KASHMIRIYAT AVOUCHED and Other Stories

DISCLAIMER All characters and events in this book of short stories and creative non-fiction, even those based on real people are fictional. The names, characters, places, events and incidents whatsoever, in these short stories have been imaginatively produced by me and set forth in a fictitious manner. A number of places, events and conversations in the book have been created by me out of my memories of such events and places. A number of events reported in the stories based on creative non–fiction concerning someone or something has been based on stories covered by the media and the same has been done with the intention of putting the story in order to make the communication easy, effective and understandable. Names, places and occupations of some characters have been changed and the same have no bearing on the conduct, speech, self-respect, dignity of sentiments and nobility of any one named so, in the creative non–fiction stories. A number of names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual life events in the short stories is purely coincidental.

M K RAINA RATNAKAR AUTHOR

This Book is Dedicated To The Sweet and Loving Memory of my Brother

Mr Rattan Lal Raina Mujoo Who Loved Kashmir & Kashmiriyat Extraordinarily

Table of Contents PROLOGUE ............................................................................ i I - KASHMIRIYAT ............................................................ i II - KASHMIRIYAT INTRUDED .....................................ix 1 KASHMIRIYAT AVOUCHED ...................................... xiv 2

MY PRUDENT FRIEND - SAFDER ............................ 37

3 THE TEMPLE OF TORTURE ........................................ 57 4. V FOR VICTORY......................................................... 71 5 LIFE IS WHAT WE MAKE OF IT ................................ 85 6

PEOPLE OF THE GREATER CREATOR.................. 107

7 VIGILANTE RECLAMATION .................................... 121 8 CATACLYSMIC TERMINATION ............................... 135 9 PANGS AND PENALITIES .......................................... 149 10 RECURRENCE OF THE DOOM................................ 167 11 THE TERSE WHIFF OF ACTUALITY ...................... 183 12 KILLERS ARE MADE, NOT BORN......................... 205 13 RAMZAN CHOUDHARY ......................................... 223

PROLOGUE I - KASHMIRIYAT The people of Kashmir mostly belong to Aryan race. Tall and handsome, the Kashmiris are intelligent and possess a beautiful physique and a sturdy temperament. The Kashmiris are highly inquisitive and hard working people endowed with an extraordinary artistic skill. The physical charms of Kashmiri women are unparallel. Extremely beautiful, the women of Kashmir have a captivating appeal of their perfect and well-shaped features.The feminine figures of Kashmiris are flawless which seldom fail to impress an artistic and aesthetic eye. Kashmir had always presented the unique picture on earth where unity transcended diversities of race, religion, language and culture. The Hindus, the Budhists, the Huns, the Muslims, the Mughals, the Pathans, the Sikhs and the Dogras ruled this land, but despite this infinite diversity of race and religion, caste and creed, Kashmiris had always remained united. Hinduism and Budhism flourished here side by side and later when Islam came, it deeply influenced the culture and life of people and got absorbed in it. This unity has been the basic and the motivating factor of Kashmir’s social and cultural past. Influences of different civilizations and cultures have absorbed and assimilated here to weave out new patterns of synthesis and harmony. Yet the heritage of Kashmiris had never been exclusively Budhist, Hindu or purely Muslim. Common social and cultural ties bound together Kashmiri Hindus, Kashmiri Muslims and Budhists. Reverence for spiritual masters and the holy men had always been a striking i

feature of Kashmiri life. Mystic Saints, Sadhus, Sanyasis, Aulias and Pirs were equally revered by Hindus and Muslims . In Kashmir, we still find many shrines which to this day are sacred to both the communities. Visits to such sacred shrines by both Hindus and Muslims certify the common ideals and aspirations cherished by Kashmiris. Supernatural and miraculous powers are attributed to such places of worship and prayers are offered by both Hindus and Muslims equally at these shrines. The famous mosque of Shah Hamdan or the Khanqah-i-Moulla on the river Jehlum near Fateh Kadal is sacred to both Hindus and Muslims. The mosque has been built by Qutub–ud-din in 1373 A.D in memory of Shah Hamdan, the famous saint from Persia, though the mosque was built at the site of an old temple dedicated to goddess Kali. Even to this day that temple is extant and there is a spring dedicated to goddess Kali within the precincts of the mosque. The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries were the period of literary revival in the history of Kashmir. Sanskrit traditions were entering into period of decline and Persian thought and culture had come into vogue though the old inspirations had not died away. Lalleshwari, who was born in the sixties/seventies of fourteenth century became the true representative of this transitional period of Kashmir’s renaissance. Sidh–Bey was instrumental in initiating her into Shavite sect. Lalleshwari or Lal Ded became a devout follower of indigenous Trika Philosophy and her thoughts increasingly turned towards mysticism. Lal Ded mastered the Shat–Chakras(six seats of energies)and attained the Sahasrara or the seventh, the highest, situated in the brain. Lal Ded composed and recited verses in accordance with her philosophy and soon became a popular poetess. Hymns and verses of Lal Ded compiled as Lalla Vaks are the oldest ii

