razdan Sahib marshalling the basic postulates of objective idealism. There are others in which subjective idealism is the poet's predominant philosophical preoccupation. He discerns greater rectitude in the subjective philosophical postulates. In one of his poems, he advocates observance of Islamic practices for the enjoyment of spiritual bliss. Razdan Sahib's lyrics objectify the great bard's patient perpetual struggle for comprehending the mystery of existence. He perpetually investigates the validity of polytheistic and monistic religious concepts. He is sometimes a polytheist objectifying his devotion separately for Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. In such moods, Rama and Krishna are two different incarnations. But at the same time, he regards all the principal gods of Hindu pantheon a single entity. God appears to him permeating every cosmic object around. In the concluding couplets of Maharaja Mahadevun Che Chuui Saal, he reveals his belief in the essential monistic nature of God. He longs for the realisation of the eternal truth of advaita vedantic monism and desires to realise his essential oneness with God.

Swami Vidyadhar



Swami Vidyadhar

An Embodiment of Intense Sadhana

"A lion performed pradakshina of Swamiji's aasan in the forest"

- Prakash Kaul
Swami Vidyadhar was born on the 13th bright day of Ashad 1942 (Bikrami), corresponding to 1886 AD, in an orthodox Brahmin household of a Kanthdhomayan 'Gotra'. His father, Shri Ganakak Razdan (Khonmushi) died when Vidhlal, (the Swami's parental name) was only six. His mother, Harmali, was from a respectable Khushoo family of Malayar and an embodiment of the finest traditions of Indian womanhood. His elder brother, Shri Gopi Nath, entrusted him to the able care of Shri Madhav Joo Chander and Shri Rajkak Ganz for being taught in the traditional Brahminic ritual. Later he obtained the degree of Visharad.

Swami Vidyadhar
Courtesy: Pran & Asha Chaku, Houston, TX (1997)
Devout Behavior
Right from his boyhood Vidyadhar astounded everyone by his sharp intellect and humility. He had a sharp memory and a resolute disposition. For his devout behavior and ability, he was deeply loved by his teachers and others. At the age of 15, he was married to Shrimati Padmavati, the illustrious daughter of Shri Rishi Kak Kalu, a noble Brahmin.
There is no record how and when Vidyadhar surrendered himself at the feet of his master, Yogiraj Ramji. Swami Ramji, the embodiment of allÑ pervading bliss, initiated and taught many of his disciplesÑchief among them being Swami Mahtab Kak, Swami Vidyadhar and Swami Govind Kaul. The backdrop of this stream of Gurus is depicted thus in Shri Vidyadharastava.
Vidyadhar studied Shastras under his Guru and also received initiation into mysteries of the 'Shaiva Sadhana'. Swami Ramji was a perfect Guru - Stroti and Brahmnisht. It was the benevolence of the Lord Himself personified in Swami Ramji that guided the real Sadhakas like Vidyadhar. By and by Vidyadhar became absorbed in his inner self and the only longing he had was to free himself from the mundane chorus of household activities. He attended his worldly jobs with more of a detached bent of mind. During this period, Vidyadhar lost his mother. He was only 28 and still a perfect Sadhaka. Gradually, he lost all taste for worldly life and he would remain aloof confined mostly to a room in his house. Occasionally, however, he would teach scriptures to those who came to him.
Then came the turning point. In 1915, Swami Ramji shed his mortal frame. From now onwards, it became virtually impossible for Vidyadhar to remain confined to the four walls of his house. In 1919 came the breakthrough. He left his home and remained for some time at the holy place of Thajiwara - a hallowed place near Bijbehara. Thence, he went to the aloofness of Kamlavan a solitary place near village Tral. An SOS from his elder Gurubhai, Swami Mahtab Kak, unsettled his future plans. Swami Mahtab Kak, after the exit of his Guru, was in command of Shri Ram Shaiva Ashram. The Gurubhai asked him to return home apparently on the entreaties of his (Vidyadhar's) father-in-law. He would not spurn the directive of the Gurubhai.
Wandering Monk
His stay at home did not, however, check the strong yearning for the life of a wandering monk. At times, the future care of his small children would flash through the ascetic Vidyadhar's otherwise serene mind. At the same time, the absolute mood, said euphemistically that he did not like to see majority of his Srinagar disciples running agitatedly here and there. All laughed far it referred to the usual practice of Srinagar disciples going to villages where Swamiji would stay, entreating him to come over to Srinagar.
Last Days
On Amavasi at about 10-30 a.m. Swamiji addressed three of his disciples present rather unexpectedly thus: "World is changing fast and Adharma is growing. It is better that you people be of some help to these mortal remains". Then he asked one of his disciples to check up the 'Tithi' from the 'Panchang' while going to the bathroom down in the courtyard. When Swamiji came back the disciples informed about the 'Tithi' and 'Mahurat'. With a smile, the Swami said "All right" and wiped his hands and feet with a towel. A few moments later his body had a paralytdc attack and, simultaneously, the outward sensations ceased. The body remained in this state for about two-and-a- half days amidst the continuous chanting of hymns by the great concourse of disciples and other people. On the third bright day of the Margshirsh at about 3 a.m. the numb body of Swamiji opened eyes at the conclusion of the Bhairavstotra of Swami Abhinavagupta. The eyes were full of tears.
The Bhaktas started the daily Aarti and at its conclusion the mortal frame ceased to breathe. The revered Gurumata of the disciples, Shrimati Padmavati, had also come there after 30 years of her seclusion and Sadhana and paid homage to her departing illustrious consort. In deference to the wishes of the Swami, expressed to some of his disciples, the last rites were observed without any fanfare.
Many are the anecdotes of Swami Vidyadhar's acts of benevolence and miracles to which even to this day many are eyewitness. To respect the sentiments of Swamiji's disciples not to write about any such miracles of their illustrious Guru, it would not be worthwhile to recall all the majesty of the Yogi both in his spiritual and social spheres.
Compositions
Swamiji had great command over Sanskrit grammar and language and an astounding hold on Shastras. In his moments of intense Bhakti, he composed some devotional Sanskrit poems and many of these hymns are popular among the Kashmiris even to this day. The hymn to 'Rangy Bhagwati' forms part and parcel of the 'Aarti' being recited at Kheerbhawani.
For his erudition he was called lovingly Vidyadhar and rightly so. Swamiji, throughout his life, remained an embodiment of intense Sadhana and complete detachment. Self-abnegation and an unflinching faith in himself were hall-marks of his illustrious life. Never in his life did he show any traces of exhibitionism; in fact, he shunned all such extraneous propensities. He lived a simple ascetic's life. Never after renunciation did he touch money. He had absolutely left 'Kamini' and 'Kanchan' as Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa enjoins upon the travelers on spiritual path in his gospel.
The Swami knew no fear and showed great courage in going against the tradition in dealing with matters of suffering and injustice. It will be fit to recall some of the prominent incidents in his life which undoubtedly show his lofty disposition.
At the death of one of his sons, a relative came to Swamiji apparently to offer his condolences and in the process wept bitterly. Swamji gave him sympathy and advised him not to grieve over the inevitable.
Once when Swamiji was coming down the stairs of his Ashram for his usual 'Sandhya' a thief loaded with articles stolen from the Ashram passed his way and even paid homage to him. In the morning when disciples informed him of the theft, he told them that a man loaded with the stolen articles had paid him respects in the early hours of the morning and he did not catch him then.
Among Kashmiri Pandits, there was a subcaste called 'Leji Bhat' who due to changing fortunes of the valley had got converted at some distant past and had reverted to their parent faith subsequently. Even though their lives were ideal, high caste Brahmins would not even partake the meals prepared by them. Likewise, was the situation for the Bohra sub-caste in the Pandit community. Swamiji could stand no such differentiation. He initiated fairly good number of disciples from among the sub-castes and started a slow but sure propaganda against this high-handedness of the so- called top-class and orthodox Brahmins.
Menace Eliminated
Finally, a big Yagya was organized by the sub- castes at Bijbehara. Swamiji invited all the learned and orthodox Brahmins of the valley to the Yagya along with other leaders of the Pandit community. They could not spurn his offer. At the conclusion of the Yagya food was served by the brethren who had been wronged and everybody took the meals. Thus the menace to the integrity of the Pandit community was eliminated.
Swamiji was fond of music and often musicians, both Hindus and Muslims, used to recite rare Sufi and devotional poetry of great Siddhas like Parmanand and Lalleshwari to him. One among them was Swami's constant companion. Swamiji loved him like a child. But the musician married a Muslim girl and got alienated from his community. Some time later, the musician left the company of the girl and came to Swamiji after a period of self- imposed exile. While others despised him, the Swami received him with open arms. Nothing had changed the love of the Swami for his child.
Playful Countenance
That was Swami Vidyadhar, the great saint who would keep the audiences spell-bound by his sweet voice and great discourses, opening new vistas of spiritual path. This scribe, whose father was a disciple of Swamiji, had the great fortune of his constant company right from his early childhood to his early teens. He cherishes the playful countenance of the great Yogi for the Yogi seemed to be his playmate all the time he was in contact with him. He vividly recollects the mock horse which the Yogi would lovingly offer himself to be while the writer as a conscious Balak rode on his back.
Source: Koshur Samachar

