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Mr. Pji’s Slimy Deal

Guest post by Roshan Lal Dass. Tales from the crypt called secretariat that invoke ghosts from past. It should be a proper genre in Kashmir.

The army cantonment in Srinagar is located in the huge area of Badami Bagh near Batwara. On one side in east it reaches up to Pandrethan and on the northern side it touches the famous Gupkar road where all the elite political families of Kashmir camp. This is a funny little episode that happened somewhere in late 70s and early 80s.

J&K government wanted money for the cantonment land. After a protracted correspondence and hectic lobbying by the J&K government with Delhi about the compensation for this huge chunk of land, the Ministry of Defence finally agreed to pay for it. The powerful people of the government in the state conceived a plan of grabbing the money from the central government which was virtually ready on a platter. Mr. Pji’s Parsi family had settled in Kashmir in early twentieth century where he became a big businessman working in fields like tourism to insurance. He is said to have acquired a lot of wealth and land. Not much is known about these Ps except that they were considered to be one of the first non-Kashmiri citizens of Kashmir. They were known for their unique red building located in heart of Residency road in Srinagar with an animal sculpture that regaled many a kids. The building burnt in 90s and the remains of the heritage building was razed to ground and a mall built over it by (it is said) a former terrorist turned “Gandhian”. But, we digress…

When the defence ministry asked the state government for official records of the land occupied by the army, they were flustered as there were none. The whole land was nazool land which in revenue terms means there is no real owner. Only a small patch of land belonged to Mr. Pji who was in good books of powers both in state and union government. It is said that when Jinnah came to Kashmir in 1920s, he stayed in Pji’s house. Mr.Pji was summoned by one of the big powers of the Jammu & Kashmir state and a conspiracy was hatched. After a month or so Mr. Pji made a claim with both state and union defence ministry that the huge chunk of land in the cantonment belonged to his family and he should get the full market value of the land . The revenue officials right from Patwaris, Girdhawars, Dy.Collectors and Collectors, right from serving to retired, were coerced, cajoled and bribed by the persons in power into preparing fictitious revenue maps and mutations in favour of Mr. Pji’s family. The deal had been struck wherein 75 percent of the paid amount would be shared by the powers and 25 percent would be pocketed by Mr. Pji. He was directed to do all the dealings with the defence ministry in New Delhi himself. After about a year of parleying and negotiations between Mr. Pji and Defence Ministry and after multiple trips by him to Delhi, the payment was rendered to him in lump sum. With all honestly, he paid the amount to the main conspirators and pocketed 25% of his share. It was a story with a happy ending and win win situation for all the conspirators. Or, so it seemed.

A big twist took place in the story. After about a year or so, Mr. Pji received a notice from the Central Landed Estate department that he had to pay an estate duty on the huge sale of land and the payment which he got from the Defence ministry. He was shocked as none of them had an inkling of this factor. The duty was demanded which came to about 25% of the whole amount. At first he ignored the notice but he was pressurised by the Landed Estate Department into making the payment. Mr. Pji discussed the matter with other conspirators and asked them that the money would have to be redistributed proportionately. He was surprised on receiving the reply that they had reinvested the money somewhere else and they could not arrange the money immediately. However, he was promised that he would be fully reimbursed in due course of time if he made the payment to the Estate Department. Mr. Pji paid up the money and waited for others to reimburse him. No money was paid to him even after repeated pleas and even after threatening them to expose the deal. They simply told him that they had nothing to do with this deal and he would have to bear consequences himself. It took him sometime to realise that he had been duped and left with no money in this deal. He did not even get reimbursed for the money he spent on his frequent trips to Delhi and hotel stays.

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A Bonus tale

A station of Mr. Biswas

One Bengali namely Mr. Biswas had settled in Srinagar right from early nineteen twenties. He was a successful businessman and owned a petrol filling station in heart of the city. The business was good and it served the family’s needs right up to three generations. Family had a four storied house just near the pump. By eighties of last century the station looked outdated and old fashioned. The business was shrinking. The surviving grandson of Mr. Biswas put a proposal of winding up the filling station and converting it into a multi-storied shopping complex. The proposal was put forth before the authorities and the file finally went up-to the highest authority of that time. Biswas was asked to pay a huge bribe for grant of permission. Biswas refused to pay up. The whole place including the petrol filling station is still in in that depilated state looking like an eyesore in the middle of a posh area.

