KASHMIRentinelS

Vol. 14, No: 6-7 JULY, 2009 Pages 20 Price Rs. 20/-

INSIDEEDITORIALStrip the Intifada of MoralLegitimacy..................Page 3

GUEST COLUMNTurbulence in Bangladeshisfar from over................Page 4

VIEW POINTIndia, Pakistan andKashmir......................Page 5

SPECIAL REPORTCentres Kashmir Policyloaded with danger......Page 7

COMMUNITY NEWSHomeland is the onlyway.............................Page 8

REPORTPK organises freemedical camp............Page 10

RITUALMaha Shivratri-Revisiting KashmiriRitual Variants...........Page 12

PHILOSOPHYGuru in Kashmir Shaivism &Guru in Lalla DedVakh.........................Page 13

SOCIETYEarly KashmiriSociety......................Page 14

HERITAGELord Buddha atTakshashila...............Page 15

TRIBUTEPandit Swaroop KrishanReu..........................Page 16

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS...........................Page 18-19

JKENG 00333/26/AL/TC/94 JK No: 1213/18 Regd. JK-219/2009-2011

website:www.panunkashmir.in email: kashmirsentineljk@yahoo.co.in

Let Truth Prevail

By Dr. Ajay Chrungoo

Seperatist Go For The Overkill

THE headlines of localnewspapers in Kashmirvalley have been blaring

these days with a relentlessintensity…July 09-Woman’s rape,

murder rocks; Kupwara…July08…Asrar’s killing sparks massiveprotests in Srinagar.

July 07—Bomb hurled atBaramulla police station, 3 grenadeexplosions in 2 days…. July 06--explosions rock Srinagar,Sopore..July 05-Army had abductedBasharat: Family…. July04..Larkipora teenager released—Protests in Islamabad….. July 02—Protests in curfewed Varmul; youthsuccumbs, Varmul toll 4…… July01—Police fire smoke shells atmourners—thousand attend funeralof 19 year old Amir”. The publicmobilization campaigns anddemonstrations reflecting seditiousand secessionist intensity more than

INDIA Ragdo-IITHE CHALLENGE OF NEW FUNDAMENTALIST INTIFADA

the anti-government sentiment, havebeen going on in Kashmir Valleysince the police recovered bodies oftwo ladies Neelofar and Aisya atShopian in Pulwama district sinceMay 30. The separatist mobilizationshave reflected strange over eagernesswhich needs to be understood and

placed in proper perspective.The spate of hartals and

orchestrated violence on the streetsleft a large section of people on theground bewildered contrary to thepropaganda unleashed by the localmedia. This bewilderment of thepublic at the ground both with themethodology adopted by theseparatist leadership and theresponse of the government is not afiction as many Kashmir expertssitting in Delhi would like us tobelieve. It involves a significantsection of population in the Valley andonce in a while their voices have foundexpression through the columns ofother wise partisan local media. SyedRafiuddin Bukhari a columnists inRising Kashmir provides a glimpse

of this aspect, “Is Kashmir reallyfragile or has it been made tobehave like that, Does thisquestion boggle the mind of thosewho cover, analyze and interpretthe political perceptions! Thisweek’s incidents in Baramulla

have shown that no one controlsKashmir but only those who wantto keep the pot boiling…inBaramulla where the police washandling a simple case ofkidnapping of a 15 year old girlfrom Binner. The accused in thecase was identified and one of theaccomplices was rounded up. Hiswife went to police station to seekhis release but was not obliged.She came, out and alleged that shewas misbehaved and the policepassed indecent remarks at her.This worked like jungle fire andthe whole town was up inflames….it needs an explanationas to why the young Kashmiris

A security preson saving himself from the rampaging mob during the recent violence in Kashmir Valley.

(Contd. on Page 6)

COVER STORYCOVER STORYCOVER STORYCOVER STORYCOVER STORY

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009 22222

Kashmir Sentinel and Panun Kashmir Foundation mourn their sad demise and pray for the peace to the departed souls

1. Sh. Indu Bhushan Koul S/o Late Sh. Dina NathKoul of Narparistan Sgr; presently residing at32/80 Nyay Path, Patel Marg, MansarovarJaipur. 28/2/2009

2. Sh. Jagan Nath Koul R/o 6-Private SectorJawahar Nagar Sgr; presently residing at 520-A, Sector-3, R.K. Puram New Delhi. 28/2/2009

3. Smt. Sudesh Razdan W/o Sh. Som Nath Razdanoriginally resident of Chinkral Mohalla Sgr;presently residing at H.NO: 29-E Laxmi NagarMuthi, Jammu. 2/3/2009

4. Sh. Vishv Nath Raina S/o Late Sh. SrikanthRaina orignially resident of Batyar AlikadalIndira Nagar Broadway Sgr; presently residentof H.NO: 409, Colonel’s Colony Talab Tillo,Jammu. 2/3/2009

5. Smt. Asha Sadhu W/o Sh. B.L. Sadhu originallyresident of Malik Angan, Fateh Kadal Sgr;presently at H.No: 224, 2nd Floor, AshokaEnclave Part-I, Sector-35, Faridabad. 2/3/2009

6. Smt. Kushalya Dervi W/o Late Sh. Sham LalZutshi resident of Jamwal Nagar Paloura,Jammu. 2/3/2009

7. Sh. Amar Nath Handoo (Nath Ji) S/o Late Sh.Damodhar Handoo originally resident of ChotaBazar Kanya Kadal Sgr; presently residing atH.NO: 17/27, Surya Vihar Bohri Jammu. 3/3/2009

8. Smt. Phoola Handoo W/o Late Sh. M.K. Handoooriginally resident of Banamohalla Sgr;presently residing at Flat No: 1, Duta PlazaOld Roshanpura Najafgarh, New Delhi. 43. 3/3/2009

9. Sh. Madsudan Razdan S/o Late Sh. Nath RamRazdan of Namchal Chadoorda Budgam Kmr;presently residing at H.No: 15, 15, Lane-8, RoopNagar Enclave-B, Jammu. 3/3/2009