PUNN DIYUN



PUNN DIYUN
पन्न द्युंन
(A Kashmiri Tradition)

Punn Diyun is a Vaishnava ritual related to the invocation of Vishnu as Bhagawan Satya Narayana, in Kashmir during the Shulka Paksha/Bright fortnight of the month of Bhadarpada--corresponding to the month of August/ September. In Kashmiri Pandit heritage, this occasion is revered as सत्य देव / Satya Dev, by offering पूर्य Puurya and रोठ Roath to the Satya Dev Bhgawan, along with Shri Ganesha. This day is not the specific Tithi, but should be any Shubh Muhurt--auspicious day in this Paksha of Bhadarapada, as is calculated and recorded, in the Kashmiri Panchangs.


About the word पन्न -- Punn:


Punn as a Kashmiri word, meaning thread,and Diyun means to offer. It means to offer the "Thread"--a spiritual obligation in the form of Thread ring that is being tied to the Pot, known as Kalasha. it is generally a brass pot of an elliptical shape revered as the symbol of Lord Brahma, and Varuna Devata /water. The Devata finds its abode in the Kalasha.


पन्न Punn word also theवैदिक शब्द word in essence, which means to be worthy of admiration, or to admire to regard with surprise and wonder, to praise and acknowledge. It also means to be glad and glorious. This word has its source in the Sutra सूत्र, स्थुर in Kashmiri, which makes a person learn to be humble, meticulous in his working, and very soft towards the deprived, and to recognize the inner self. It does nort speak of renunciation at all, ather to be in association with the social environment. since it is Vaishnivite ritual, therefore the pot is adorned with flowers of different shades and colors.


The Sutra, which is स्थुर ------


An old oral tradition is described here under: The Sutra or कपास/कपस is grown in the fields. Later, it is to be spin on the spinning wheel, after taking the कपसि ट्वट -- seed out of the raw cotton. The spinning wheel is known as यंदुर in Kashmiri. A girl child is supposed to spin the cotton,to turn it into yarn thread, and that thread is offered to the Satya Deva, who is said to have its presence in that Puja, at that particular muhurt/moment. The Sindoor, flowers, नार्य वन and रोठ is offered according to the traditioanal puja with the Naivedya Mantra, known as the प्रेपुन्य .


Preparation of रोठ Roath


Roath is prepared with wheat flour kneeded with water and milk.and deep fried in ghee. Some would bake the Roath, though kneeded with ghee. It is known as the सवा सेर रोठ। The green cardamom is mixed during kneeding. After frying or baking, Khaskhas-- खश्खाश is applied for decoration purposes as well. Some would make the circular designs with the small circular cup stand.

