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Lal Ded and Nund Rishi by Pandit Anand Koul (1921-30)

Finished extracting.

‘Life Sketch of Laleshwari – A Great Hermitess of Kashmir’
The Indian Antiquary
November, 1921
This work came after George Grierson and Lionel D. Barnett published ‘Lalla Vakyani’ (collected primarily from one Dharam Dasa Darwesh of village Goosh, near Baramulla) in 1920 which introduced the sayings of Lal Ded to western world [available here]. Anand Koul didn’t give the source of this life sketch but it can safely be assumed to be based on the lore popular among Kashmiri Pandits. In this work, he also mentioned collection some additional saying of Lal Ded which are not available in ‘Lalla Vakyani’ of Grierson and Barnett. These he published much later in 1930, offering 33 additonal sayings of Lal Ded.
Some additions to the Lallavakyani
(The Wise Saying of Lal Ded)
The Indian Antiquary

June, 1930
I have complied both the articles into a simple pdf and the works are now easily accessible here:
Life Sketch and Sayings of Lal Ded by Pandit Anand Koul 
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‘A Life of Nand Rishi’ 
by Pandit Anand Koul
The Indian Antiquary, in three parts in October 1929, December 1929 and February 1930.
This was the first time someone had presented an English translation of Nund Rishi’s Nurnama. The life story of Nund Rishi is interspersed with accounts from Pandit lore, bringing in an undercurrent of a conflict that extends into metaphysical space where legacies of the saints too gradually will end up fuelling conflict. 
What we get is typical Kashmiri play: eulogize mystic sayings and yet not miss a chance to indulge in childish game of one-upmanship over whose saint had a bigger halo. It’s a pattern that is now all too set in all such writings on these topics. 
The three articles are combined together and available here:
A Life of Nand Rishi by Pandit Anand Koul (1929)
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191 Kashmiri Riddles

Finished extracting

After his ‘A Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs and Sayings: A Classified Collection Explained and Illustrated from the Rich and Interesting Folklore of the Valley’ (1885) [here] and before his mammoth ‘Folk-tales of Kashmir (1888)’, in 1887 Knowles also compiled a list of Kashmiri riddles based on his interaction with locals, both Pandits and Muslims of various class. The work containing 140 riddles was published in Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, No. III, 1887.

Kashmiri Riddles by J. Hinton Knowles (1887)

[now available at archive.org]

Sample:

92. “Abah gan gan, babah gan gan, kapar kichih kichih,” son sikah bachah sairas drav. 

(It cries) “abah gan gan, babah gan gan, kapar kichih kichil ” (and) our Sikh boy goes out for a walk.

Ans. Yindar, a spinning-wheel.

The words in inverted commas are supposed to represent the sound the wheel makes when revolving. A Sikh boy is here mentioned became the top and bottom of the yandartul, (the little wheel of the spinning- wheel on which the thread being spun is wound) are fastened together with long hair ; and a Sikh boy has long hair.

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A collection of 51 Kashmiri riddles presented by Pandit Anand Koul in February 1933 issue of ‘Indian Antiquary’ magazine. Among other things, the interesting bits in this work are the sayings of Lal Ded which were popular as riddles. It was this simple act that helped preserve the legacy of Lal Ded in popular Kashmiri culture.

Kashmiri Riddles By Pandit Anand Koul (1933)
[now available at archive.org]

Sample:
12
Baras peth kala-shahmar
Lat ta as milavit;
Ora ayas kenkalat,
Lat ninas gilavit.
A black snake is on the door
With tail and mouth joined;
A lizard came up;
It twisted away its tail.
Answer: padlock and key

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‘Of Hills’ by Tom Ashley Lakeman, 1944

The free book released this month under SearchKashmir Free Book project is not just about Kashmir, it is about experiences of a World War Two era British soldier whose travels took him to the hills and the seas. It is about places you could easily visit before the modern world grappling with aftermath of a war, altered and redefined concept of places.