10. Smt. Raj Rani Raina W/o Late Sh. ShambooNath Raina of Batapora Kanhama (Magam)Kmr; presently resident of H.No: 64, Sector-1,Ganga Nagar Bantalab Jammu. 4/3/3009

11. Smt. Raj Dulari W/o Sh. M.N. Badam of SathuBarbar Shah Sgr; presently residing at 302-A,Vipin Garden Kakrola Morh, New Delhi. 4/3/3009

12. Smt. Kaushallya Tickoo W/o Sh. Rattan LalTickoo originally resident of Gurgari MohallaAli Kadal Sgr; presently residing at SkylineRegalia Row House No: 2, Rattan KaushalyaVill. Chawnkya Chowk Virat Nagar Virar(West) Thane Mumbai. 4/3/2009

13. Sh. Romesh Misri S/o Sh. Tulsi Nath Misri R/o167-B, Ram Vhiar Old Janipur Jammuoriginally resident of Zaindar MohalaHabbakadal Sgr. 5/3/2009

14. Sh. Badri Nath Dhar S/o Late Sh. Ved Lal Dharof Malyar Habbakadal Sgr; presently residingat C-704, Satisar Appts. Sector-7, Dwarika NewDelhi. 5/3/2009

15. Smt. Soni Jee (Mohini Bhat) W/o Late Sh.Girdhari Lal Bhat originally resident of DevarTral, Kmr; presently residing at H.No: 44, LaneNo: 2, Shyam Vihar Gole Pully Talab Tillo,Jammu. 5/3/2009

16. Sh. Parmeshori W/o Late Dina Nath ofWaterkhni Kupwara Kmr, presently residingat Purkhoo Camp Jammu. 5/3/2009

17. Smt. Sheela Kandhari W/o Sh. M.L. KandhariErstwhile resident of Gandhi Nagar, Jammuand presently residing at C-203, Reshi Appts.Alakhnanda New Delhi. 5/3/2009

18. Smt. Kamla Rishi W/o Late Sh. Makhan LalRishi R/o Sathu Barbar Shah Sgr; presentlyresiding at H.No: 6, Lane-1, Durga NagarJammu. 7/3/2009

19. Sh. Sham Lal Bhan presently resident of D-8,Nehru Market Jammu. 7/3/209

20. Sh. Mohan Lal Peer S/o Late Sh. MohishwarNath Peer of 379, Jawahar Nagar, Sgr; presentlyresiding at H.No: 115, JK Colony Paloura TopJammu. 7/3/2009

21. Sh. Ashok Kumar Khuihama S/o Late Sh. PremNath Khuihama originally resident ofBanamohalla Sgr; presently resident of H.No:132, Shakti Khan-III, Indira Puram Gaziabad.5/3/2009

THOSE WHO LEFT USTHOSE WHO LEFT USTHOSE WHO LEFT USTHOSE WHO LEFT USTHOSE WHO LEFT US

22. Smt. Prabhawati Fotedar W/o Late Sh. AmarNath Fotedar originally resident of Mattan-Anantnag, Kmr; presently resident of H.No: 13,Lane-8, Lower Barnai Jammu. 8/3/2009

23. Sh. P.N. Munshi S/o Late Sh. S.N. Munshi R/oChinkral Mohalla 2nd Bridge Sgr; presentlyresident at B-120, D-3, Pariyavaran Complex,Saidullajab New Delhi. 8/3/2009

24. Sh. Nath Ji Bhat (Qazi) S/o Late Sh. Shiv JiBhat of Putrigam Muran Pulwama Kmr;presently residing at H.No: 15, Sector-2, Lane-1, Laxmi Nagar, Muthi Jammu. 9/3/2009

25. Sh. Dwarika Nath Bhat S/o Pt. Shankar BhatDelina Baramulla Kmr; presently resident ofH.No: 14, Lane-4, K.B. Nagar, Bantalab Jammu.9/3/2009

26. Smt. Leela Ji Jalali W/o Late L. Koul Jalalierstwhile resident of Safakadal Sgr; presentlyresiding at C-262, Sushant Lok-III, GurgoanHaryana. 9/3/2009

27. Smt. Shobawati W/o Late Pt. Rugh Nath ofPergoch Shopian Kmr; presently resident ofAmar Colony, Bank Colony Gole Gujral Jammu.10/3/2009

28. Sh. Pushkar Nath Bhat S/o Late Sh. RaghunathBhatR/o Gulgam Kupwar Kmr; presently resident ofNagrota Camp, TRT, Qtr. No: 4, Block-G,Nagrota. 10/3/2009

29. Sh. Jawahar Lal Bachloo S/o Late Sh. Anand JiBachloo of Batpora Sopore Kmr; presentlyresiding at B-1, Laxmipuram Chinor BantalabJammu. 10/3/2009

30. Sh. Prathvi Nath Bhat S/o Late Sh. SrikanthBhat originally resident of Kanli BaghBaramulla Kmr; presently residing at NawabadSunjwan Road, Jammu. 13/3/2009

31. Sh. O.N. Koul (Arazbaig) R/o Sathu BarbarshahSgr; presently residing at C-21, Parwana Appts.Mayur Vihar Phase-1, Delhi. 13/3/2009

32. Sh. Srikanth Dhar S/o Late Sh. Madhav RamDhar R/o Kewa (Herigam) Anantnag Kmr;presently resident of Sector-1(A) ChanniHimmat Jammu. 15/3/2009

33. Smt. Reeta Koul (Prabha Jee) W/o Sh. T.N. Koulof Ramnagri Shopian Kmr; presently residingat H.No: 6, Kashmiri Appts. Pritampura Delhi.15/3/2009

34. Sh. H.K. Dhar S/o Late Sh. Sham Lal Dhar R/o118, Mohalla Ustad Jammu. 15/3/2009

35. Smt. Subhadra Wangoo W/o Late Sh. Arjun NathWangoo originally resident of Ganpatyar Sgr;presently resident of 811, Sector-4, PanchkullaHaryana. 15/3/2009