To establish the sanctity of the Punn diyun, the Puja room is washed, all the necessary utensils needed for making a Roath is washed with हुरि म्ये.च --- yellow soil, It is mostly the eldest lady of the family, who narrates the story of बीब गर्भ माs ज, explaining the essence of Satya Narayan Devata, who is Vishnu himself.

She would explain the necessity of observing this ritual,purely to ward off ill omens and to bring peace.progress and prosperity in and around the family. That is why, the Naveed is distributed to the neighbours and relatives, without any distinction.


Present day procedure:


Since the times have changed,now the Punn is not being spinned any more. Only, Diya Batti has replaced the Punn. but all other modalities are followed. except washing with soil, instead the detergent is used to clean the pots/utensils during puja and for preparation of the Roath, which is really very healthy step. The offshoots of green grass, known as द्रमुन is offered to the Devata, with all devotion. After the Puja is over, the Naveed is partaken with all devotion and dedication, even in the KP diaspora. The eldest one of the family observes a fast, but is not obligatory. This day is dedicated to Beeb Ghar Maij, deriving its source of inspiration from the Skanda Purana.


About the name ---- बीभ गर्भ माs / Biibh Garbha Mai'j, the main Deity of the Pann Diyun Katha.

बीभ is a Sanskrit word, which means --- to put in higher acclamation, in the Post Vedic scriptures. गर्भ Garbha means the cosmic womb, माsज Mai'j is the Divine Mother. That is why we invoke the Divine Mother in the Brass pot/ Gada, with the offering of दूर्वा Durvaa--द्रमण कानुज। The color of brass is of golden hue, hence the brass pot is recommended in the Puja.

दूर्वा Durvaa-- द्रमण कानुज stands for the शाकम्बरी देवी / Shakambari Devi.


Majority of the Kashmiri Pandits do celebrate the पन्न दियुन, but some families instead perform, Anant Chaturdashi, observing the same ritual of making the Roath. Some address पन्न देवी, as the Bhhib Garaz Mai'j, which does not seem to be correct, as the deity invoked in the pot can never be selfish, as the word ग़रज़ / Garaz stands for.


Acknowledgement:---I am thankful to Mrs Chandramukhi Ganju for putting the Roath Katha, published ealier in Shehjar, which is given below
Pun Dinucha Katha (Traditional Pun Story)
See below or download pdf file here
K a s h m i r i R e c i p e
ChandraMukhi Ganju

