Communal Harmony in Kashmiri Literature Communal Harmony in Kashmiri Literature Roop Krishen Bhat Worldwide Circulation through Authorspress Global Network First Published in 2018 by Authorspress Q-2A Hauz Khas Enclave, New Delhi-110 016 (India) Phone: (0) 9818049852 E-mail:
[email protected] Website: www.authorspressbooks.com Communal Harmony in Kashmiri Literature ISBN 978-93-87281-41-7 Copyright © 2018 Roop Krishen Bhat Disclaimer All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior consent of Roop Krishen Bhat, the author. Printed in India at Krishna Offset, Shahdara Preface In my childhood I was part of a small Hindu family surrounded by a large Muslim neighborhood. I woke up to Azan from mosque in the early morning hours, lived through the daily chores of socio-cultural patterns of life in a mix of Hindu– Muslim society. While my mother would recite her bhajans both in mornings and evenings mostly written by her father, a popular Bhakti poet of Kashmir, Zeba Maasi (a Muslim lady) very close friend of my mother would at leisurely meetings narrate to me tales from gulistan-bostan, the famous folklore of Persian origin, shah namas, gulrez, the longer poems again of Persian origin and the popular verses from Kashmiri Sufi poetry, etc. During school days we would hear and sing poetry of Lal Ded, Nunda Rishi, Habba Khatoon, Azad, and Mahjoor; watch performances of folk singers cum dancers like Gani Trali and Mohammad Mukeen, the Jashni Kashmir (Festival of Kashmir) organised regularly during Bhakshi Ghulam Mohammad’s rule (former C.M.