THE TRUE STORY 11

A PEEP INTO FUTURE
It is to the credit of pandits that they did not relate to arms and create an unsocial mess as a reaction  to having been brutally chased out of their mother land leaving their home and hearth to an unknown future.Having to live in completely new environment and without any resource except grit,determination to survive and their talent,ability, and education,they tried to maintain their sanity and equanimity to confront the great odds against their very existence and to concentrate on on building their next generation to enable them to compete in the wide world. That the genius of the pandits not only enabled them to survive but also to thrive and shine even when the going was tough is the story of the post_migration period. A new generation  of technocrats, professionals (in all disciplines),scientists,etc. have thus sprung in the community,spread far and wide within and outside the country making waves wherever they are due to their dedication,earnestness,hard work and brilliance which is ingrained in their genes. 
The younger generation has thus spread worldwide and made a niche for themselves and their own.The dispersal of the community in different corners of the globe in minscule groups will distance them from their home base,their native tongue ,culture and traditions inspite of efforts being made to sponsor  periodic community meetings so as to acquaint the younger generation  with their identity and culture. But with the passage of time it is bound to get diluted from generation to generation and ultimately submerged in the local cultures wherever they have settled. marriages outside the community coupled with gradual  extinction  of their mother tongue is bound to accelerate the process. The thinkers in the community are acutely aware of this eventuality in 
such groups who are thinly distributed over large areas or spaces.
The efforts made to forestall such an eventuality as carried out at Jammu,Delhi,Kolkatta,Banglore ,Mumbai, Jaipur are being made in all earnest by formation of pandit sabhas and celebrating festivals  and sponsoring conferences for awareness compaigns. Jammu is leading in this in view of sizeable population of pandits and thus duplicaing the valley for them in their living ethos and is perhaps the only place where the pandits will retain their culture and tradition in future with ease. A number of new localities have sprung up with predominantly with pandit dwellings who have settled here after their exodus from the valley.they have since duplicated their very frequented places of worship in the valley in Jammu. But  persisting with speaking or spoken to in   Kashmiri at home is not in vogue in the post exodus breed going to lead to loss of their  mother tongue, kashmiri .
The steps being taken by the thinkers of the community to write books on kashmir shaivism,sharda script,various religious festivals of pandits ,their shrines, rituals ,symbols and taditions will be a treasure of knowledge for the coming generations wherever they are.It will ,as a collection, be an identity bank and language preserve . The need of the hour is to update the census of the community and collate the efforts already made in various cities and towns worldwide at one place to form a data bank centrally which is easily accessible online. The pandit way of life will unfortunately get gradually lost. The pandit symbols like DEJHORU( pandit mangal sutra) help even strangers idetify their mutal community kinship.
GOVT.'S EFFORTS TO RESETTLE PANDITS IN THE VALLEY
The state govt. has  built (under the P.M.'s package) some tenements at different places in the valley for settling the returnees.This will result in ghottoisation of community in minscules.The state adminstration has to ensure the willing support and cooperation of the majority,such a move may not be fruitful. A better idea would be to resettle those who shall return at a single  place to make their security easier.
The govt.must give them a political voice by reserving  a seat in the assembly for them and grant them minority rights as a community.
     The state govt's present arrangements are scheduled rightly for
 resettlement of only a part of the community who have not been able to resettle on their own elsewhere all these years. As per sample survey refered earlier, we could expect only about 10% of the oustees  to return to the valley, AND MORE  THAN 75% OF KASHMIRI PANDITS WHO HAD TO LEAVE IN 1990S WILL  LOSE THEIR LINKS TO THE VALLEY WITH PASSAGE OF TIME .     


     

THE TRUE STORY 10.