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Pun Deun


Pun Deun
by Sh. Amar Nath Bhan
Niagara Falls, Canada
The following is a popular history and a folk tale about the celebration of the famous festival of Yanayak chorum by the Kashmiri Pandit community which is also called Pun Deun.
This is a traditional celebration which almost all Kashmiri families celebrate in the month of Bhadron (August/September) by preparing very delicious Roths of wheat pan-cakes) which are fried in Ghee (Butter). Some people consider it as a celebration of Bhagwan Mahavir Hanuman day. People in south India celebrate this day as Ganesh Puja celebration.
I am writing this article to remind our people how our community used to maintain the social link with each other by distributing the Neveed (prasad) of this function in the form of Roth to all their neighbours, relatives and even strangers. This allowed them to keep in close touch with each other. This day is celebrated with devotion, to show respect to almighty god. The celebration also gives enjoyment in the form of a get together for the family, and especially among children. For this celebration the big family kitchen and all the brass utensils are cleaned thoroughly.
Although religious significance of this day may have numerous interpretations, it has the same importance as any of our other festivals such as Shiva Ratri (Herath), Janamashtami etc., and it was always on top of the list, especially for women folk. People were very keen to get this Neveed. As I remember, all our neighbours, relatives and friends were very keen to get this Neveed, and if by mistake or otherwise the Neveed was not delivered on time, the person would definitely lodge a serious complaint and one had to apologize. Even the relatives in far villages expected this Pun Neveed. In some cases the Neveed was delivered up to one month after the celebration. The Roth fried in ghee would stay fresh for a long time. I remember when my children were grown up and had been away from home for higher education, they always expected the Pun Roth when they returned home for vacation.
I remember in our home at Srinagar (Kashmir) my mother, and later her my wife used to perform and celebrate this festival with great devotion and faith. Some people also called Pun Deun as Beeb ghar maji hund doh. They would clean the clay floor and walls of the room(usually the Kani or top floor of the house) when the celebration was to be performed. Some people would use their kitchen. All brass utensils were cleaned with sand to shine them, then they were washed with clay to sanitize them. A special iron or brass Krai (Wok) was first cleaned and used to fry the Roth. This utensil was especially meant for this day and was not used for other purposes.
The following ingredients were collected several days in advance of this occasion: For Roth white flour, brown sugar, ghee (butter), salt, vegetable oil, yogurt (zamut dodh), Khashkhash seed, cardamom (Big alaiche seed). For puja flower, rice, barley, green grass (Dramun), some fruits, fresh walnut, silver foil (roph warukh) ,Nariwan( coloured string) and Sindoor. In the city interior it was usually difficult to find Dramun which could be only found in the pastures outside the city or from the garden of a prosperous relative. In combined families the senior lady of the house, who usually performed this celebration, used to get some cotton thread hand spun by an unmarried girl and all kind of vegetables in season. About five paw(1 kg) of wheat flour was kept in a separate Thalli (brass plate) with 5 chatang (nearly 300 gram) of brown sugar. This was meant as offering to the god for whom this festival was to be celebrated. Separately, additional 250 grams of wheat flour per person in the family was weighed and used for cooking Roth.The proportion of brown sugar to flour was one chatang (65 grams) of sugar for 250 grams of flour.
My family prepared the Roth in the following manner. The required quantity of brown sugar, according to the quantity of wheat flour, was boiled in a bhogun(brass pot) with a small quantity of water and then it was strained through a thin cotton cloth. Big alaichi seed (Big Cardamom) was mixed with the wheat flour.Then the brown sugar water was mixed with flour. To make it into dough, some ghee was also mixed with the flour to make it soft and sweet. The dough was divided into small portions and each portion was rolled flat using a chakla and belan( rolling pin). Then this bread was put on the flat of a Thali's(bronze plate) back side and made smooth .Some design were made on the flat end of bread using fingers or with the bottom of a Khos(bronze cup). Sufficient quantity of ghee was then placed in the krai (Wok)on a stove to fry the roth. Then yogurt was mixed with Khashkhash (sesame) seeds and pasted smoothly on the flat end of the Roth. Then the bread was then put in the hot ghee to fry.
Precaution was taken to see that the ghee is not too hot which may burn the bread, and a lifter known as (Kafgree) was used to turn the bread over. This kept the Roth soft and delicious.
My mother and my wife also used to make Namkeen, a salted bread which had the same ingredients as the roth, except brown sugar was replaced with a little salt. Namkeen bread was fried in the same ghee which had been used for Roth. After all fried Roths were prepared including the separately kept 5 pauw of wheat flower for the offering in the name of God.The latter were put separately in a new or fresh Foth or Tooker(willow basket )or in a big Thal( bronze plate) and were covered with a new or washed cotton cloth.
In our house we also prepared mixed vegetables called Bhoojai with as many as ten or more varieties of vegetables . Some prepared Aloo (potatoes) or dry Bhoojai, and some prepared Wangan bhoojai (egg plant ) depending on the tradition in the family. Then vegetables were cleaned out mixed. They were then boiled and fried in oil and masala (spices) were added to make the Bhoojai. It took a fairly long time to prepare the Bhoojai.
In the mean time my mother ( and later my wife) used to get fresh water in a bronze Ghadwa (container) from the tap and would decorate it with a flower garland and Nairwan, Sendher teok and Rophwarukh (silver foil). Then she would put five Roth with Kanika Roth (Roth with saw tooth like edges all around) on the Gadwa. Then she would put some fruits and shelled walnuts on it as Naveed. Then she would call all members the family to the room. The Ghadwa with Roth were placed in front of her while she would be facing the east (sun rises from the east). After placing the Teok on the forehead and tying the Nairwan on the wrist of every one present, she would give to every one some rice with barley and Habel in their hands. The cotton thread which she had been keeping on her ear was then placed in her hand with some rice, barley and Habel. Then with full attention and devotion she would repeat the same story every year. She would start by saying that anyone who performed this ceremony with devotion faith and love would get everything in life, will be released from misery and trouble. She related the story with a lot of concentration in the sweet melodic Kashmire Language as follows:It was the month of Bhadron, Venayak Chorum te Athwar( fourth lunar day and sunday), a long time ago, in Kashmir there was a Hindu king ruling comfortably and his people lived in peace and harmony. His wife, the Queen, used to celebrate this festival of Vanayak chorum in the month of Bhadron with great devotion, faith, pomp and show. The royal family was very happy. One day while the queen was performing this ceremony, the king walked in (may be he was drunk) and said "what is thisall going on, I don't want this puja to be celebrated in my home", and without waiting for any reply from his wife he entered the puja room with his shoes on and scattered away all things. He was very furious. The Queen was very much depressed and angry with her husband, but could not and did not tell him any thing. Since the King did this, bad things began to appear and happen in their lives and in the Kingdom. After some time the kingdom was invaded by the enemy, the king was taken a prisoner and all his belonging were taken over and destroyed by the enemy. The queen with her daughter ran away for the safety of their lives and honour, towards the rural area without any personal possession. They had nothing, and were almost begging for their survival, and were in a miserable condition. Both the queen and her daughter were making hand to mouth living.
As the daughter grew older she became sensible. One day the daughter went to the town to beg for some food. Accidentally she came to a house where the Vynayak Chorum festival was being celebrated. The lady of the house asked the girl to come in, she told the girl that she was celebrating Vynayak Chorum puja. She told the girl to stay untill she finished the puja, she would then give her a good quantity of Neveed.The lady said you have to do one thing for me. I am giving you the cotton, would you spin it with your hand for me. The girl was pleased to be invited and being asked to spin the cotton and readily agreed. While watching the festival the girl noticed the celebration with devotion, cleanliness and all the food.She told the lady of the house that she would do whatever was asked of her. She made cotton thread for the lady who was pleased, and celebrated the festival with devotion and faith. The girl carefully watched everything. When the puja was finished, the lady gave good number of Roths with Kanyakeh Roth to the girl. The girl was pleased, and she ran home to her mother, who was waiting and anxious. When she saw her (the daughter) she was cross with her, and asked her where she had been and why she was so late. She told her that now she had grown up and she should not be so late in the future. The girl narrated to her mother the whole story, what she had seen and why she was late only to get the Neveed. The girl pleaded that she had done nothing wrong, and that the lady of the house was a good and nice lady.
After hearing the story from her daughter the mother took a deep breath and was depressed and began to weep. Her daughter inquired from her mother why she was so depressed and why she wept. After a while the mother told her daughter that I too used to celebrate this day for many years with devotion. She told her how and every thing used to be replaced with new things, and whole house used to be cleaned, washed and decorated in this month of Bhadron. I used to make a good quantity of Roths, and do puja of Mahaveer with devotion and faith. What happened one day, that your father, the King, came while I was preparing the Roths to celebrate this day, rebuked me for what I was doing, and threw away all things, and forbade me from celebrating this day in the future. I was very depressed, but could not tell him anything. After that incident bad days began and every thing began to vanish. The kingdom was conquered by the enemy and everything was looted and plundered. Your father was taken prisoner. They (the enemy) were in search of us, but during the night I took you and ran away from the palace for safety and honour. Since then we are here in this bad condition and since then I don't know anything about your father. The girl asked her mother why they should not also celebrate the day again with faith and devotion, almighty god may again be pleased with us and give some relief. Her mother replied "daughter !", one requires money to purchase or get everything for the festival, where from will we get that. The girl listened to her mother with attention and told her mother, "I hope I can arrange how to get some money". After taking their supper they went to bed. The girl was thinking about how to get wheat flour, etc. An idea came to her mind and early next morning she went into a horse stable, and collected all horse manure. She took the manure to the river, where she washed it carefully to get undigested wheat seeds. By doing this she got a good quantity of undigested wheat seeds and she left the wheat seeds in the sun to dry. When it dried, she ground it by hand on a stone mill, so she got some wheat flower. She collected some rice, f lowers and Habel, etc., and went home. She cleaned a small room and a few utensils, and washed herself and the clothing. This she did all with devotion and faith without the notice of her mother. She did all as she had seen the lady in the town do with devotion. She made five bread loaves from the wheat flour she had and then baked them very cautiously on a hot charcoal fire. When they were prepared, she did puja while offering some flowers, rice, and Habel which she had collected with great humility and faith. Then she put all breads in a clean basket and covered them with her washed saari, and went to sleep. Next morning when she woke up and went into the small room where she had performed the puja and had put the breads, what she saw to her surprise was that under her sari there was something. She lifted the saari, and what she saw was that all the breads had turned into gold, and were shining. She at once called her mother and told her what she had done, and now they had turned into gold by the grace of Shri Bagwati (Beebgharen maeg) god. They were excited. The mother was very pleased with the belief that performing and celebrating this day their bad days were over. Now they began to change their life style and could live happily. They had enough gold to spend. The Queen and her daughter began to live a better life.
After some time a Wazeer (Minister) of the king came to their house in their search, and said "the soldiers loyal to the king had re-conquered the kingdom from the enemy who was defeated. The king along with his loyal supporters had beene freed from the enemy's prison, and your husband the king had regained his kingdom. He has sent me in your search to bring you back, so I have come; please accompany me to the kingdom. The queen and her daughter were very pleased and accompanied him.
They met the king and told him all of their past. The king was ashamed, but pleased to have found them, and they began to live very happily, and were performing this Vyanayak Chorum celebration every year, with faith and devotion. After telling the story my wife would repeat in Kashmiri, Yith paeth timan kassin zand te zalath, tithai paeth kassten assi ti greh peda( the way the queen and her family recovered from their misfortune and misery, the same way may god bless us with good fortune and good luck). Then she would put in the Gadwa the rice, Barley, Hable, one silver rupee and cotton thread etc., and asked all members present to do the same. After this puja and Aarthi was celebrated with neveed mantar, dhoop deep, etc.
In the mean time the vegetable Bhoojai was also cooking on slow heat, and Neveed was distributed. We tasted the Neveed roth and then salted Roth with Bhoojai. After completing the ceremony a good number of very thin dry breads were also prepared and the Neveed was distributed to the neighbours and relatives. The distribution work would carry on for several days.
That is the story and on a spirtual not I would like to make a few general remarks. The Hindu religion is a great religion and it has existed since many thousands of years. To know Hindus one must study scriptures such as Vedas and Upanishads. There are many Hindus who do not understand the real meaning of their religion. Hinduism is not a domineering or expansionist religion. Million of people follow this religion, and realize god from this..
About human soul (Atma) the Upanished say "He is the unseen seer, the unheard listener, the thoughtfull thinker, th understood understander, other than he there is no thinker, other than he there is no understander. He is the Atman (soul), the inner ruler, the Immortal". It also says about God whom it calls Purush (Person),"He is formless , he is without and within, unborn, breathless, mindless, pure,higher than the high and imperishable". Shirmad Bhagavat Gita says the following about God" thou art the father of the world of the moving and the unmoving, thou art the father of the object of its worship and its vanishable teacher". Sankaracharya defends god as the totality of taught knowledge and beauty. The more popular prayer is one of Hindu scriptures is "From the unreal lead me to the real, from darkness lead me to immortality, after all thou is god". Idol worshipphig has a very meaningful purpose in that, in search of Purush it is the easiest way of concentration.
We have reached a moment of decision in our history, and one has to make choice that will determine the course of events for centuries hence. Change is the law of life, we have to come to terms with nature and with ourselves. We cannot live and work without the hope that our future holds better prospects both on the physical as well as on the spiritual level. Our ills are not beyond redemption. If we have to live and exist as Hindus we must regain our path. We must not, therefore, forget our tradition, our customs, our religious functions and our rituals. We must keep the flame alight, so that our children inherit our rich culture. We must repeat the same Katha (Story). "The core of Hindu religion is regeneration of mankind, a spiritual mutation of human nature", Radhakrishnan said.
The story about the festival of Yanayak chorum demonstrates how the Hindu religion helped to maintain the social fabric within our society. We have yet to learn that performing puja and worshipping are not a passport to questionable values and inhuman practices much less to heaven, but once you perform puja with devotion and concentration like done by the Queen and her family, you will be on the path of attaining Nirwana.
- Om Hari Krishna Hare Rama