P.S. This is how internally the land matters worked in Jammu & Kashmir.

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Photo Essay by Anmol Kachroo: Desolate Homes and Silent Walls

SearchKashmir feature.

Anmol Kachroo[instagram] takes a journey to Kashmir to find the address of his old house in Anantnag. He comes across walls that were once home to Kashmiri Pandits.


Anantnag, Kashmir.


Remember me? Do you even know me? I was 'supposed' to live in your warmth, you have seen not just the 90s but all these years that you've remained silent.


Tell me the stories no one asked, I'll listen from your broken windows, Wrecked walls, the extinct existence.

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Kashmiri Pandit Family, Tral, 1930s

Shared by Shivani Pandita from her personal family collection.

She writes:

In the center holding the baby (my eldest masi, Chuni Pandit), is my maternal grandmother, Leelawati Pandit. She must have been 20-21 yrs old in this picture. The others are Leelawati’s siblings. This picture must have been shot at her parental home in Dadsara village in Tral sub-district of Kashmir . My Nani was 11 years old when she got married but she had her first daughter after 10/11 years of marriage. This picture is shot somewhere between 1934-36 and is one of the few that survived time and migration. My maternal family has been matriarchal as my grandfather died at a young age. Leelawati was not educated but very intelligent and hardworking, she even learnt reading and writing Hindi later from her grand daughter and even in advanced age was keen to learn.

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Photographs of Durga Pooja in Srinagar, 1966. And a bit of visual history from 9th century Kashmir.

From personal album of a Swami associated Ramakrishna Mission in Kashmir for past many decades. Photo shared by Ashima Kaul.

The celebration was organised by Bengali-Kashmiri Sabha in which Kashmiri Pandits and Bengalis were members.

Durga Visarja in Vitasta/Jhelum Srinagar. 1966

Old Photo of Durga Pooja in Kashmir, 1966

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Notes of Goddess Boats of Kashmir

oldest depiction of boat in Kashmir

5 Matrkas. 5 Mother Goddesses.

9th century, Devsar. Kashmir.

We can see Vaishnavi seated on Garuda, Brahmani seated on Hamsa, Mahesvari seated on Nandi, Varahi seated on Boar and Camunda on a circular seat. In the lower register we can see various female musicians and a dancer striking a pose. The whole scene is mounted on a boat. This is the earliest depiction of a boat in sculptural art of Kashmir. Possibly inspired by musical boat processions that may have been held in Kashmir for celebrating the mother goddesses, festivities ending with visarjan, or immersion of idols into water.

The image was discovered by J.L. Bhan.

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Kashmiri Dogri Mashup Song

A SearchKashmir production.

Third in the series

Rahul Wanchoo and Hempreet Kour team up to give us a mix of Dogri/Pahari folk song with an old Kashmiri sufi song. Together capturing a certain beauty of the two languages. The Dogri song was made famous by Malika Pukhraj ( and later by her daughter Tahira Syed), whose origins are in Jammu and the Kashmiri one is by Sufi poet Wahab Khar (19th century)

Continue reading “Kashmiri Dogri Mashup Song”

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Pandits under Article 370 regime

Extract from "Eyewitness Kashmir: Teetering on Nuclear War" (2004) By Arun Joshi.
the charges

Extract from “Eyewitness Kashmir: Teetering on Nuclear War” (2004) By Arun Joshi. It nicely lists outs how KPs were shaped as the perfect enemy by politicians of Kashmir. How KPs were seen as Nehru agents (today they are called Modi agents), how it was whispered that it was KPs who brought down Sheikh Abdullah, that they were Indira’s little soldiers, privileged powerful community that was eating into the KM privilege pie, subverting their politics, how they were also “presstitutes” selling wrong narrative about Kashmir, how they were enemies of Kashmir since forever. 