STATE GOVT.'S RELIEF MEASURES.
After the initial thrust was taken care of by private organisations, the govt. took over the relief measures in an organised manner. It asked for applications from the oustees from the valley to get registered for relief from the Govt.52,689 families got registered (roughly 2.00 to 2.50 lac persons) with state wise breakup as under 1.J andK     JAMMU REGION  31490 families
2.DELHI 19339
3.HARYANA   523
4.CHANDIGARH 206
5.PANJAB 100
6.UTTAR PRADESH 500
7.MADHYA PRADESH 40
8.KARNATAKA 60
9.GOA 140.
10.KERALA 5
11.MAHARASHTRA 124
12.RAJASTHAN 47
  Out of these ,48496 families were Hindu ,2303 were Muslim , 1830 were Sikhs , and others70.
The number who stayed in the valley number 7527 spread in all districts but more concentrated in Srinagar and Annantnag districts
(Statistics extract from Divisional comissioner kashmir's report "Action plan for return of Kashmiri migrant"(The impression from these figures would not be realistic till we know that pandit families in the list and others  not listed but left the valley in the 90s were 97% of the community, the muslims who left were an isignificant part of their population in the valley)
This list is only for such people who got registered as migrants.But many who could not get to register in the specified period for one reason or other could not get any relief.There were many who owned houses in Jammu an elsewhere did not register having obviously no claims for relief but their claims for loss and damage of property in the valley  was mostly ignored. Many had to find rented accomodation ( with severe strain on their meagre resources) due to shortage of accomodation in the camps.Many stayed with relatives till they could find/afford any alternative accomodation in Jammu or in  some other city of the country and abroad, to build a new  niche for themselves to get resettled  thus rebuildig their careers and excellence in education of their children.
The state govt. recognises only about about 2.00 lac registered pandits as having migrated in the 90s.not counting the sizable number estimated as more than a lac souls who have spread worldwide, and built a nest for self and brood.It is inconceivable to imagine that these self _settled persons shall ever return as residents to an uncertain future in the valley having already lost any possible link with their old home and land.

WHO AMONG THE MIGRANTS MAY RETURN TO THE VALLEY?
 The fact remains that those who have since built their own houses 
and rebuilt their careers shall not,of their free will , return to the valley . On the basis of sample survey conducted by 'J  and K centre for minority studies' for registered migrants, only about 1/4th of the camp and non camp dwellers  have not been able till 2006 to re_ establish their lives and find some steady means of sustenance on their own. A rough estimate of such people works out to 40,000  by 2006 figures which may have reduced now to date. We can safely contemplate that they may return to the valley when offered a sound package for living and SECURITY .Even though the govt.has started building some tenements in the valley at some places for return of pandits  but the return looks remote unless there is is a surge of voluntarily evolved spontaneous response and willingness of the majority population to make them feel wanted and resist any attempts to orally or physically hound them . Any fresh incidents against them would trigger another exodus.No amount of security alone shall be able to make their stay possible. 
GRADUAL ATTRITION OF PANDIT POPULATION
The pandits comprised about 8% of population of the valley in 1947 . Since they could not get adequate jobs in view of proportional selections,they had to find jobs elsewhere in India and abroad resulting in reduction of their resident population.But they still maintained their roots with the valley.The pandits reduced nuemerically to 4% in 1981 due to gradual migration in search of a living and to 0.1% in 1991 due to terror of  the extremists combined with silent acceptance of the majority and lack of state security.
EFFECTS ON THE PANDITS IMMEDIATELY AFTER EXODUS
 The Pandits , as is so well known, have been living in Kashmir valley for generations. The place is famous for its scenic beauty , magnificient mountains ,sweet water lakes like Dal,Manasbal,Wular    
in the valley floor,high level lakes like Gangabal,Kounsar nag, etc.on the mountains, springs on its table lands (plateaus) around the base of the valley ,The world famous tourist spots  like Gulmarg,Pahalgam,Sonamarg ,mughal gardens are a sight for sore eyes. There is hardly any rural village in the valley bowl without a stream or a brook through the village.Many glaciers on the high ranges with perpetual snows is a grand sight on a full moon giving  an ethereal feeling to any  onlooker. Kashmir safron, apple,peach,pear ,almonds,walnuts etc. are in great demand in India and abroad. The famous chinar tree is an attraction of the valley. The summers are mild with the max. temp.ranging to low thirtees and tourists throng the scenic valley to escape the torrid summer of the plains.Adventure lovers flock to kashmir for trekking, hiking,mountaineering,and winter sports.
 That persian poet who came to kashmir with Mughal carvan pithily 
exclaimed:Ghar az jahan asto bihisht ast   Hamin asto hamin asto hamin ast. (If there is any heaven on earth,it is this,this ,only this)     
     The pandits were living in this place for centuries well fed,well stocked and following their daily persuits without any offence  to one and all.No kashmiri is homeless and everyone has enough private space to live with dignity and there are hardly any deaths due to cold.
It was from such an idyll situation,they were suddenly catapaulted into a sandy,dusty  country side shelterless,penniless and without any means of sustenance having lost their all without their guilt/fault in full view of the state apparatus. They had to face the dry cold of winter and torrid summer in such conditions.Since they are politically a non entity, their expulsion did not make any ripples with the so called human rights groups or the fourth estate.
The state put up tented acomodation for those who had occupied govt.space for their stay,gradually making temporary one room tenements in the camps which they set up in jammu region and delhi.the registered migrants were given cash and ration relief on monthly basis.It was considered a temporary measure which turned out in reality a lasting one for two generations. More permanent accomodation has been built at Jagti in jammu region and being allotted to the camp dwellers only and such people who have fended after migration on their own  are not understandably state's  liability!
The loss of their home and hearth was a shock to all 
generations and scarred their physical,psychological, mental and social health during that traumatic period.Diseases like depression, loss of memory , loss of vitality due to malnutrition, slowed metabolism and easy prey to respiratory, heart ailments,hyper tension,reduced fertility among  the younger generation . Living in sketchy shelters  with very limited access to adequate education facilities,water supply,and sanitation the migrants were at mercy of   the vagaries of weather, and  open access
to mosquitoes,insects and various field pests ,rodents,and poisonous snakes, life became  a nightmare.During their early years as camp dwellers , the mortality rate in the  community was
unusually high.
By the passage of time they steeled themselves to rearrange their 
life and landed on various private jobs in jammu and elsewhere in india, to educate their younger generation inspite of all the odds against them. The govt.s of many states in India kept a quota of seats for the migrants and helping them by lowering the entry point for eligibility. Though pandits lost their all in 1990s , their children prospered in wider horizon beyond the valley and have settled on  jobs in almost all disciplines and professions within and outside the country, making a name for themselves.The effects of trauma of the holocast of 1990,privations suffered ,sacrificed made by them, has certainly softened with the progress made by their younger generation.The generation  who were adults before 1990 do have nostalgia for their life in the valley .
  