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Bridges of Srinagar

Bridges of Srinagar 
The first bridge across the Jehlum was Aali Kadal, built by Sultan Ali Shah in 1415 AD. Six more bridges were built by later rulers, and by the nineteenth century Srinagar came to be known as the 'City of the Seven Bridges.'

1415 AD/Aali Kadal/Sultan Ali Shah



1427 AD/Zaina Kadal/Sultan Zain ul Abdin


1500 AD/Fateh Kadal/Sultan Fateh Shah



1573 AD/Habba Kadal/Sultan Habib Shah



1666 AD/Nawa Kadal/Noor ud din Khan Bamzai

1671 AD/Safa Kadal/Saif ud din Khan



1774 AD/Amira Kadal/Amir ud din Khan Jawan Sher



'The view from any of the old city's bridges is wholly and unmistakably Kashmiri. Old brick buildings line the banks. The distinctive pagoda-like roof of a mosque or a shrine enlivens the horizon, and in the muddy water of the River Jhelum, a straggling row of doongas flanks the edges. These boats, with their shingled roofs, are the forerunners of Srinagar’s houseboat. A particular community lives in them. Formerly this community was associated with ferrying people, livestock and food grains along the river. The past still lingers in their lifestyles even if their occupation has changed. Occasionally one may catch sight of a doonga making its stately progress down the river as the owner shifts residence. Doongas are sparsely furnished - virtually no furniture is seen except for the kitchen, which gleams with copper utensils of every description that line the shelves from floor to ceiling.'