36. Sh. Badri Nath Sidha originally resident ofMatan Martand, Anantnag Kmr; peresentlyresiding at 295-F, Sarwal Colony Near ShivaJee Park Jammu. 16/3/2009

37. Smt. Khemashari Bhat W/o Sh. Soom Nath Bhatoriginally resident of Wagam, ChadooraBudgam, Kmr; presently resident of H.No: 94/B, Shantipuram Muthi, Jammu. 16/3/2009

38. Smt. Chanda Rani W/o Sh. Prithvi Nath Panditaof Lavedoora Qazigund Kmr; presently residingat 302/B Sector-1, Durga Nagar, Jammu. 16/3/2009

39. Sh. C.L. Wali W/o Late Sh. Dina Nath Wali of367/1 Channi Himmat, Sector-1, Jammu. 17/3/2009

40. Smt. Devki Zutshi W/o Late Sh. S.N. Zutshioriginally resident of Balgarden Sgr andpresently resident of H.No: 117, Sector-1,Sharika Vihar, Dogra Nagar, Lower Roop Nagar,Jammu. 17/3/2009

41. Smt. Arandati Khasu W/o Late Bagwan DassKhasu originally resident of KraltaingWazapora Alikadal Sgr; presently residing atH.No: 7, Lane-1, Anand Nagar, Bohri Jammu.19/3/2009

42. Smt. Asha Hanjura W/o Dr. Ashok KumarHanjura of Shalimar Garden Sahibabad,Gaziabad (UP). 19/3/2009

43. Sh. Roop Lal Raina S/o Late Sh. Balji Rainafomerly resident of Baghe-Mehtab Sgr; presentlyresiding at 565, Sector-21-C, FaridabadHaryana. 20/3/2009

44. Sh. Roshan Lal Tickoo S/o Late Sh. Arzan NathTicku originally resident of Sathu Payeen Sgr;presently residing at H.No: 7, Sector-6, GangyalJammu. 21/3/2009

45. Sh. Janki Nath Koul originally resident of KhahBazar Anantnag Kmr; presently residing atMandir Lane, Sector-1-A, Ext. Trikuta Nagar,Jammu. 21/3/2009

46. Sh. Yougraj Koul S/o Sh. Omkar Nath Koul ofMirhama Kulgam Kmr; presently residing at2509 Kashmiri Block Jain Nagar, New Delhi.21/3/2009

47. Smt. Leelawati Bhan W/o Late Sh. Tara ChandBhan of Batpora, Dailgam, Anantnag Kmr;presently resident of H.No: 25, Kailash VhiarLower Barnai Jammu. 22/3/2009

48. Sh. Badri Nath Bhan S/o Late Sh. NeelkanthBhan originally resident of Batpora Dailgam,Kmr; presently residing at Laxmi Nagar, MuthiJammu. 22/3/2009

49. Smt. Raj Laxmi Ganjoo W/o Sh. LambodharGanjoo resident of Habbakadal Sgr; presentlyresiding at 132/1-C East Ext. Trikuta Nagar,Jammu. 22/3/2009

50. Smt. Sheela Jad W/o Sh. O.N. Jad of NazukSadhu originally resident of Arihal PulwamaKmr; presently residing at Adarash NagarPaloura Top, Lane No: 2, Jammu. 9/9/2009

51. Sh. Sunil Bhan S/o Sh. T.N. Bhan originallyresident of Ladwuna (Tullmula Kmr) presentlyresiding at H.No: 9, Lane-3, Bharat NagarBantalab Jammu. 9/4/2009

52. Sh. Piyarey Lal Koul S/o Sh. Arjan Nath KoulR/o Hanad, Chawalgam, Kulgam Kmr; pres-ently putting up at Barnai near Talab Jammu.10/4/2009

53. Sh. Mohan Lal Shalla S/o Sh. Dina Nath Shallaoriginally resident of Bagatpora HandwaraKmr; presently resident of Qtr. No: E-56, Phase-3rd Purkhoo Camp Jammu. 10/4/2009

54. Sh. Dhamodhar Dhar S/o Late Sh. Kailas RamDhar originally resident of Pethbugh-DialgamAnantnag Kmr; presently resident of Qtr. No:90, Phase-I Nagrota Camp, Jammu. 11/4/2009

55. Smt. Arundati Razdan W/o Sh. Gopi NathRazdan of Zaindar Mohalla Habbakadal Sgr;presently residing at Buta Nagar Paloura,Jammu. 11/4/2009

56. Smt. Sham Rani Wali W/o Sh. Radha KrishanWali R/o 256/H Sec-2, Durga Nagar Talab Tiloo,Jammu. 11/4/2009

57. Smt. Kamlawati Koul W/o Late Sh. Kanth KoulR/o Ganeshpora Pahalgam Kmr. presently re-siding at B-123, Basant Nagar, JanipurJammu. 11/4/2009

58. Sh. Avtar Krishen Raina S/o Late Sh. D.N.Raina of Raina's News Agency (Sgr) originallyresident of Reshi Mohalla Habbakadal Sgr;presently settled at Mahabadarkali C.G.H.S.Society, Flat No: 13, Sec-13, Dwarka New Delhi.11/4/2009

59. Smt. Shoba Kak W/o Late Sh. Prem Nath Kakof Gouripora Sanat Nagar Sgr; presently resi-dent of Plot No: 3, Flat-114, Sector of DwarikaNew Delhi. 11/4/2009

60. Sh. Rugh Nath Dhar S/o Late Sh. Keshav NathDhar originally resident of Khan-Kahi SokhtaSafakadal Sgr; presently residing at H.No: 419-20 Lane-4, Adarsh Nagar Barnai Road,Bantalab Jammu. 12/4/2009

61. Sh. Chaman Lal Mattoo S/o Late Sh. Shiv JiMattoo R/o Qaziyar Zainakadal Sgr; presentlyresiding at 2/83 Shant Nagar, Old JanipurJammu. 12/4/2009.