     

TRUE STORY 9

FACING THE EMERGENCY
The moment the details about the exodus reached Jammu, the various social organisations of Jammu formed an umbrella committee under the name of Kashmir Sahayta committee to organise a relief mission with nodal office in Gita Bhavan for listing and receiving  the tide of  arrivals and alloting them some space for their immediate stay   .All the vacant space available in ashrams,community halls of different sabhas , various religious  institutions were freely made available by the concerned for this privately arranged  relief mission. The nodal place for receiving the arrivals(and organising their board and lodge wherever available in liason with the district authorities)was at Gita Bhavan. Donation of public poured in cash,grain and essentials for daily use which were kept on stock at the place for distribution to the needy.Free langars were put up in gurdwaras,temples and different ashrams for feeding these people who had lost their all.The future generations of pandits should know that that at this critical juncture of the community ,Jammu people's fast organised support saved the first wave of the emigres at the start of exodus in January 90.It took some time for the Govt.machinery to operate purposefully by providing tentages;setting up migrant camps at different places in Jammu and Udhampur and Delhi.Even with such spontanity and speed in organisation worked out by the committee , there were still some few unfortunate families who spent their first night stay after exodus in the open in that biting cold  on the roadside.
 Any help given by the Govt. was restricted to only those pandits who could complete the formalities of registration as migrants within a specified date leaving at least 50% of oustees to live on their own without any assistance from the Govt.and had to live on rented rooms even when it was a big hole in their meagre resources.Only a minute fraction of the oustees had their houses or lived till their own arrangements could be possible with relatives who had shifted to jammu earlier to settle there. As an estimate based on later surveys, only half the oustees( I am not using the word 'Migrant' because the community had been terrorised and thus forced to migrate,and not by choice) were in registered 'migrants' file and the other half spread to places where they could find a place to eke out a living in India and abroad. These pandits may be emotionally allied and tuned to their community in their old generation and but will ultimately get dissolved in mainstream at their present place of living and lose their linguistic and ethnic and cultural roots as generations succeed generations. Thus in official records ,the number of migrants is much lower than the actual and in the process the official count of pandits is much less than the number which left the valley.It is indicated by the recent survey by the govt. agencies of the immovable damaged and pillaged property of the pandits left by them at  their flight.By a reasonable conversion to number of persons who had lived in these houses , the  people who had to flee was much larger than those registered as migrants.

