The Official Organ of KPA, Mumbai
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
RNI Registration No. MAHMUL/2004/13413 Price: ` 30.00 Vol. VI, No. 4 : July-August 2011 ilchar MThe Official Organ of KPA, Mumbai Chakreshvara Sharika [Painting by Dr. C.L.Raina, Miami, USA] In this issue Ø Message from the President l Between Ourselves - Rajen Kaul Page 2 Milchar Ø Editorial Official Organ of l Rehabilitation of KPs Kashmiri Pandits' Association - T.N.Dhar 'Kundan' Page 3 Mumbai Ø kçÀçJ³ç l iç]pçuç (Regd. Charitable Trust - Regn. No. A-2815 BOM) - Òçícç vççLç kçÀçÌuç `Dçhç&Cç' Page 4 Ø Donations for Sharada Sadan Page 5 Websites: www.kpamumbai.org.in Ø ÞççÇ cçnçjç%ççÇ ®ççuççÇmçç Page 8 www.ikashmir.net/milchar/index.html Ø Report & Biradari News Page 9 E-Mail: [email protected] Ø DçHçÀmççvçe Vol. VI ~ No. 4 l yçíçÆs yçlçe - [ç. jçíMçvç mçjçHçÀ `jçíçÆMç jçíçÆMç' Page 13 EDITORIAL BOARD Ø KPs' Resettlement Issues l An Interview with Mr. Moti Kaul - Interviewer P.N.Wali Page 14 Editor :M.K.Raina Ø Between the Lines Associate Editor :S.P.Kachru l The Musings Members :S.K.Kaul - S.K.Kaul Page 16 Chand Bhat Ø kçÀçJ³ç Consulting Editors :P.N.Wali l jçlçe®ç lçvnç@³ççÇ T.N.Dhar ‘Kundan’ - [ç. yççÇ.kçÀí.cççí]pçç Page 17 Ø Culture & Heritage Webmasters :Sunil Fotedar, USA l Influence of Advaita on Muslim Rishis of Kashmir - Part 4 K.K.Kemmu - T.N.Dhar 'Kundan' Page 18 Naren Kachroo Ø DçHçÀmççvçe Business Manager :Sundeep Raina l hçÓMçáKç çÆlç vç³ç, æ®ççôuçáKç çÆlç vçç? Circulation Managar :Neena Kher - Ëo³çvççLç kçÀçÌuç `çEjo' Page 22 Ø Requiem l On a Friend's Demise Yearly Subscription : ` 250.00 - Dr. K.L.Chowdhury Page 26 Lifetime Subscription:` 2500.00 Ø Remembrance l A Letter to my Muslim Friend - T.N.Bhan Page 27 Advertisement Tariff Ø Without Comments l A Brahmin Heart Matrimonial (upto 50 words): ` 100.00 - Rahul Pandita Page 28 Each Extra word : ` 5.00 Ø Column for the Youth Back Cover (Colour) : ` 5000.00 l Crossword by Project Zaan Page 29 Ø Poetry Front Inside Cover (Colour): ` 3000.00 l Kungam Nag Back Inside Cover (Colour): ` 2000.00 - Ravinder Ravi Page 30 Inside Full Page (B&W) : ` 1000.00 Ø OççjçJçççÆnkçÀ Inside Half Page (B&W) : ` 500.00 l içáuçí yçkçÀçJçuççÇ - 3 - cç.kçÀ.jÌvçç Page 32 Views expressed in the signed Ø KP Exodus l Endless Wait articles are not necessarily those of the - Ramesh Pandita Page 35 Kashmiri Pandits' Association Ø kçÀçJ³ç or Milchar. l DçççÆMç³ççvçç yçvçç Articles can also be e-mailed to: - mçávçÌvçç kçÀçJç `[í]pççÇ' Page 37 [email protected] Ø Your Own Page Page 38 Ø Editor's Mail Page 39 President's Message - Rajen Kaul Between Ourselves amaskar. networking forums. It is In this issue of Milchar, I would incumbent on all of us to N like to dwell on importance of embrace, preserve & preserving and empowering our strengthen our culture for culture. For this our community leaders future generations. For built Kashyap Bhawan in Andheri (East) 25 preserving and years back and we now have embarked on strengthening our building another cultural centre – Sharda culture, we need time, patience and Sadan in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. Sharda persistence. In this connection, it is Sadan will not just be building but will important that we learn from Parsis and embody our culture, aspiration and hopes. Jews who despite being miniscule in While we were living in Kashmir, we numbers have preserved and empowered were seamlessly woven to our customs and their culture by adapting to changes rituals and had access to places of worship needed to keep their youngsters in their and centres of community gatherings. In fold. Mumbai, we generally do not live near each It is my strong conviction that if we shun other and hence we need to have cultural our firewalls and build trust and effective centres like Kashyap Bhawan and Sharda communications amongst biradari Sadan where we can interact with one members, we can work together to another with the ultimate objective of contribute in building in the next one year preserving and empowering our culture. Sharda Sadan. We still need minimum of Sharda Sadan which has been planned to Rs. 1.00 crore to make Sharda Sadan truly exemplify our culture will when functional and for this, I appeal to all complete, instill a sense of belonging and biradari members for their valuable pride amongst all of us and leave a positive contributions. legacy for our youngsters. This centre will As we move forward in our journey to provide home to expression of our culture build various programmes / projects to fulfil and arts that showcases our rich heritage. our objectives, I encourage you all to 'put It will provide an opportunity to biradari your hand up' and stay involved in our members living in Mumbai and for those ongoing