62. Sh. Pearay Lal Handoo S/o Late Sh. ThakurDass Handoo originally resident of KalwalMohalla Rainawari Sgr; presently residing atH.No: 411, Harmilap Nagar, Baltana ZirakpurPunjab. 12/4/2009

63. Sh. Kishen Lal Kaul S/o Late Sh. Shyam Sun-der Koul originally resident of DrabiyarHabbakadal Sgr; presently resident of D-122,Sector-61, Noida Jammu. 12/4/2009.

64. Sh. Mohan Lal Pandita S/o Late MaheshwarNath Pandita originally resident of AchanPulwama Kmr; presently residing at H.No: 378

(Contd. on Page 19)

33333

MAINTAINING a sense of proportionis the hallmark of good politics. Political movements invariably loose

credibility if they loose this sense. This is ex-actly what is happening with the separatistmovement in the Valley. Using incidents ofcrime, which invariably had a sexual angle tothem, the separatists tried desperately todemonise the Indian state. From the killingsof Neelofar and Aisya in Shopian to the mur-der of Asrar in Srinagar they tried to projectthe state connivance in them as an expres-sion of a 'police state' or ruthless 'Imperial-ism'. Painting an extremely permissive and softstate, which has allowed an extremely regres-sive and exclusivist movement to attain thehollow of a 'freedom' struggle, in the coloursof regimes run by Hitler or Pinochet meansinviting eventual national and internationalridicule.

The cracking of the Asrar's Murder inSrinagar revealing a love triangle in which ajealous lover planned the murder, has burstthe separatist bubble. The pro-separatist me-dia in the Valley which projected the demo-cratically elected state government as an ex-tension of ruthless Indian imperialism, hasstarted assuming a more sedate and introspec-tive mode. In the solving of Asrar's murdercase they have started discovering a state po-lice as a force which has 'more than onceproved its professional competence'. The me-dia in the Valley has started confessing nowthat 'such incidents of crime call for an intro-spection from people, pulpit and politicians'.

There seems to be at least an awareness nowto acknowledge that 'there is a need for launch-ing a sustained movement against moral deg-radation in a section of our youth more par-ticularly from the affluent and well to do fami-lies". The implications of 'easy money' on thesociety is also gradually dawning upon thethinking section which is a good sign. At leastthe media has started asking the question,'should we allow such individualistic crimes totake entire society as hostage?" The crimes ofthe murder of Neelofar and Aisya have alsothe same dimensions of 'moral degradation','easy 'money' and its penetration into the ad-ministrative set up.

We are not witnessing expressions of a ruth-less state out to morally debase a subjectpopulace .We are actually witnessing themoral degradation and criminalisation of a

EDITORIALEDITORIALEDITORIALEDITORIALEDITORIAL

STRIP THE INTIFADA OF MORAL LEGITIMACY

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

permissive society infecting a weak and per-missive state.

Scottish writer Andew O' Hagan while com-menting on Scottish nationalism once said that'A half-hearted nation will want to hold fast toits grievances". In Kashmir we are not wit-nessing the effervescence of even a half-hearted nation .We were witnessing the machi-nations of a political consciousness which isat war with the very concept of nation andvalues of pluralism and secularism.

The separatist mobilisation in the Valley dur-ing these days sought to project the democ-racy in the state as a shame and rule of lawonly a pretension. Using the democratic spacethe separatists are actually waging a war ondemocracy itself. By doing this it is howeverseeking to over state its case. The ideologicalcontent of the politics of separatists in theValley is manifest enough for any sane soci-ety, nation or the comity of nations to over-look.

The British based Muslim philosopherShabir Akhtar tried to overstate the case ofIslamophobia in Europe by stating that 'thenext time there are gas chambers in Europe,there is no doubt concerning who will be in-side them'. Massoud Shadjreh of the IslamicHuman Rights Commission also commentedabout the hatred for Muslims in Europe bysaying, "Muslims in Britain face the same fatethis century as jews in Europe in the last."This exagregration was exposed by the Mus-lims of Britain themselves. The reputed col-umnist Kenan Malik, extensively quoting thelegal, social educational and financial incen-tives to British Muslims, unequivocally de-bunked these impressions by asserting that,"If Muslims are singled out in Britain, it isoften for privileged treatment".

Same is true about Kashmiri Muslims butin a many times in more proportion. But isthe Indian Political establishment willing tocontest the separatist case publicly and un-equivocally? Moral degradation in Kashmir hasbeen a function of terrorism and easy money.The existence of whatever remains of a civilsociety in the Valley has been the function ofthe efforts of Indian security forces as hasbeen the protection of human rights, promo-tion of rule of law and functioning of a demo-cratic government and not the other wayround. Separatism needs to be delegitimisedand Intifada has to be stripped of moral le-gitimacy.

The TrueThe TrueThe TrueThe TrueThe TrueSentinelSentinelSentinelSentinelSentinel

(I)Sir,Kashmir Sentinel is

one paper whichpresents the Kashmircase in the most logi-cal manner. No paper,not even in th rest ofthe country, canmatch Sentinel in theanalysis of events, his-torical and politicaltrends as Sentinel doesunder your leadership.I hope it will continueto do the good work ithas been doing foryears.With prayers for your

success in the chosenendeavour.

--PN Wali,E210 Sukhdayak ..

JB Nagar,Andheri (E)

Mumbai

IISir,

Earlier I had noidea of your monthlymagazine. Since I be-came a subscribersome years ago, I havegrown into an avoidreader of the KashmirSentinel. It containsreally rich, varied andbold articles. They arewell-researched andin-depth.

It is also good thatyou include articleswhich are of documen-tary nature like wit-nesses of Pakistani in-vasion of Kashmir inthe winter of 1947.

I am also im-pressed by the open-ness with which youare covering the dis-cussions on interpreta-tions and misinterpre-tations of Lalla Vaksh.(Lalleshvari’s philo-sophical verse). Mycongratulations andblessings to all the au-thors.

--Prof. RatanParimoo

Vodadara.