extant specimens of Kashmiri language and represent the teachings of Kashmir’s religious system–Shiva yoga. Lal Ded came at a period when the influence of Muslim thought on Hindu philosophy was considerable. She was a contemporary of Syed Ali Shah Hamdani. Lal Ded was not a religious bigot. She recognized the essential oneness of all the religions. Probably this was clearly the influence of Islam on her mind. Her philosophical mind strongly believed the equality and brotherhood of man as well as oneness of God. By whatever the name the worshipper may call the supreme, He is Supreme of all the religions. Lal Ded welcomed all castes and creeds into her fold and preached mutual respect between Hindus and Muslims and the high and the low. God is the God of Hindus as well as of the Muslims and the difference of caste and creed, birth or position are merely man made and superficial. This is revealed in her following utterances :“Atma Swarup is the true way of realizing God, Parmatma Swarup.” “God is omnipotent and omnipresent. Give up fanaticism and narrow communal outlook: and do not observe any distinction between a Hindu and a Muslim. If you are endowed with wisdom, you should then realize God.” This is the message of her time–the synthesis of Islamic and Hindu thought on both, social and spiritual plane. All the people of Kashmir, wherever they are even to the present day recite the Vakhs of Lalla and sing the songs of Lalla with great reverence to this mystic saint. The famous shrine of Muslim saint of Kashmir, Noor–ud–din, popularly known as "Nund Rishi" lies at Chrar-e–Sharief .The iii

shrine is sacred to both Hindus and Muslims of Kashmir .Thousands of Muslims and Hindus go on an annual pilgrimage to this highly famous shrine. Many miracles are attributed to Nund Rishi. One day his mother came to his cave and rebuked him for his negligence towards his family. She tried to persuade her son to abandon the life of an ascetic recluse, but he did not budge an inch. Her mother also did not give up and reminded him of how she had fed him up with her own blood in the form of milk and how he is proving ungrateful to her. Nund Rishi requested her mother to go to the nearby rock to have all the milk he had had from her. No sooner she reached the rock, the milk began to flow from the rock. Mother did not feel satisfied and told him that his whole body is in fact built with the milk and nourishment she has given to him. Nund Rishi left his dead body at the feet of her mother. Mother wept and implored Nund Rishi to come back to life which he did. Such stories and legends apart, Shiekh Noor–ud–din was a great mystic philosopher, no common religious recluse and spoke for mankind as a whole. He neither belonged to earthly beings nor did he belong to any race or country. He belonged to universe and his message was universal. Though dead centuries ago, the legends and stories of Shiekh Noor–ud– din’s pious deeds are still fresh in the minds of Kashmiris. There is a deep mystic thought and philosophy in the verses of Shiekh Noor–ud–din. Kashmir has always been considered as the holiest of the holy lands. Almost every hill and mountain, lake and river has a divine origin. Kashmir is known as the land of Rishis, RishiVaer/Pira Vaer, Rishi Bhumi or "the land of sages", Shardapitha or the "eternally pure seat of goddess Sharda".

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A famous temple dedicated to the goddess Ragnia Devi believed to have been brought by Hanuman from Lanka of Ravan, known as Khirbhawani at Tullamulla, is roughly at a distance of 16 kilometers from Srinagar.The temple has a spring, the waters of which exhibit change of colour-varying between white to violet and bright red according to the season, time and would be happenings around the valley of Kashmir. The devotees have also seen that the colour of the spring has turned grey as and when something bad has/had to happen in the valley of Kashmir. Pink colour of the spring towards the whitish tinge gives a feeling of something good to happen in the valley. The worshipers make their offerings to the divine deity in the form of milk, rice and sugar which they propel through air with Vene (fragrant green leafy offerings) and flowers of different sort by the movement of hand and arm into the spring. Vene (fragrant green leafy offerings), flowers, milk and all other offerings for the spring of the temple are made available by the Muslim brethren at the gate of the holy shrine. An annual fair is held at the shrine in the month of Zaeth (May–June) and every Ashtami (eighth day of fortnight) of the month is reserved for prayers and other festivities . Allured by the eternal majesty of Himalayas, saints and sages have flocked here because of the reason that the majesty and splendor of Himalayas provided the source of spiritual inspiration and thought. Of the various Hindu pilgrimages, the cave temple of Amarnath is the most sacred and famous all over India. The cave is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati. Generations of holy men and devoutly religious common men have paid their homage at the divine cave. Swami Vivekanada has also gone on a pilgrimage to this holy spot. Not only Swami Vivekananda, but the Muslim ruler of Kashmir, Zain–ul–Abidin has also v