Blurb for Tom Ashley Lakeman ‘Of Hills’ (1944) explains this beautiful book of verses and its purpose quite well:

‘Of Sea and land, of Hills, of Loving Times’

To those who make the journey —

The photographs, verse and descriptions are to bring places near or to take readers far – at thought speed.
To the man from the hills by the Afghan border— on the cover – then glimpse of Kashmir; to Battlesbury on the steep western edge of Salisbury Plain. To Kashmir again — from Srinagar to Haramukh — then homeward to the cliffs of Devon.
To the Deosai Plains, not far from the Roof of the World, to India in England, to children, to the Indian forest, by Delhi, through the Red Sea to Malta, ending with Pir Guhl and the man from the hills.

The book was formed when a holiday was needed and it is hoped that others too will find holiday in these pages. May this book help, in some small way, the National Trust. After the war, what profit there is from the book will go gladly to help the Trust ; during the war it will be sent to the Royal Tank Regiment Prisoners of War Fund — for those who cannot yet see our shores.

Link to the Book

In 1945, the books had a sequel. To be uploaded next month…

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Lakhon Mein Ek, 1967, Pakistan


It is 1948 and Kashmir is already divided between two newly created nations. But a war still wages on and boundaries are being drawn and re-drawn. There is news of communal violence in Poonch. Prem Nagar (Love Town) is in sphere of violence. Caught in this violence are two patriarchs in town Khairabad, one Hindu and one Muslim, one Hardayal and one Ahmad. Both are looking for their missing family and young child. Hindus are killing Muslims. Muslims are leaving Poonch and heading for the land now rechristened ‘Azad Kashmir’. Emotions are running high. Ahmad begs his friend Hardayal to leave for Hindustan. Hardayal does not want to leave his birth place and head for an unknown land but takes the advise. Ahmad promises to continue looking for Hardayal’s daughter Shakuntala. Hardayal promises to look for Ahmad’s wife and son Mehmood on the other side. On reaching the other side Hardayal finds the whole village of Prem Nagar burning with no sign of Ahmad’s wife and son Mehmood. The shock of violence proves a bit too much for  Hardayal, he protests the violence and like Manto’s Toba Tek Singh, ends up in an asylum. Ahmad manages to find little Shakuntala safe in a police station. He takes her in. When the news of violence in Prem Nagar reaches Ahmad, he takes his wife and son for dead. Little Shakuntala is afraid that in retaliation her Ahmad uncle will kill her. Ahmad tells her his Allah don’t believe in such mindless violence. When a Muslim mob turns up at his house to get the girl, he tells them the same thing – ‘not the way of true religion.’ As often happens in movies (and in Bible), an instantly repentant mob drops weapons and goes away enlightened. We know Ahmad is going to raise Shakuntala as his own daughter. Meanwhile, little Mehmood evading a Hindu mob crosses over to Azad side and is rescued. But the violence does an erase job on his memories. He is taken in by a Pathan Dilbar Khan, a lorry driver who will raise him as his own son renaming him Dildar Khan.

Years later, lorry driver Dildar Khan meets Shakuntala and both fall in love with each other. Ahmad reminds Shakuntala not to do anything that would embarrass him in front of the society. He indirectly asks her if she has consummated her love with the Muslim boy. Shakuntala promises she did no such thing. Ahmad meets Pathan Dilbar Khan and politely asks him to stop Dildar Khan from wooing the Hindu girl. An angry Pathan confronts his son Dildar Khan and asks him what has he been doing with the innocent Hindu girl. ‘Nothing, father, we just hugged once.’ Pat comes a slap. ‘Would you like it if someone hugs your mother or sister?’ Love is forbidden. Caught in a dilemma, Dildar Khan promises to forget Shakuntala. Driving his lorry in a distraught state, he has an accident that again erases his memories and brings back old memories.