The targeted killing  of Kashmiri Pandits in 89-90 was natural outcome of these whispers. They serve the ideological bases and justification for the cultural genocide unleashed upon the  community.

We are never told how the community was living under such charges and what purpose the charges served. We are not told why Kashmiri Pandits may resent the article. While a lot is written on how Article 370 was gradually eroding the “autonomy”and how KM majority politics perceived these changes to the status of conflict, nothing is mentioned about what was happening in Kashmir under the so called “autonomy” for decades and how KP community time and again was saved by Indian Constitutional ingress, the interpretation of constitution by Supreme Court, the so-called weakening of the Article 370.

Continue reading “Pandits under Article 370 regime”

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Placing Rama-Krishna in Kashmir History

The idea that worship of Rama or Krishna or that the Vaishnav thought was alien to Kashmir is a unique thought that has taken root in Kashmir in the last few decades. Thus the thrust in Kashmir that Janamastami or Dussehra festival is an alien idea, or the temple of Rama or Krishna is a manifestation of foreign import. These ideas are driven by rather recent politics of Kashmir which is no more than 100 year old.

Krishna-Baldev etched on a rock in Chilas, Gilgit-Baltistan. Dated around 6th century AD. The left figure has a crown on his head but the right one has a crescent-topped headgear. Both of them are holding a club in their right hand. The left figure is holding a plough-topped banner in his left hand and the right figure is having a discus on his left hand. Left one is Balaram and the right figure in Krishna. Kharoshthi inscription in Scythian style accompanying the figures reads: “Of (Bala) Rama (and) Krishna, (erection) of Dhamaputa.’ Source: Chilas: The city of Nanga Parvat. By Ahmad Hasan Dani, Islamabad (1983).

To get a broader perspective these thoughts must be analysed in context of Kashmir history. Ramayan is referenced in Rajatarangini as a narrative tool. The story of Hanuman bringing a goddesses from Lanka to Kashmir itself is told in Rajatarangini. Kalhana tells the tale with the humor usually associated with monkeys and Hanuman tales. We find Rama and Krishna their life stories narrated by 11th century poet Kshmendra. Earlier, King Lalitaditya the builder of Martand commissioned temples that were non-Shaivite. Under his rule only one Shiva temple was repaired (not built), that too because he took a loan from the temple trust for his military campaigns. In Rajatarangini we find a mention of an 8th century Island city built in Kashmir and named after Dwarka. Also, Kalhana tells us during Lalitaditya time two idols of Keshava [Vishnu] were excavated and inscriptions on them mentioned that they were dedicated by Rama and Lakshman. These idols were then installed in new temples at Parihaspora. We have Pradyumna Hill in Srinagar, named after the son of Krishna. The hill we now know as Hari Parbat. Alluding to Pancharatras concept popular in Kashmir back then, and out of which modern Krishna takes centre stage now. Much later in 14th one of the Shah Mir Dynasty King, father of Sultan Sikander, in a Sharda inscription is called “a scion of the house of Pandavas”.

Continue reading “Placing Rama-Krishna in Kashmir History”

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A Directory of Kashmiri Pandit Youtube Channels

A lot of Kashmiri Pandits are now running Youtube Channels where some great new content is coming up. The range of topics are as far and wide as: music, comedy, food, literature, language, culture, short films etc.

Given the small number of the community, I see a lot of them struggling for audience and reach. The insignificant number means it takes Youtube lot more time to start recognising and recommending the content to the right people for the community. Result: a lot of them get buried under the general Kashmir content produced in Kashmir. For algo. to recognize the sub-set data, there are some basic things that can be done, and that I see a lot of these channels not doing. Good ol’ – networking. Recognise each other, like, subscribe, comment and importantly create playlists. Overtime you will see discovery getting better. Algo. will understand this sub-cultural set better. It will understand this Kashmiri content is not coming from Kashmir. I am actually surprised most of these channels don’t subscribe to many Kashmiri channels! Guys, you don’t lose anything by subscribing, it just better contextualises your content. Creates a pool of viewers of “similar”.