LETTERSLETTERSLETTERSLETTERSLETTERS

44444GUEST COLUMNGUEST COLUMNGUEST COLUMNGUEST COLUMNGUEST COLUMN

By J N Raina

INDIA’S periphery is in direstraits. After the Talibanisationof Pakistan, now it is the turn

of Bangladesh to be on the boil. Thetwo-day mutiny by Bangladesh Rifles(BDR) was unpredicted. But it wasinevitable. The contour line wasdrawn three years ago, whenradicals, led by Jamaatul MujahideenBangladesh (JMB), engineered 487serial bomb blasts, in 63 of the 64districts across the beleagueredMuslim nation. The terrorist attackslasted just for half an hour, butgauging the magnitude of theferocious attack, it was construed asa dire warning to Bangladesh; aboutwhat was to be in the offing.

Bangladesh’s border guardsrevolted and staged a mutiny onFebruary 25. The action wasbrusque, but demands were of trivialnature. The issues could have beensorted out without lot of bloodletting.But it was not to be so. The mutinywas ultimately put down because ofthe sagacity of Bangladesh PrimeMinister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, butnot before the mutinous members ofthe paramilitary unit gunned downseveral senior officers.

The coup de Maitre claimedBangladesh 135 Army officers, asagainst only 51 in nine months dur-ing the 1971 liberation war. Theseditious act was challenging. A civilwar- like situation prevails in the im-poverished South Asian nation. It ishardly going to subside becausepeople have been radicalized againsttheir wish, during the past decade ofBangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)rule of Begum Khalida Zia.

A senior BDR officer whomasterminded the revolt andprovoked his men has been arrested.But over 1000 fugitive soldiers, fac-ing murder charge, are still at large.Many of them have managed toescape. They are not going to lie low,but will continue to create mayhemand chaos , at the instance of agentsprovocateurs.

Turbulent Bangladesh is not acountry of omnium gatherum (acollection of miscellaneous people).They follow one religion. Butamazingly one section of the Muslimcommunity is targeted against theother by jihadi groups.

Some of the fugitives might havesneaked into Assam and other partsof India to destabilize the situationduring election time. Warning is onthe board.

Conducting serial blasts was not

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

TURBULENCEin Bangladesh is far from over

the handiwork of novices. The JMBterrorists were trained by ISI in Pa-kistan, where Talibanisation isspreading fast. Some of them werearrested and punished, but most ofthem later regrouped and infiltratedinto the ranks of the BDR. Under aplan, they divided themselves into dif-ferent groups and indulged in jehadiculture as designed by ISI. Anotherterrorist organization, the Harkat-ul-jihad-al-Islami of Bangladesh (Huji-B) has spread its tentacles into Indiaand beyond. They are well linkedwith Al Qaida and Talibans.

The mutiny was a first major blowto Sheikh Hasina’s new government.She came to power after remainingin political wilderness for over adecade. Her resounding victory at thepolls might have disturbed herdetractors at home and ISI, becauseof her pro-India stance. The AwamiLeague defeated the extremists aswell s ‘military-minded’ elements inthe Army, who might have feltnervous and wanted to hit her backquickly, giving her no breathingtime. It was a pre-plannedconspiracy allegedly hatched by theBNP leadership, in association withthe radicals and their masters inPakistan. Sheikh Hasina’s decision

Turbulent Bangladesh is not a country ofomnium gatherum (a collection of

miscellaneous people). They follow onereligion. But amazingly one section of theMuslim community is targeted against the

other by jihadi groups.

‘

that the Awami League governmentwould prosecute the collaborators ofthe 1971 war of liberation and alsoto handover ULFA commander AnupChetia to India might have had im-mediate reaction and troubled theterrorists and their handlers inPakistan, who are friendly towardsthe collaborators. Those who haveassassinated Bangladesh’s firstPrime Minister Sheikh MujiburRahman would also be punished.There was procrastination in dealingwith these issues during the past

when the country was governed byBNP, led by Begum Zia, who had thebacking of the hardcore Jamaat-e-Islami and some vested interests inthe Army. It was during her tenurethat the society was radicalized andthe extremists gathered momentum.

Over ten million Bangladeshi havegot settled in India, especially in theNorth East, changing the country’sdemography. India has a 4095 km-long porous border with Bangladesh,making infiltration possible. Cansuch extremist elements, spreadingWahhabi Islamism, originating fromSaudi Arabia, tolerate Sheikh Hasinato succeed in her endeavour to‘placate’ India and undo all that hasbeen overtly and covertly ‘achieved’during the past decade?

India has a tremendous role indealing with the Bangladeshproblem and assist the AwamiLeague Government. If we fail to

help Sheikh Hasina, China will stepin to create problems for India.

The mutiny cannot be takenlightly. The BDR mutineerssurrendered only when Hasina tooka tough posture, and only whentanks rolled down their PilkhanaHead Quarters. Sheikh Hasina hadgot an overwhelming support from across section of people, who wantdemocracy to thrive, rather thanchaos and perpetual turmoil to pre-vail at the behest of ISI. People areagainst Talibanisation of Bangla-

’

desh.Sheikh Hasina handled the

emerging situation carefully andasked the mutineers to lay downarms and negotiate with her to airtheir grievances. Keeping cool, shewarned of serious consequences ifthey failed to surrender. It is mind-boggling that 70,000 strong BDRforce was provoked to rebel not onlyagainst the Government but alsoagainst the Army, which is “ freefrom the taint of collaborationism”.Ironically it was the same BorderDefence Force (BDF)—then known asEast Pakistan Rifles—which hadlaunched the first attack on PakistanArmy during the liberation struggle.The force had displayed loyaltytowards Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,the independent country’s first PrimeMinister.

Following the 1975 coup, the BDFpersonnel have been brainwashed bythe Jamaat-e-Islamis, who were inthe minority then. The BDF forcewas indoctrinated to help jihadism.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman waskilled on August 15, 1975, whenIndia was celebrating Independence.In fact it was an internationalconspiracy to assassinate him. TheUnited States was at the back ofPakistan and had armed thatcountry to the teeth against India.Almost all Arab nations were in fa-vour of Pakistan and against theindependence of Bangladesh, whichwas considered as a triumph of India.