Two bridges were constructed during the rule of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed - Budshah Kadal and Zero Bridge. The former was built in 1957 across the river Jhelum to connect the Maulana Azad Road to the Civil Secretariat and was named after Zain-ul-Abidin (AD 1420-70), popularly known as ‘Budshah’, the great king of ancient Kashmir. Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin thus has the honour of having two bridges named after him- the 'Zaina' and 'Budshah' Kadals.

Budshah Kadal



A popular anecdote relates that the Zero Bridge was originally nicknamed 'Zaer' Bridge after it's contactor who happened to be hard of hearing. It is totally in character that Bakshi Sahib would rename it to 'Zero' bridge as he disliked negativity in names (The renaming of Sonawari, Mahmudpura and other places with unfavourable names are testimony to this fact.)

Zero Bridge



1n the 1970's the Noor Bagh Bridge was built over the Jehlum near Qamarwari. It must have been one of the earliest concrete bridges as it is still popularly known as the 'Cement Bridge'.

In fact most of the old wooden bridges have been replaced by modern concrete ones. These are undoubtedly more functional yet appear soulless when compared to the aesthetics of the old rickety wooden structures. A couple of old bridges like Habba Kadal and Zaina Kadal are still used as pedestrian walkways while the rest have been dismantled.



In the 1990's the Abdullah Bridge between the Zero and the Amira Kadal was constructed. Currently eleven bridges span the Jehlum between Sonwar and Qamarwari.

Abdullah Bridge



Amira Kadal



Habba Kadal



Fateh Kadal









Two pedestrian bridges have also been constructed over the Jehlum at Sonwar and Lal Mandi. The latter bridge near the SPS Museum is the first suspension bridge across the Jehlum. Numerous smaller bridges intersect the network of waterways that flow through Srinagar city.



Zero Bridge was also slated for dismantling but fortunately some bright spark had the epiphany to restore it to its original splendour. Work in the traditional manner is underway to give the bridge a new lease of life. It is fascinating to compare recent photographs of the restoration of Zero Bridge to those of bridge rebuilding after floods in the 1880's.





A plan to build a new bridge between the post office lane and Rajbagh has run into what I feel is needless controversy. Reams have been written on the aesthetics of the Bund, the shape and orientation of the new bridge, the ill-effects(?) on a nearby girls high school. If the traffic patterns and structural requirements have been properly worked out, it can ease the chronic traffic congestion on both sides of the Jehlum.

Wags are already calling this new bridge the 'Tedha Bridge' and I hope that the name does not stick because, like my father, I do not like discordant names. I just hope that it is not an incomprehensibly humped structure like the Amira Kadal Bridge (Shonthoo's Folly, I read somewhere) where driving behind an impossibly loaded 'redha' or handcart is a nightmare.

If I may be allowed a suggestion, it could be named 'Albion Bridge' after Sir Albion Banerji, the Prime Minister of Kashmir who resigned in 1929 to protest against the injustice being meted out to the citizens of Kashmir by the sectarian and autocratic Dogra rulers.

“You can use mortar and stone to build walls to separate people or to build bridges to unite them!

GANESHJI OF GANPATYAR



GANESHJI OF GANPATYAR
So near yet so far



*B. L. Dhar
n a December day in 1959 it snowed the whole day and the snow accumulated to about a foot deep on ground. Ganeshji, known in the neighborhood as Ganakak, did not expect any more devotees at the temple and decided to close down early. Who would leave the warm comfort of the home and wade through heavy snow to come and pray at the temple on a winter night. Dutifully he cleaned the floor of the temple, collected the offerings of the day and locked the gates as he headed home for the night. His wife Shobawati would have prepared the meal for him and at this thought he felt the rumbles of hunger going through his now empty stomach. He cursed the day his only son Raghunath chose to take up a government job and become a postman. What was he doing carrying mail to people instead of carrying God’s good word to the believers and relieve him of his responsibilities at a ripe old age? Did not the government employees retire at 55 and his son would be 34 coming March. Did he have to wait another 21 years for his dreams to come true? Well for that matter his own birthday was in January and he would complete his 58th year. His son should well have taken the mantle of looking after his family tradition and cared for the lord who was the ultimate savior of all mankind. He remembered his son had not sent him a letter past two weeks now from Udhampur where he was posted after his transfer six months ago. He decided to send him a letter tomorrow reminding him of his responsibility. And coming to the point, was it not irresponsible of him to pay a princely sum of Rs 20 as rent at Udhampur when he could live free in his own house at Ganpatyar. Walking the distance of a mile and a half from the Shiva temple at Gawkadal to his home he chanted the invocations of lord Shiva, of whom he was an avid devotee. This did not deter him from visiting the Ganesh temple at Ganpatyar every morning before opening the one at Gawkadal. He was after all carrying the name of Ganesh as his own and he thanked the lord for the grace upon his family.