programmes / projects. Please join visiting Mumbai to learn and experience me and my Board in achieving our mission culture of Kashmir with its spirituality, of making KPA a stronger and more vibrant poetry, music, literature, etc. organization. Some of us believe that our culture is I will be happy to receive your all but lost in today’s society - with growing suggestions and constructive criticism. technological advancement, focus on Regards. material gains, intercaste marriages and not [[ speaking predominantly in our own Contact Rajen Kaul at: [email protected] Kashmiri language at home and in biradari [[ Editorial - T.N.Dhar 'Kundan' Rehabilitation of KPs ehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits the worst hit people and is a complex problem. Over the need to be rehabilitated R past more than two decades, with dignity and in safe since they were hounded out environment. They from the valley by threats and persecution, cannot be rehabilitated much water has flown down the river. The in centralized hutments characteristics of this miniscule social group or in satellite townships. are such that they are able to face and come Their profession and out of the worst circumstances mainly on need are such that they must get back to their own strength, wisdom and their villages, re-occupy their own houses perseverance. Even so this displaced and restart their engagements there. society can be divided into various Similar is the need of those Kashmiri categories. Some, whose children studied Pandits, who lived in Srinagar or prominent in various parts of the country and have now towns like Anantnag, Sopore and Baramulla got employed, have settled at the same and had their businesses and shops. They place. Their memories of Kashmir are also need to be rehabilitated in their confined to the photographs of important respective places in order to enable them shrines and prominent saints adoring their to restart their vocations. They need to be rooms. They may not be much concerned settled both physically and professionally. with rehabilitation as their links are by now These two decades of exile have brought reduced to only emotional sphere. Even so up sizeable number of youth, who are they would not let go the opportunity to educated, trained and qualified. They are return to their hearth and home if the eager to utilize their expertise and conditions so permit. knowledge for the development of Another category is of those persons Kashmir, the land of their forefathers. who are technically in the employ of the Theirs is a problem more emotional than state government. Some of them may have economic. After all they can work been adjusted in Jammu and adjoining anywhere and get reasonably good pay areas, some may have reached or may be packets but they wish to go back to their approaching superannuation, yet there are own place and work for their fellowmen. many who need to be posted and gainfully Then there are old people who are employed at appropriate places. There shattered emotionally and health-wise. cannot be a worse punishment than asking They were not used to living in scorching a healthy person to idle away his time and Sun with snakes and scorpions around. Our get paid without doing any work. He is doctors will vouch for the fact that most of made to waste not only his time and energy them have fallen prey to diseases unheard but also his talent. of back home. They would be foremost to The third category is of those who used rush back to Kashmir once they are assured to live in villages, owned farm and of safety and dignity. They would be more agricultural lands and/or orchards. They are than happy to live on their familiar ‘Hak batta,’ a modest diet once again. is the biggest challenge of our time. This Kashmiri Pandits being the original cannot be done at governmental level inhabitants of Kashmir have their social, alone but at social level by increased inter- religious and cultural roots there. Their holy religious dialogue and inter action places, shrines and pilgrimage centres are between various categories of the civil scattered all over the state, in remote society. An attitude of forget and villages, at mountain tops, on the banks of forgiveness is essential and an open arm the rivers, by the side of lakes and springs welcome from the majority community is a and in the forests. The contribution of their must. forefathers to the philosophy and other The problem of rehabilitation has to be branches of knowledge as also to the tackled at various levels, emotionally, literature in Sanskrit, Persian, Hindi, Urdu economically, socially, religious concerns and Kashmiri is a treasure stored in are to be addressed and physical safeguard manuscripts, books and other publications.