in bits and pieces
“phat” ritual. The finger snapping done by KPs and Lamas. In both cases, it is the end part of cleansing ritual that ends with a shock sound.
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Part 1: Feb, 2016. Shivratri. Jammu.
Part 2: October, 2015. Ladakh. Inauguration of a small roadshide Dharma chakra.
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And actually found some more unseen photographs even though most of his work is now available online.
Apple eating competition’. Brian Brake. 1957. In the background can be seen (and ignored) G.M. Bakshi. The photograph is from one of his ‘jash-e-kashmir’ festivals. I don’t know about now, but even in late 1980s, ‘apple eating competition’ was a popular school game event…at least at Biscoe. I remember losing it once.
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A song from the oldest story here. The original muse.
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No. 10 Stone Lamp with pointed spout. Cashmere, India.
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| Pandit ritual involving T’song for 15th day of Shivratri. Jammu. 2013. |
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| An illustration of Kashmiri boat lamp found in ‘Aus dem westlichen Himalaya: Erlebnisse und Forschungen’ by Károly Jenö Ujfalvy (1884) |
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Train may baithe do Kaashmiri
Train may baithe do Kaashmiri
Howay Howay
Two Kashmiri meet in a train
and for the entire night
the train
rings with shouts of :
‘How are you? Are you fine?’
~ lines from a funny multi-lingual Kashmiri song sung at weddings about people of different races meeting each other in a train.
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ays che wodwin jaanawaar
We are flying animals
~ line from a Kashmiri song.
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I picked lot of things from my grandfather, including a love for books. In death, he offered me some bits about the death rituals of Kashmiri Pandits. He also gave me a fear. Although he read a lot, he remembered little. And in the end he forgot everything. Because I too forget, I write…
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| Daddy and Badi Mummy clearing snow. Winter 1988. Srinagar. |
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| With his youngest daughter-in-law and youngest grandchild. 21, July 2013. Jammu |
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| 5th August. 2013. Shakti Nagar Cremation Ground, Jammu. |
5th day
We go to the cremation ground to collect his bones and ashes. Among the bones is a bone known among Pandits as Porush (Man). It is part of upper vertebral column. The bone holds a special meaning as in its shape it is said to resemble a sleeping man, a symbol of departed body. While placing the body on pyre special care is taken by putting in in right posture to ensure that the Porush remains intact after burning.
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| Cleaning of the spot by sons |
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| The spot as it is left by locals of Jammu – the Hindu Dogras |
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| The spot as it is left by Pandits. Honey, sweets and candy is left (possibly so that ants can do rest of the cleaning) |
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| White radish or Mooli is an absolute essential part of the 5th day ceremony and is a must offering for the departed on this day. |
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| Mahakal Bhairava and his dog (s) at Cremation Ground |
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| Still Day 5. Ghat on Chenab river. Akhnoor. Site for immersing the ashes. In older times, in Kashmir, ashes were sometimes kept buried in a wall of the house till they could be immensed at Gangbal Lake in September. Or, at Shadipur. |
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| Pandit ji is a lot miffed when he finds out one of the daughter-in-laws is also present for the ceremony. It is pointed out to him that she took care of him like a daughter. He says Kashmiri women come from the clan of Nagas, the snakes. Hence that headdress. Hence the separation. Father and uncles remember Pandit ji as a haughty little kid growing up in lanes around Habba Kadal. Of course, his indignations are ignored. He believes in rules of Manu. He believes Kashmiris may be Jews, may be even Russian. He believes. |
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| Prasadh at the end of the ceremony. Walnut. |
Day 10.
The departed is a Preta till it becomes a Pitr on completion of all the rites and joins the realm of previous Pitrs. A process that takes a year. The main rituals last for 13 days. There are talks among Kashmiri Pandits that 13 is becoming too difficult to manage. Working people can’t be home for 13 days, that it should be reduced to 4. But the old guards and priests don’t agree.
Garuda Purana is remembered and recited.
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| Hindu afterlife Punishments given in Garuda Purana. A poster found at a little shop in Jammu. Febuary 2012. Mother tells me punishment for those who waste salt is that they pick you up by your eyelashes. |
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An interesting custom on this day has the sons walking in between rows of relatives lined up on two sides. The relatives are supposed to put money in their pockets discreetly as they walk past. In a way they help them bear the cost of feast for relatives that follows the next day.