Ganakak had taken ample precaution this winter to carry his walking stick and a torch in the night. He remembered last year he had slipped while going up the road incline just before entering the road leading to his house and barely escaped getting hurt. He also avoided walking in the center of the road for fear of being hit by a Tonga and also because of the slush that was created by these vehicles. In fact walking on the shoulders provided him a firmer grip in the piled up snow and it was cleaner as well. He noticed the shop of Gaffar, the cobbler, still open and called to him telling him his shoes were leaking and he would drop the pair for repairs next day. I should buy a new pair now, he thought, but these were so costly these days that it burned a big hole in the pocket. Thinking about the hole he remembered he should visit Jialal, the grocer, and ask him to pack his pouch of tobacco for the hookah. He tried to recollect if there was anything that Shobawati had asked him to get along upon his return home in the evening. Not remembering anything that could not wait, he entered the lane towards his house and found his neighbor Radhakishan waving at him from his main door. After an exchange of greetings, Radhakishan handed over the prayer book he had loaned from him a week ago that he required for the “Shraad” ceremony of one of his clients. He was a priest and conducted functions as per the Vedic rites. Ganakak had now almost given up the client work after the demise of his father, except catering only to one family, and taken the full responsibility of looking after the Shiva temple on a daily basis for favor of a regular income. The members of the temple trust were pleased at his running the affairs like his father had done before him and allowed him to keep all the offerings in kind. All cash offerings received daily were put in the temple safe. He had to tender the cash in the safe to the managing committee every Sunday and received a percentage of the collection as salary every time the safe was opened. The upkeep and maintenance of the temple was managed by the trust and he had no role to play in this regard. He was happy with the arrangement and his needs were taken care of.

Ganpatyar Temple overview
Ganakak woke up early on the morning of his birthday, had his bath at the Vitásta ghat at Ganpatyar as usual and entered the Ganesh temple for prayers. Back home Shobawati had kept the puja thali, containing “täher” ready for his ritualistic offering after which he left home for the Shiva temple. The snowfall had now turned mild and did not accumulate on the ground but there was no guarantee that it would not resume forcefully later. The festival of Shivratri was round the corner and Ganakak would have a spurt in his income during this period as more devotees poured into the Shiva temple on this festive occasion and donated liberally. His son had informed him that he would not after all be coming home for his own birthday in March and the Shivratri festival soon thereafter as he had not been granted leave from his duties. What kind of work was this after all that one could not attend to the social and religious commitments and responsibilities. He had looked forward to meeting his grandchildren after a long gap of six months and was missing their chatter and their pranks. Two grandsons and a grand daughter used to keep the house on alert all the time as they fought at opportunities to prove their love for their grandparents. Shobawati had taken their absence very much to heart and mostly remained quite. In fact there was hardly any conversation between the couple other than to communicate about things of mundane interest.

Prem Nath was posted as an Assistant Executive Engineer with the Buildings & Roads department at Srinagar and was a well-known figure in his circle of relatives, friends and associates. He was the son of an illustrious college professor, now deceased, and his family had a long history of being social and religious and carried references from all the high and mighty in the valley. Prem Nath received prominence in his work from the government of Bakhshi Gulam Mohammad, who was the Prime Minister of the state from 1953 onwards. Now in the 10th year of his regime in 1963 the state looked to be well placed among the best-governed states in the country. Tourism had flourished and so had the trade and new industries had been set up in many new ventures all across the state for the benefit of the citizens. J&K was the only state in India that was referred to as a peaceful state with Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs living a life of peaceful co-existence, a secular state to the core. Prem Nath was also lucky to have Ganakak as his family priest, who worked for no other family. Ganakak always found time to cater to the family needs whenever the occasion demanded as was done by his own father before him and his grandfather many decades ago. Of utmost importance was the festival of Shivratri, which was celebrated with all the dignity it deserved and with religious zeal. So much effort was put in by Ganakak that he observed a fast for the whole day and only ate with the family later after the conclusion of the Shiv “puja” around midnight. Doubtless to say that he always received a handsome reward for his services that no other family would ever have offered. Prem Nath had a great reverence for his priest and respected him immensely.

GanpatyarTemple main diety entrance door
The festival of Shivratri was not as important to the people at Udhampur as it was for the miniscule minority of the Kashmiri Pandits living in the township. These were people who lived there because of their trade or job and who could not possibly visit Srinagar for the celebration with other family members. Raghunath was one among the unfortunate who did not travel home to join his parents. He had responsibility of distributing more mail during this season and also disbursing money orders that were exchanged as gifts to relations. His own father had sent him some money as a gift for the kids and he felt humbled. He matched the sentiments of his father by sending him a thank you note that sounded hollow to his own consciousness. He loved his father who had taught him what life was all about. He could not have helped the state of affairs that he found himself in just because like everyone else he was fallible. He had in fact arranged his transfer from Srinagar, as he was unable to settle the differences in his own home. Before shifting to Udhampur, Raghunath was painfully a witness to fights between his mother and his wife almost everyday just on flimsy grounds and he could not stop the enmity between them even with his best efforts. The other reason for arranging a transfer was that his growing family had shrunk the space in his small home they had inherited and no one got any kind of privacy in that place. The house he lived in was equally shared with his cousin who lived in the other half of the house with his mother, his uncle having passed away a few years ago. He took the best course and decided to stay away so that he could give equal respect and care to the two women in his life without offending any one of them. Though his father very much wanted him to be in the family trade of being a priest, he detested the work. He would nevertheless care about his parents and think of their well being and even when he had his own three children to look after he always found time to visit them. His father earned enough to look after self and mother yet he carried gifts to them when he visited them. He was satisfied with this arrangement and hoped the situation would change one day after the construction of his dream home was realized.

Nandbub, the great mystic saint of Kashmir is said to have entered the office of one Bakhshi Ghulam Mohamad one day and handed him a pen. He became the Prime Minister of the state. Some ten years later he once again entered his office and took the pen away from his hands and he lost his job. His years in the state as Prime Minister from 1953 to 1964 are acknowledged as the Golden Period of the state. He is remembered as the architect of modern Kashmir for his administrative skills and constructive work. In 1964 he was asked by the central government to offer a token resignation from office under the Kamraj Plan and was never reinstated. He retired from politics in 1965 but for his popularity was inducted in the Lok Sabha where he stayed on till 1971 and he passed away in 1972. Raghunath was also affected by changes and he shuttled on his numerous postings and finally landed up at Jammu on promotion as head clerk in 1972. He managed to find a piece of land for building his dream house with a financial contribution from his father. It took him five long years to start construction on the land and had to ask for a government loan to help him in this effort. His children had grown up and were now attending college at Jammu. Ganakak continued to be in Srinagar and engaged with his avocation as he kept growing in age. He never got a chance to visit his son and his family outside the valley but Raghunath visited his parents regularly and kept a proper watch on them. Often on his visits to the valley he would smell ugly sentiments that he brought to his father's notice, who promptly ignored it as a figment of his imagination.