performed the holy pilgrimage to this sacred shrine and won the goodwill of his Hindu subjects. It was here in the midst of the snow clad mountains of Amarnath that Lord Shiva showed Parvati the panorama of his creation of the world. Zain-ul-Abidin ingrained the spirit of love and toleration in all Kashmiris.The memory of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin is preserved by the famous Zaina Kadal bridge, buildings and townships like Zainakot, Zainapura, Zainagir and Zainamarg. Like the great Hindu king Ashoka, Zain-ul-Abidin codified the laws of Kashmir for all classes of people and got them engraved in public places for the enlightenment of his subjects. The greatest example of the unity in social and religious spheres of the people of Kashmir has been found in their beliefs and customs, their celebration of fairs and festivals for which they always showed a common interest. Muslims participated in Hindu festivals and social functions with deep interest and showed respect to all the prescribed procedures of the festival or ritual. Even today, when almost all the Hindus of Kashmir have migrated to other parts of India, the Hindus who live in the valley of Kashmir are joined by their Muslim brethren in all their festivities and religious functions. The same is true of Hindus who take as much pleasure in associating themselves with the festivities of Muslims. On all such occasions, public gatherings have always been convened and learned discourses by the learned Kashmiris (Hindus & Muslims) are delivered on the teachings of Hindu scriptures and Muslim religious teachings. Hindu festivals like Shivratri, Ram Navmi, Dussehra and Diwali and the Muslim festivals like Idd and Shab-e–Barat are not merely occasions of

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worship for Kashmiris, but also functions of inter communal social interchange of ideas. The Kashmiris possess an immense wealth of common myths, traditions, customs, rituals, beliefs and legends and when we probe deeper into the life of Kashmiris in the rural areas, we find that their way of life is based on healthy notions and instincts. The mingling of two cultures is evident in various details of their dress as well. The Pheran which is a sort of gown is as popular with Hindu men and women of Kashmir as with the Muslim men and women. At the time of marriage, it is customary for the Hindu and Muslim brides to wear skull caps with beautiful embroidery. The Taranga or the head dress of the Hindu women was almost the same as the Kasaba worn by the Muslim women though both have undergone a great change. In rural areas of Kashmir, the purdah system among Kashmiri women has been non-existent though the women in towns and Srinagar city observed purdah. There has been a time when both Hindu and Muslim women observed purdah in the valley of Kashmir, but with the passage of time, the Hindu women abandoned the use of purdah. The burqa in vogue amongst the earliest women of Kashmir was the Afghan style of burqa. This type of burqa commonly known as 'Afghan chadri' covered the wearer's entire face and body except for a small region of the eyes, which was covered by a concealing net. When modernization took over with the passage of time, the use of Afghan chadri sank into oblivion and Abhaya (sort of veil) came into use by only Muslim women. Thereafter, Abhaya with veil took over. Abhaya with veil is a highly fashionable garment and is worn by the Muslim women with pride, not only in Kashmir, but every where. During seventies vii

to nineties of the twentieth century, almost all the young girls of Kashmir observed no purdah, whatsoever. But, in nineties a new trend took over and almost every youngest, younger or young girl took to hijab. Even very young school going Muslim girls are found in hijab. Today, hijab seems to be a part of school uniform in Kashmir. Every Muslim school or college girl is found in hijab now. Hijab is the term used for the modest dress code which also refers to scarf which covers the hair. In the sphere of male attire of Kashmiris, an interesting evolutionary study can be traced. The various modes of costume in Kashmir today is a happy blending of heterogeneous elements. Though Pheran still assumes the greatest significance in the dress code of Kashmiri males because of the cold weather, but with the development of common social outlook, the dress of a Kashmiri male has also undergone great transformation. Based on the fundamental unity of the life of converts and non converts (Muslims & Hindus) the mystical sayings and legends have come down through the ages of Kashmiris. The sayings of Lalleshwari and Rupa Bhawani and also the wise sayings of Shiekh Noor–ud–din of Chrar–e–Sharief are proverbial in whole of Kashmir. The fundamental unity of Kashmiris finds a solid base in their common likes and dislikes, wants and desires, urges for growth and development that even today, Kashmiris–Hindus or Muslims, whenever and wherever they meet in any part of the world, they hug each other as brethren who have got separated at some festival some years ago.

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II - KASHMIRIYAT INTRUDED The state of Jammu & Kashmir was established in late 1947. From the very day the J&K state took birth, Pakistan has been focussed on Kashmir only and that too at the cost of development in their own country. Even after losing three major wars with India and thereafter not able to make a dent in its nefarious designs for the last almost thirty years, Kashmir is still the only issue where Pakistan hangs its more urgent issues of poverty and terror which has engulfed the whole country. As on date, one third of J&K is occupied by Pakistan and two third is with India. While on one hand, India has been in the process of seeking the return of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Pakistan has conveniently signed the Sino–Pakistan Agreement and relinquished hundreds of square kilometers of land in northern Kashmir and Ladakh to China. In the year 1989/90, exile was forced on Kashmiri Pandits by Pakistan–sponsored terrorism and terrorists unbridled death and destruction in the valley of Kashmir. Extreme fear and scare was created by the terrorists in the Kashmiri Pandit society by killing the prominent members of the Kashmiri Pandit community throughout the valley. Strange feeling of euphoria gripped most of the Muslims of Kashmir when a Kashmiri Pandit was killed in any locality of Srinagar or in any town of Kashmir. All this was the influence of the brain washing techniques used by the Pakistan media and Pakistan sponsored terrorists. Law enforcing agencies and the whole administration of state government of Jammu and Kashmir joined hands with militants and militancy. Every one from every nook and corner in the city streets of Srinagar and other ix