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The cook was earlier worried because a relative of his was badly injured in a recent earthquake in his hometown Kistwar. By the end of the day, he is worried because there is news of communal disturbances in his town. By evening the disturbance spreads to Jammu. Mahaul goes Kharaab. In evening I go out to city to get some more Mooli from Mandi but return back half way because there are gangs on bikes roaming around with knives.
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| Evening feast. The Pandit ji also eats meat. |
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| Day 11. Army is out on the streets. The cook doesn’t come. Aunts take charge of cooking. |
The news in local paper is confusing. All it talks about is ‘majority community’ and ‘minority community’. If you don’t know the demographics of the area, you are forced to imagine who killed whom.
When the last ceremony is over and the Pandit ji leaves, a token pebble is thrown at him as he crossed the main gate…probably so that he does not return soon.
In none of these ceremonies is my grandmother involved. She was married to the man for about 64 years.
Day 12.
The entire city is shut. Early morning, I start out on a long walk to airport with father to catch my flight out of a trishanku’ian town.
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January 17, 2014
It’s been six months. Today, we cook fish in dinner, offer it to the dead and feast. Pandits call it the day of ‘till‘.
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| Cherry Earrings July. 2013. I had to promise my little cousin a ‘pizza treat’ for posing |
My mother remembers
in spring
she would run around with cherry earrings.
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| Cherry Picking. Kashmir. 1953 (From the archive of Indian Photo Division)
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dimyo dilaas
gandyo walaas
peirtho gilaas kulni tal
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Kashmiri word for Cherry comes from Persian word for Cherry: gilaas
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Update: April, 2016
Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s Irania film “The Silence” (1998)
“And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.
But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.”
~ Mark 6:45-53, King James Bible.
At the appointed time a murmuring crowd gathered on Nehru Park Island to witness the miracle. For days the local newspapers had advertised the event: “A Man to Walk on Dal wearing only a Khrav.“
A silence fell on the crowd as a young man carrying a garland of marigold around his neck stepped forward and approached the waters. This was The Walker. “The sheen of his face is unmistakably that of a man with great spiritual powers,” said someone in the crowd. It was a perfect day for a miracle.
The Walker poised to take his first step, took a deep breath, unimagined the water, kept his head straight and looked ahead. Across the waters, on the other side, another crowd stood in anticipation, ready to receive him. He exhaled and unimagined the crowd. Looking at the scene unfolding in front of them, even the doubting Thomases, even as they we getting unimagined, for a second did start wondering, ‘But, what if…’
For The Walker the world faded away. The was no water. It was just him and his Khrav.
The Walker raised his foot and as it was about to hit the surface of water, in confidence, he moved his other foot to meet the water too. To the onlookers it looked like a jump. Just as his first foot was about meet the surface, a thought sprang like a bolt in his mind, he remembered something, words and a face. His body in response to the thought wanted to undo its previous two actions. His two feets now sought solid ground. To onlookers it looked like a jolt. The Walker tried to balance himself. But he knew it was too late. He was done. His body craved for land and found water instead. Gravity took over. As he fell face first in water, Khravs slipped off his feet and floated away from him and towards shore. A kid picked them and ran away. A few brave onlookers, not in spell anymore, jumped into water and pulled him out.
In time, the reason for this failed miracle soon became apparent to people. It was a girl. Only a few months ago, The Walker was indeed on way to spiritual greatness under the guidance of his Guru. But then love god played his tricks. The Walker used to teach music to a young blind girl. In time, as often happens, the two fell in love. The Guru had advised The Walker to remain celibate. ‘No girl, ever.’ Ignoring the advise, just days before the ‘Water Walk in Khrav’ event, The Walker had married the blind girl and thus ending any real chance of him making history by walking on water wearing only wooden Khrav. He had drowned himself in love, fallen for the oldest miracle and got baptized in icy waters of Dal.
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Based on the story of a kin told by an Uncle. The Walker did go on to be acclaimed as a saint. But as the joke in the family goes, that day he did almost drown himself in Dal in front of a big crowd.
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| ‘Shaitani Nala’ on way to Srinagar. Winter 2012. Sent in by my Father. |
A story told by a cousin: Years ago, I had a friend in school whose father was taken at Shaitani Nala. The man was on way to Jammu in a bus. It was winter night. The bus stopped at Shaitani Nala because of a jam in vehicles ahead. The man got down to take a leak. That was the last anyone saw of him. He never returned. Wav, the powerful winds that blow at Shaitani Nala part of Pir Panjal, took hiim.
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Previously: infamous Khooni Nala