[And for those who watch – download and whatsapp the content or FB upload to their own personal walls, all is not helping anyone. You may get to be star of your family whatsapp group for it, but this aping just discourages the new content producers. Just be nice and support them on Youtube.]

To help people discover such Kashmiri channels, I am creating a list of some channels which are actively generating content and treating Youtube seriously as a platform. Most of these channels have content primarily in Kashmiri or about Kashmir. This is not a definitive list, and in no order, if you believe you should be on the list, do write in:

The Kashmir Project

[Channel by Naveen Pandita documents Kashmir. Some videos are hard-hitting and some are pure love of Kashmir]
 
[On Kashmiri Language]

 
[Lot of humor and some culture]
 
[The phenomena Didda. Meanka Handu reviving Koshur humor and some more]
[Kashmiri Pandit poets reciting exile poetry. Massive.]
[M.K. Raina has been persistently working on promotion of Kashmiri language]
[Video Blog of a NRI KID while learning Kashmiri]
[KP rituals + recording of Bhajans recorded live at Hari Parbat in 1970s]
[The poetry of Master]
[Kashmiri Food]
[Probably the first Kashmiri Youtuber couple. Great content!]
[First one to do proper Youtube comedy skits in Kashmiri]
[well made content on KP cooking]
[She keeps bringing in her touch to old Kashmiri songs]
[Ujval Handu helps you get in touch with basics of KP culture]
[early Youtuber who has comedy going in great style]
[a sensational Singer from Jammu singing in Kashmir. Yes, I have produced some of his songs]
[Sunandan Handoo, a gifted young KP doing comedy in old traditional Kashmiri mould but with fresh twists]
[KP cooking ]
[Cooking and workout]
[British Royal family + Koshur. Uniquely funny!]
[Kashmiri+English+Rock]
[The Master Chef who introduced Australia to Kashmiri food]

Aves n Fauna

[A treat for Birdwatcher. By Romel Mahaldar.]

Kashmiri Language Lessons by Neetu Koul

[from last 1 year Neetu has been uploading videos imparting lessons on Kashmiri language ]

Bhaav Kossam

[Kashmiri Bhajans sung beautifully at home by Sangeeta Wattal. And she is solving a problem, as she explains: “My experience with kashmiri bhajans on youtube so far has been that during poojas/festivals if we r listening to these bhajans and singing along, we are forced to sit and listen to instrumental pauses in between stanzas. Since my bhajans are recorded with few instruments and without the instrumental pauses in-between they are made for singing along during occasions /poojas without having to wait for the breaks in between.”]
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[basically Youtube version of this blog.]
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Q and A with Outlook Magazine

Last month had a brief  Q and A with Outlook Magazine on Kashmiri Pandit Literature and exile. 

1. What’s the significance of Kashmiri culture for a Kashmiri Pandit? Is it any different to them from say, the significance of Malayali culture to a Malayali living elsewhere in the country? What strikes you the most when you observe Kashmiri Pandit families — I realise you are one yourself –, their way of living, their food habits, the conversations, etc.?

A: Since you mentioned Malayali and since I am in Kerala for last many years, I can tell you one thing I found common is that both really love the land and culture they belong to. Both think of it as unique and ancient. Both interestingly are mutli-lingual and open to other cultural influences also. However, one big difference is that in case of Malayalis they have a common traditional festival like Onam in which Malayalis from all religious backgrounds take part and it is mass celebrated. In case of Kashmiri culture, the commonality of a festival does not exist. While Kashmiri Pandits take pride in Kashmiri culture, they also emphasise the fact that within it, their own culture is a subset. A Malayali living elsewhere in the country may have personal fears of losing out on culture but the actual culture is only thriving in the land of birth. In case of Kashmiri Pandits, exodus from Kashmir has meant that most of their culture is now diasporic in nature and concerns as reflected in the literature and art produced by them. There is constant fear that the culture is dying, so all the activities eventually tend to be self-aware acts about preservation. 