Ancient sculptures near entrance door
As the years slipped through, Ganakak stood on a different track as his “sadhna” entered the pinnacle of his self-attainment. He often had vision of events yet to unfold. His mind was now at peace and his body totally under his command. His wife would look with reverence at him sometimes when he was in a trance and she would sit at his feet and pray for his salvation and that of herself as well. Years passed as they watched their son prosper and the grandchildren groom well in their respective fields. Upon his retirement in 1980, Ragunath got his three children married on three occasions at Srinagar. He beseeched his parents to join him at Jammu every time after the ceremony and asked them to stay on after giving up to live in that cramped house at Srinagar. Ganakak did not respond for a very long time as he went into a very thoughtful mood. He finally told his son that he would do so only after he felt his responsibility at Ganpatyar was complete.

Swallow (Kätiĵ) is a migratory bird and comes to the Kashmir valley in the spring and stays until the end of summer. About six inches long the bird has a forked tail and is a glossy shade of blue-black with a white underside. The birds nest only in homes or barns and come back to the same nest year after year and stay with the same mate for life, having a life span of about 4 - years. There was one such nest in the bedroom of Ganakak and he was very protective of these birds. He would welcome their appearance in spring and observe them fervently repairing their nest that they set up in the wooden beams of the ceiling. During the entire period of their stay his wife would keep the window of their bedroom open from early morning until dusk when the birds would finally settle down for the night. Shortly one would hear the chirping of their offspring and the birds would make several runs to feed their young during the whole day. One could mark their swift darts across the sky catching insects that they feed to the young. They finally fly out along with them at the end of the season. Ganakak was not happy when in the year of 1989 no swallows came to his room. He felt it was an inauspicious occurrence and prayed to God to let everything be all right. It did not occur to him that the birds that visited him last year may well be dead and the new tenants had yet to find the nest.

Prem Nath woke up early morning on Sunday, the seventh day of January 1990 and decided to pray one last time at the Ganesh Temple at Ganpatyar before he left for Jammu later that morning with his family and all his belongings for which he had hired a transport. He was now 76 years old and not on his transfer to that place but was kind of fleeing the hometown after he had witnessed a disturbing trend in the mindset of the local populace who had given an ultimatum to the Hindus to either convert to their faith or be targets for their sharp shooters. There was an unprecedented rush of Hindus leaving the valley after terrorists gunned many down in cold blood. There were instances of torture of young innocents and sacrilege of women who were molested and then killed. Prem Nath did not wish that his family should meet a similar fate and had taken the decision after a thorough thinking over and discussing the matter with his family, friends and some relations who were already gone or were on their way out. He had packed up all his essentials for two days now and he would leave behind the heavy stuff like furniture, taking into account the fact that the situation may not last long. There was the government after all that would wake up some time to take necessary steps to safeguard the life and property of the minority community. He planned to securely lock up his house at Nai Sarak and return when the situation was under control.

Jehlum river bank near Ganpatyar
Raghunath learnt with pain about the migration of Hindus from the valley and he was urging his father to leave the place at the earliest. His cousin had already left with family and had set up a new abode at Jammu. He decided to go to Srinagar and help father pack up things and urge him to join the family at Jammu. They had luckily a big house now and his dreams would come true when all the family was together once again. He hoped that his wife and his mother would fight no more. His mother was old and infirm but his father, though 88, was still in a better shape. He would still require help in shifting out and Raghunath was pleased when his father accepted the offer and Raghunath decided to leave for Srinagar on Sunday the 7th January and bring his parents to Jammu on the 10th. Ganakak was adamant that he would celebrate his birthday at his home on the 7th January and then only leave to enter the new house on the auspicious day of 10th January.

Shobawati reprimanded her husband for going to the Vitásta for his ritualistic forays on his birthday on the 7th January telling him that he would freeze to death, now that he was too old to stand any kind of torture to his body. But the old man would not listen and carried his paraphernalia along with him for the ceremony early morning. At the ghat he washed lightly but was saddened not to find his fellow worshippers who normally exchanged pleasantries with each other. He put on a clean dress and replaced his old sacred thread with a new one and climbed the steps to enter the Ganesh temple for his prayers. He felt very light in body and thought he was blessed and at the sight of the deity he felt cold shivers run down his frame. He took his seat at the foot of Ganesh idol and began his prayers. He asked the lord for forgiveness having decided to leave his home for the first time. He had never given up on his lord and he did not remember a day when he had not bowed before Him. His prayers went on and on and time was lost on him and he forgot there was somebody waiting for him at home.

Ganesh Ghat School
Prem Nath wanted to buy some fresh flowers for the deity but could not find any at the local market where it was normally available. He retraced his steps and went back home to collect some dried ones instead for the offering. Once on his way back he felt some kind of a strange sensation down his spine and an alien feeling when he saw the few people on the road look strangely at him. He suddenly felt terror waves course through his body. It would be plain stupid to take notice of an imaginative feeling and he proceeded on. Reaching Ganpatyar he heaved a sigh of relief and entered the temple premises with folded hands and a bowed head. He saw an old man slumped in front of the deity and was overawed with the enthusiasm of the man and wished he were as pious as this one appeared to be. He said his prayers and stayed on for some time for the old man to look up. A loud blaring of the muezzin’s call to prayers from the nearby mosque jolted him. Seeing no change in the stance of the prosaic man he approached and touching him lightly he turned his head to see the face.

He found it was his priest Ganakak who laid cold and dead at the feet of Lord Ganesha.
Images courtesy Vinayak Razdan






SOME PHOTOS BY..........KASHYAP NEWS  ARTICLE BY    POSTED BY  VIPUL KOUL  EDITED BY ASHOK KOUL