THE TRUE STORY 8

THE EXODUS
The hapless kashmiri pandits were left with no option but to flee the valley as any resistance by an unarmed infinitesimal minority against armed brute majority was just inconcievable without even any pretence of state protection. They had no option but to leave to save themselves from complete annahilation and extinction.History of kashmir after the 14th century during the muslim rulers is filled with such episodes faced by pandits when they had to leave the valley earlier not less than six times with gradual depletion of their population.
From 20th JAN.onwards,the pandits left the valley in panic and concern of their life,honour and faith to escape from the threatening terror without any prearranged faciliities individually and without inviting the attention of their neighbours to evade capture.On hindsight, it is visible enough now that none of them was harmed physically during their flight . they were  confronted with jeers and cat calls enroute in the muslim dominated areas. herein lies the suspicion of the mind fixed plan for ' YA RALIV,YA GHALIV, YA CHALIV' (already translated earier) This must be the only exceptional exodus when there has not been a single inflicted casualty enroute in a hostile area. The pandits left by any transport they could get in the first tide of the exodus.The later batches left in a more organised manner.

THE TRUE STORY 7

 The holaucast JANUARY 1990
The plan of the undergroud  militants was now to put their plans to action packed mode.Notices were pasted a tprominent places for 'kafirs' to leave the valley and face the conseqences. Jailed terrorists were got released for those were abducted by them (who would be connected to V.I.P.s.)KASHMIR LIBERATION FRONT and local wing of JAMAT _I_MUJAHIDIN were  in the forefront with infastucture and command from across the border.Overt attacks on the security forces started with a grenade attack the then senior suprintendent of police Mr.Wattali's residence.The law & order situation became so precarious that the Governor,Lt.General (Retd.)K.V.KrishnaRao resigned on 15th January 1990 and the Chief Minister Dr.Farooq Abdullah resigned on 18th january 1990.
The traffic between Jammu and Srinagar was not secure and the V.I.P.s were airlifted to safe places outside the valley. There was no state authority functioning during this period. In the other Muslim dominated areas like Poonch and Rajouri,the writ of the state the state was limited to the urban and its adjascent areas only.This left the valley entirely at the mercy of the militants. The only agency that could control the tide was the Army , but it could not act on its own.The time was ripe for the militant leadership to plan a mass upsurge and fruitition of their mission. 
The sequence of events of these days are documented by many but the most authentic and reliable reporting  on the outpourings  of affected eye witnesses is from the people who organised the immediate shelter to the incoming  tide of the displaced at jammu and udhampur.An extract from the files (documenting the eyewitness account of events ) of The kashmiri sahayta committee is reproduced here:
Messages conveyed from mouth to mouth through the entire length and breadth of the valley that the D DAY was fixed on 19th        January 1990.  The masses in the cities,towns and villages on 19th  Jan.1990 11.00pm in the night were out in the streets.Loud speakers were switched on at prominent places including religious places blaring slogans against Hindus in general and Pandits in particular.Some of the slogans were:
1.Hum kya chahate hain_Azadi (what do we want_ Liberty)
2.Azadi k kya mainey _Nizami mustafa  (liberty means rule of islam)
3.Asi gachi asun Pakistan,batav ros te batinav saan(translated  from kashmiri: We want pakistan,without pandit men ,but with pandit women.)
4.Kafiro,lutero, kashmir khali karo(infidels,vandals vacate kashmir)
5.Battav ya raliv,ya chaliv, nati galliv( pandits either merge,or flee or face extinction) Incidentally it has been a war cry against pandits  right from 14th century Shah Mir's time.
People were asked to collect on 20th Jan. in the forenoon near Ali Masjid in downtown Srinagar and there was multitude mass of people zeroing on to the venue.It was later rumoured that a sort of Tajposhi(coronation) of miltant leaders from across was enacted with a volley of firing from the central core group of the crowd.(end of extract)
 This initiated the recogition of militancy in kashmir as  a way of life with  inevitable influence on the psyche of the younger generations of kashmir.These events left the pandits in a precarious position leaving them no choice but to flee as they had no means to protect their faith ,honour of their womenfolk ,and their home and hearth .The central and state govt.s were vascilating. This started the sudden mass exodus of kashmiri pandits in 1990.