He wakes up from accident remembering his real name and the name of his father. He refuses to recognise Pathan as his father. Mehmood is reunited with his real father Ahmad and moves into his house. Here, he again meets Shakuntala but doesn’t remember her as the woman he once loved but remembers her as the little Hindu girl he used to play with. A crestfallen Shakuntala sings her sad songs to the lovely valleys. Mehmood does not remember her. She cries. Mehmood does not remember her. Angry Pathan arrives at Ahmad’s door to reclaim back his son. Pathan claims his son Dildar Khan became Mehmood so that he could live with Hindu girl Shakuntala. Shocked at hearing this accusation, Mehmood finally remembers everything. Love again blossoms. Everything is fine but then Shakuntala’s real father Hardayal return from India to take back his long lost daughter.

It is obvious Shakuntala loves Mehmood. He is her god, yet, Shakuntala and Mehmood part ways for if they stay together it shall bring dishonour to everyone, every religion.

In Hindustan things don’t get any better for Shakuntala. Hindustan isn’t kind to woman who falls in love with a man prone to amnesia. It has been so since the birth of Bharat. The tyranny that amnesia inflicts on women gives birth to nations.

Shakuntala
Amar Chitra Katha

In Hindustan, Shakuntala is looked down upon because she slept in Pakistan, Land of Pure. In India, she is treated as impure and not even allowed to enter the temple. Shakuntala wants to return to the real land of pure. Father is helpless.

Shakuntala’s problems only compound. A rich Hindu sets his lecherous eyes on Shakuntala and using the help of a local conniving pandit manages to marry her. But on their first night together, Shakuntala tells him that her heart belongs to someone else. Scene cuts to the temple of her heart and we see her singing bhajan the her love god.

God of love from Pakistan.
No weapons here.
[video]

Sung by Noorjahan and written by Fayyaz Hashmi of ‘Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo’ fame, ‘Man Mandir ke Devta‘ is a curious specimen from old world Pakistan where even propaganda had to be rooted in a certain unavoidable intimacy with the enemy. Pakistan has come a long way since then and Pakistani cinema is of course as good as dead.

The conniving Pandit and the profane rich landlord.
The regular Hindu punching bag blokes in Pakistani cinema.

Scorned, Shakuntala’s husband decides to put an end to this unholy love. He shoots off a secret message to Mehmood pretending to be Shakuntala and asks him to meet up at the border. He plans to kill Mehmood. Shakuntala overhears the evil plan and rushes to save Mehmood. In the finale at the line of control, Shakuntala takes a bullet for Mehmood and dies. Mehmood takes back Shakuntala’s body to Pakistan, the land of pure.
Funny thing, the subcontinental popular cinema. In 1962, the story of Shakuntala was retold in Indian film ‘Ek Musafir Ek Hasina’ (1962). Again a girl in love with an amnesic boy and again a drama set in Kashmir. However, while the Indian film towards the end disintegrates into a regular Bollywood affair so that in sum Kashmir just looks like an exotic prop, it is surprisingly the Pakistani propaganda film which at least is a bit more focused in its depiction of complex geographical and ethnic setup of Kashmir. Indian films were and remain very vague about these things. Who in Bomaby would have made a film about a place called ‘Poonch’? 
If you invert ‘Lakhon Mein Ek’, if it was made in India, if the girl was muslim and the amnesic boy was Hindu, if the rhetoric was kept the same, if the story is again told over the dead body of a woman, if the religious overtones are a bit diluted and a nationalistic flavour is a bit amplified, if a dying Shakuntala was to again plead the case of a nation, you get the story of Raj Kapoor’s Henna (1991).  

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Watch the entire film here

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This is Part 1 of two part series on ‘Kashmiri women in Pakistani cinema’. In part 2, we are going to look at the curious case of a Kashmiri pandit girl pleading the case for Pakistan.