According to Anil Bhat, a Defenceand Security analyst, the ISI hasdealt a severe blow to “Bengaliyat”(Bengali ethos and culture), in con-junction with the fundamentalistforces operating in Bangladeshduring the past tenure of BNP. It wasduring this period that ULFA leaderswere “ luxuriously ensconced” inBangladesh with the support fromISI and the Directorate General ForceIntelligence (DGFI). The latter isclosely linked with extremist groupsand BDR. The BDR is being mannedby the Army officers, to the chagrinof the paramilitary force.

The timing of the mutiny is tobe carefully noted. It followed just onthe heels of the Awami League Gov-ernment’s decision that it wouldhandover ULFA commander AnupChetia to India.

Bangladesh has a sordid historyof forcible regime change similar toPakistan. It has generally happenedwhen the Awami League governmenthas been in power. Thousands ofintellectuals were killed by brutePakistan Army and its collaborators,before the liberation of Bangladesh

*(The author is a seniorjournalist based at Pune)

55555VIEW POINTVIEW POINTVIEW POINTVIEW POINTVIEW POINT

By Dr. M.K. Teng

THERE is a risk of repetition of what hasbeen reported in the

columns of the Sentinel aboutthe nature of the Kashmirdispute, the state that Paki-stan has claimed in it and theanomalous policy Indian hasfollowed about the future ofJammu and Kashmir State.However, the Hindus inJammu and Kashmir cannotafford to be complacent aboutthe developments in the state,the police action Pakistanhas initiated against theTaliban and the increasingsense of self-abnegationwhich dominates the outlookof the Indian political classin respect of national unity.The Indian interest in Kash-mir is overwhelmingly deepand the future of the state isintimately connected withthe unity of Indian the secu-rity of the Indian frontiersand the role of the Indianstate in the changing bal-ances of power in Asia.

Pakistan's ClaimsPakistan has incessantly

claimed that the unificationof Jammu and Kashmir withPakistan is a condition for thecompletion of the process ofthe partition of India. Paki-stan has claimed that theMuslims of Jammu andKashmir constituting a ma-jority of the population of thestate, formed a part of theMuslim nation of Pakistan.The dispute over Kashmir,Pakistan claimed has itsroots in the Indian denial ofthe right of self-determina-tion the Muslims of theJammu and Kashmir ac-quired in consequence of thelapse of the BritishParamountcy-the authoritythe British Crown exercisedover the princely state of In-dia. The contention of Paki-stan is deceptively simple.Pakistan insists upon theresponsibility of India, to finda settlement of the Kashmirdispute, which is acceptableto Pakistan and the Muslimsof Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the Kashmirdispute is not a legacy of thepartition of India nor is the

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

India-Pakistan and KashmirKashmir dispute a creationof the Indian denial of theright of self-determinationthe Muslims of Jammu andKashmir acquired as a con-sequence of the lapse of theParamountcy. The unifica-tion of the erstwhile princelystate of Jammu and Kashmirwith Pakistan, never formeda condition for the completionof the process of the partitionof India. The partition of In-dia did not apply to theprincely states which werecompletely insulated from itsoperation on the insistence ofthe Muslim League and theBritish Government. Thereis no basis in the claim, Pa-kistan has persistently made,that the onus of responsibil-ity to find a settlement of theKashmir dispute, which is aaccpetable to Pakistan andthe Muslims of Jammu andKashmir, rests on India. In-dia has never accepted anyresponsibility to find a settle-ment of the Kashmir disputewhich is acceptable to theMuslims in Pakistan and theMuslims in Jammu andKashmir.

Kashmir's accession toIndia dispute is an insepara-ble part of the Indian strug-gle for freedom from the Brit-ish rule. It is a part of thecommitment of the Indianpeople to preserve the unityof the Indian nation and itscivilisational frontiers. It isa part of the Indian commit-ment to uphold the continu-ity of the history of India.Kashmir dispute in fact, thelast phase of the Indian re-sistance against the Muslimsseparatists movement,which culminated in the par-tition of India in 1947. Themovement for secession inJammu and Kashmir whichPakistan has been carryingon for the last six decades, isaimed to foist a secondparitition on India, extendthe Muslim power of Paki-stan eastwards into thewarm Himalayan uplands ofJammu and Kashmir andreopen the routes of invasioninto the north India acrossthe river Ravi.

The Indian princely stateswere a part of the Indian na-tion. The people of the Indianstates were always in theforefront of the Indian strug-gle for the unity of India andits liberation from the Brit-ish rule. The insistence of theBritish Government and theMuslims League on the lapseof the Paramountcy wasaimed to divide the princelystates from the British In-dian provinces and break up

the states to bring about thevivisection of India. Whilethe partition plan was on theanvil, Mountabatten and theBritish authorities secretlyassured the Congress leadersthat after the separation ofthe Muslims majority re-gions of the British India wasaccepted by the Congressleaders, the unity of the re-maining provinces of theBritish Indian and the In-dian princely states wouldnot be allowed to be impaired.Infact the Congress leadersamong them mainly Nehru,expressed concern about theprincely states, which theyemphasised could not be leftout of the future political or-ganisation of an independentIndia. Mountabatten and theBritish authorities, quietlyresiled from their commit-ments, after the Congress

leaders endorsed the parti-tion plan.

Self-Determination:The princely states of In-

dia spread over one-third ofthe territory of the BritishIndian empire and consti-tuted one-fourth of the popu-lation of India. The peoples'movements in the stateswere committed to the unityof the people in the BritishIndia and the Indian statesand the freedom of India in-cluding the states from theBritish colonial rule. Thecreation of the Muslim home-land of Pakistan was con-fined to the partition of theBritish India and left theprincely states out of its pre-view. The Muslim League ad-vocated the exclusion of theprincely states from the con-stitutional organisation theBritish India, because itclaimed the princely stateswhich were populated byMuslim majorities as well asthe princely states ruled bythe Muslim rulers. Amongthe princely states very fewstates including Jammu andKashmir were populated by

Muslim majorities. Thelarger number of the princelystates was populated byHindu majorities and amongthem were the states ruledby Muslim princes, includingBhopal, Hyderabad andJunagarh, which had finan-cially backed the Muslimstruggle for Pakistan.