2. Loss is arguably the single most defining theme of literature produced by Kashmiri Pandits post the exodus. Are there other themes too? What was the literature about before the exodus?

Prior to 1989, literature produced by Kashmiri Pandits had concerns similar to artists belonging to other places in India. Post 47 and till 60s…bulk of popular writing was part of Progressive movement influenced by the left movement. We have Poet Dina Nath Nadim and his concerns for the common people. In this period a lot of literature was about communal harmony also. By 1970s, we have short story writers like Hari Krishen Kaul, still writing in Kashmiri but inspired by Western writers like Kafka. In this period, the concern deals with modernity and how it was changing the old Kashmiri society. Also, all this while we have a lot of devotional songs and music getting produced by the community. Poet Master Zinda Kaul’s main theme was devotional and spiritual. The theme spiritual is probably most popular in Kashmir and is most common in Kashmiri Muslim culture also. So we have a lot of mystical poets, even till half a decade ago, and their works celebrated by both communities and publicly sung. AIR was the hub of culture and lot of Kashmiri Pandits like Pushkar Bhan and Pran Kishore were involved with radio. Meanwhile, we also had writers like Sarvanda Kaul Premi who apart from writing poetry in Kashmiri were also translating Tagore into Kashmir. By 1980s, we see a crop of Hindi poets and writers also active in cultural scene. Novelist Chandrakanta belongs to this era. Her concerns in early work also deals with modernity and how Kashmir was changing.

Post exodus, bulk of Kashmiri Pandit writing has been in languages other than Kashmiri and the major tone has been nostalgic and longing for home. Initially it was mostly Hindi but in the last few decades English has become the language for capturing the experiences. I think in a few years in the community we will see new writings on how the community was changing and how they adapted, carried multiple cultures. Writing from people who are either comfortable or struggling to be comfortable with the past and present.

In the 90s we do have a lot of Kashmiri Pandits writing in Kashmiri about the loss of home. There are writers who only a few years ago were writing in Kashmir and writing about other themes and now find themselves out of Kashmir and just remembering Kashmir. The reach of these writers was limited. So, now some work on translations is also happening. There are people working on preserving the Kashmiri language among the community. Latin script for writing Kashmiri is gaining acceptance for the simple ease of use. But, arriving at a standard remains a challenge.

4. Do you write yourself too? If yes, what do you write? Would you mind sharing something please?

I do write. Some of the pieces have been published on various online News portals. I am co-founder of Game studio in Kerala and for last 10 years I have been running a blog “SearchKashmir” that archives bits of Kashmiri Culture. This involves telling stories that I have heard, personal stories of other people, folktale, history, old photographs of Kashmir, music, films, books, arts and artists. It is basically a collection of personal discoveries as I try to dig into the past. It started with a family visit to Kashmir in about 2008. I realized I knew very little about the place I belonged to and the kind of things about the place that interested me were not there online. So I went about cataloguing. Overtime, more people started sharing their own stories too.

3. Which poet/writer’s work do you relate to the most? What’s so profound about them?

Strangely, or not so strangely, like most Kashmiri Pandits of my generation my introduction to Kashmiri literature was quite late. In my teenage years, work of Ritwik Ghatak spoke to me. His understood exile like few in India could and successfully captured it on screen. Manto resonated. The violence, the odd-balls caught in history and the occasional wry humor. It was only much later, as often happens, I sought and found Kashmiri culture, or rather parts of it. There is Arvid Gigoo and his sardonic tone. There are poems of Prem Nath “Shaad” and Brij Nath Betaab in Kashmir capturing the violence of 89-90 and experience of exile in Kashmiri.

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Extracts and quotes from the interview were used in the Magazine:
August 2, 2020 issue 
[What the Pandits Lost: Trauma of exodus and the Kashmiri past of Pandits in the community’s art/How Kashmiri Pandits’ Loss And Longing For ‘Home’ Find Expression In Their Literature]