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Previously: Bollywood and their Kashmir nonsesne

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Kingfishers Catch Fire, Rumer Godden, 1953

“Two little bulbuls were sitting on a wall,
Quarrelling and pecking, quarrelling and pecking,
Quarrelling,
Quarrelling,
Pecking pecking pecking pecking.
This is more than flesh and blood can stand.
Now all that is left
Is the tail of one bulbul

And the beak of the other.”

A white woman takes an old house of a pandit on lease and decides to live ‘poor’ in Kashmir with her two children.  She loves Kashmir and its people. She thinks she can make a new beginning here. But the British woman is too ‘meddling’, too ‘uncontrollable’ and can’t help herself trying to correct the locals and their ways. Soon enough the alien community in which she lives is vying for her attention, everyone wants ‘mem’ on their side. The age old rivalry between the clan of Dars and Shiekhs burn even more feverishly and leads to new polarizations. Unknown to the foreigner, the simple fact of a white woman living alone by herself in a house in Kashmir causes tiny ripples in social fabric of the natives, soon enough a wave of inane violence engulf her ‘Dilkhush’ world. It is a Kashmir in which no one person truly understands another person, or even tries. Or rather, it is a world where there are only frivolous misunderstandings which lead to serious tragic consequences. A Kashmir where everyone is innocent but also guilty. Guilty of an undefinable vaporous thing called simple human emotions of beings living in a complex modern world. A world where a person can poison you in a mistaken attempt to make you love them.
The novel came out of personal experiences of Rumer Godden when she moved with her children to a place called ‘Dove House’ in Kashmir in 1941. She went on to live there for three years. ‘Kingfishers Catch Fire’ is also one of the few works which she later went on to disown a bit. The work seems to be a product of pure raw emotions of living in an alien society that can appear hospitable as well as threatening at the same time. The finale of the novel comes out of a true incident in which Rumer Godden’s (in her words ‘mad’) cook tried to poison her.
The depiction of Kashmiri society by Rumer Godden is brutal. It is as if no one cared for anyone, everyone seems mean and indifferent. Pandits don’t get along with Muslims, Muslims don’t get along with each other. Everyone is worried about their relative poverty. The only redeeming quality they all seem to possess is their simplicity. Which of course if accidental because the modern world hadn’t caught up with them. It is a simplicity that Rumer Godden’s main character Sophie wants to emulate, it the modernity that Sophie wants to escape, she wants to be poor, she wants them to see how rich their really are, but all her attempts are bound to fail. 
The way the story unfolds with its stages of innocent enamourment with Kashmir, trying to adjust and change the place for better, and the creation of mess in which everyone wishes you were never there in the first place, it does make one think that the story is an allegory on British engagement and disengagement with the Indian Sub-continent. 
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The Dove House, the model for Dhilkusha, Sophie’s mountain bungalow.
[I believe it is the ‘Ishber’ area, which finally became more inhabited in the late 60s and 70s]

Photo from: Colonial Strangers: Women Writing the End of the British Empire By Phyllis Lassner (2004)

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You can read the book ‘Kingfishers Catch Fire’ for free here at Open Library

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Previously: The Anita Desai’s parallel story that takes place in a house of a pandit in Kasauli when pandits were the new ‘angrez’ of recently independent India: Fire on the Mountain, 1977. 
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How those old Kanz Mool photographs were actually shot

Because there are hundreds of these photographs with ‘native women with pestle and mortar, pounding rice’…every photographer worth his salt had to have this shot in his Kashmir inventory…

 

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A questing man with camera came,
And Kashmir maiden fled in shame,
Her heartbeat quickening in her haste,
Her twinkling bare feet keeping pace.
The, feeling safe from distant arms,
She, woman-like, did feel her charms
And, courage held in tight-gripped calm,
She slowly, fawnlike, came again,
And gave him face and form and name

~’Of Hills’ by Tom Ashley Lakeman, 1944.