The Muslim League sup-ported the lapse of the Brit-ish Paramountcy to providespace for the Muslim ruledstates to remain out of Indiaand align themselves withthe Muslim state of Pakistan.Both the British and theMuslim League opposed theright of the peoples of theprincely states to determinetheir future affiliationswhich the Congress leadersfrantically pleaded for. TheBritish and the MuslimLeague were aware of thecommitment of the peoples'movement in the states to thefreedom of India and theunity of the states with theBritish India.

The partition plan as wellas the lapse of the Para-mountcy the transfer ofpower in India, envisaged didnot underline the right of self-determination of the Mus-lims in the British Indian orthe Muslims in the princelystates, including the stateswhere they formed a major-ity of the population. TheMuslims League and theBritish persistently refusedto recognise the right of self-determination in the BritishIndian provinces and theprincely states. Both the Brit-ish and the Muslim Leaguesought to use the princelystates, particularly thestates ruled by MuslimsPrinces and the states popu-lated by Muslim majorities,to Balkanise India.

Muslim League lookedupto the Muslim rulers of thestates to align themselveswith the Muslim homelandof Paksitan. The British sup-ported the League in its en-deavour to bring about thefragmentation of the India.Muslim League looked uptothe Muslim rulers of thestates to align themselveswith the Muslims homelandof Pakistan. The British sup-ported the League in its en-deavour to bring about thefragmentation of the IndianStates, for the British werekeen to include a part of thenorthern frontier of India inthe Muslim state of Pakistanwhich they believed wouldsecure their interests inAsia. Jammu and Kashmir,formed the central spur of the

northern frontier of India.The northern areas of theNorth-West Frontier Prov-ince rimmed the Dardic de-pendencies of the Jammu andKashmir state, and theGilgit Agency which was for-tified by the Britishgrarrisons.

The Muslim rulers ofJunagarh and Hyderabadplayed their part well. Butthe ruler of Jammu andKashmir upset in British andthe League plans. The rulerof Junagarh acceded to Pa-kistan and Hyderabadspared no efforts to align it-self with that country.Junagarh was located in themidst of the KathiawadStates, which formed a partof the Indian Dominion.Hyderabad was situated deepinside south India. The sub-jects of both Junagarh andHyderabad were predomi-nantly Hindu. Hari Singh,right from the time heturned away the Viceroy,who flew into Srinagar,shortly after the June 3 Dec-laration to prevail upon himto come to terms with Paki-stan, acted deftly to save hisstate from being used as apawn. Mountabatten did notforgive the Maharaja, forhow he had sent him back toDelhi.

The leaders and the cad-res of the All Jammu andKashmir National Confer-ence were in jail, when theBritish quit India on 15 Au-gust 1947. They had beenclosed up for a year before onaccount of the "Quit Kash-mir" movement they hadlaunched in the spring of1946. The National Confer-ence supported the Indianstruggle for freedom and wasaffiliated to the All IndiaStates People's Conference,which spearheaded the na-tional movement in theprincely states. The NationalConference leaders were re-leased from their incarcera-tion after 6 September 1947,when the Maharaja pro-claimed a general amnestyfor the National Conferencepolitical prisoners. The Na-tional Conference leaders,though they demanded thetransfer of power to the peo-ple, did not show any impa-tience with the accession ofthe State. Infact, after theworking Committee of theNational Conference decidedto support the accession ofthe state to India in a secretmeeting, they sent emissar-ies to Pakistan to open nego-tiations with the League

(Contd. on Page 11)

Kashmir's accession toIndia dispute is an

inseparable part of theIndian struggle forfreedom from the

British rule. It is a partof the commitment ofthe Indian people to

preserve the unity ofthe Indian nation and itscivilisational frontiers.’

‘

66666COVER STORY

(Contd. from Page 1)should fall prey to such asituation in which four youngboys give their blood forsomething which is not partof the struggle”. The culpritand this lady had links witha local political party is wellknown.

The over eagerness of theseparatist formations to gofor an overkill was manifestfrom the very day of therecovery of dead bodies of twoladies Neelofar and Asiya inShopian and the initialbungling of the governmentto respond to it. In Shopianlocal discourse reflected thatthe people never believed therole of CRPF or Army in thekillings. People in the streetthere asked questions as towhy should the bodies of theladies be left just outside theCRPF camp if the personnelof the same organization hadcommitted the crime. Peoplealso suspected the moralintegrity of the husband ofNeelofar. The relations ofNeelofar on her home sidewere less enthusiastic aboutthe public exposure of theaffair. Justice Jancommission brought out thisfacet in the open. The reporthas undermined separatistmobilization more thananything else in Shopianbecause it has struck a noteof resonance with thecommon perception of thepeople.

The Justice JanCommission has recorded therift between the two familiesfrom Tukru and Bongamareas of Shopian district. TheCommission records that inApril May 2007, Neelofareloped with Shakeel AhmadAhangar against the wishesof her family. Commissionputs down that, “It will be inplace to mention here thatNeelofar Jan belongs to a“Peer” family which istreated in the society withthe degree of respect andhonour for their upper classstatus, where as ShakeelAhmad Ahangar belongs to“Khaar” family which isincluded in the otherbackward classes of thesociety. This marriage hadgiven birth to a serioushatred of Peer family towardsAhangar family. It is reliablylearnt that Zeerak Shah(brother of Neelofar) alongwith his friends had eventhreatened the Ahangarfamily of dire consequencesif Neelofar is not handed overto her family” The

Commission also recordedthat after the burial ofNeelofar and Asiya, ZeerakShah pitched a tent atTukroo and gathered hisfriends relatives and othervillagers who used to blockthe road at Tukroo, smashthe window panes of the civil,government vehicles andraise anti-India and pro-freedom slogans to attack thepassersby”. The commissionhas also taken notice of thefact that Shakeel was knownfor his immoral activities andhad amassed assetsdisproportionate to his knownsources of income. “ShakeelAhmad Ahangar wasworking with hisbrothers at weldingworkshop at Shopian.He eloped with NeelofarJan in 2007 and wentoutside Shopian. Afterhis return he started hisown business byopening a shop ofreadymade furnitureitems near policestation Shopian…inOctober 2008, Shakeelpurchased an orchard(1 kanal 16 marla) inNagbal-Dehgam forabout 5.30 lakhs. Healso owns a Maruti carand maintains a goodliving standard.Further it is learnt thathe does not carry a goodreputation among the societyand is being known for hisimmoral activities”. It can besafely presumed that thesefacts would have been knownto separatists’ think tanks.They latched upon the twinmurders to unleash thefrenzy as if they were indesperate search forincidents or accidents tocling to. They cared lessabout the loss of face andcredibility in case the factsthey were projecting aboutthe gruesome incidentsproved wrong. They seem tobe in a strange hurry to useincidents even at the risk ofeventually exposing the rotwithin the society for whichthey have been moreresponsible than thegovernment. The cracking ofthe Asrar’s murder case,showing that it was nothingmore than the outcome of thejealousy of a love triangle,exposed the separatistindulgence in matters whichshamed one and all.

A strange hope seems topervade the thinking ofseparatist echelons that ifthey build public pressures

something dramatic mayhappen. The Hurriat leaderand the main force behindthe public upsurge betrayedhis feelings when hecommented, “People shouldmake a difference betweenright and wrong and followthe right path. New dawn isawaiting us and it is thecrucial juncture thatdemands patience andconsistency.” He said this inan appeal to KashmiriMuslims amongst whomconfusion was taking rootsabout the legitimacy andrationale of endless hartalsand demonstrations. AnotherHurriat leader Mirwaiz

Umar Farooq had describedthis confusion among peopleas‘anarchy’, ‘we should notlook like a divided house, thatseparatist organizationsshould not be in a rat race toissue strike calls….we needto think of creatingalternative ways of protest.We have to carry on themovement and lives of thepeople as well.”

The roots of this hope layin certain recentdevelopments involving theregion as well as theexperience of last year’sagitation against the landtransfer to Shri AmarnathShrine Board.India Ragdo-II and theCatalysts

The agitation onAmarnath land row hadexposed the cleavages in thepolity in rest of India. Asection of high profile liberalelite in rest of India came outbrazenly supporting theseparation of Kashmir fromIndia one way or the other.Likes of Arundhati Roy,Shabana Azmi, even VeerSanghvi not to speak of PremShankar Jha, and AG

Noorani through theirspoken or written wordscreated an impression in theValley amongst separatistrank and file that ‘Azadi’ wasround the corner. ‘Ek DakkaAur Do’, (just one push more)was the common refrain ofthe separatist campaignersthen. The public mobilizationhad less to do with the actualland row and more withwrecking Indian sovereignityover Kashmir. The campaignwas not called India Ragda/Ragdo-I for onlysloganeering. It reflected theunderlying motivation of thepublic mobilization. Carryingthe experience forward this

year’s campaignersunleashed, after the recoveryof dead bodies of two ladiesin Shopian allegedly raped,the India Ragda/Ragdo-II.

Dr Sheikh ShowkatHussain, who teaches in thedepartment of Law inKashmir University saysunambiguously on the recentpublic unrest in the Valleywhich he describes as the‘resistance beyond the armedstruggle’, about the spirit ofunderlying India Ragdo-II as,“Indian state needs to realizethat it is confronting ahighly informed andeducated young generation ofKashmiris, they know thedirection in which right ofself determination is evolvingand has evolved. It hasdefinitely evolved in adirection which isadvantageous to Kashmirnot against it. East Timorand Eritrea availed it despitebeing non colonialpossessions. Montinegroenjoyed the right of self-determination in spite ofhaving forty five percentopponents to independence”.

The separatist mindarticulates its position

vehemently. It describes theexpressions of separatism asthe expression of a ‘ResistantKashmir’, and demeans thepolitical engagement and thedemocratic process in thestate as ‘collaboratingKashmir’. The manifestdisenchantment of thecommon man at the groundwith separatist leadershipand the sway of confusion istrivialized by calling it‘vacillating Kashmir’.

The India Ragdo-IIintifada in Kashmir is beingguided by such a mindset.This mindset would havecertainly taken note of theadmission in early Maytowards the fag end ofParliamentary elections bynone other than PrimeMinister of India DrManmohan Singh when hesaid, “…I have alwaysbelieved a strong peacefulmoderate Pakistan in India’sinterests. We worked veryhard on that and in fact I andGeneral Musharraf hadreached nearly anagreement a non territorialsolution to all problems butthen General Musharraf gotinto many difficulties withthe Chief Justice and otherfronts and therefore thewhole process came to a halt”.Separatist think tanks inKashmir have beenrelentlessly searching a wayto circumvent thepredicament in whichPakistan is caught up andchart out a course to bring ahalt to the ‘halt’.

The comments of localcolumnist Syed RafiuddinBukhari in Rising Kashmirare revealing in this context,“…Pakistan Government isgrappling with the worst evercrisis, the Kashmirileadership should stoplooking towards Islamabadand think independently tocharter their own course.”The India Ragdo-II is thecourse which separatistshave embarked upon. Theirhope lies more on the supportwhich they generateamongst a section ofentrenched liberal class inIndia be it Arundhati Roy orPrem Shankar Jha etc.- thepeople who advocate aconcession on sovereignty notto bail out India from someinternational pressure butmore out of an ideologicaloutlook which recognizesMuslim communalism as aprogressive secularimperative for India toreconcile with.

Separatists rank and file(Contd. on Page 9)

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

The Challenge of New Fundamentalist Intifada

77777SPECIAL REPORTSPECIAL REPORTSPECIAL REPORTSPECIAL REPORTSPECIAL REPORT

By S.M. Pandit

JAMMU, June 21: IndianForeign Policy vis-a-vis Pa-kistan came under sharpcriticism at a seminar, Han-dling of Kashmir: Contoursand Implications, organisedby Panun Kashmir. Thespeakers accused the Indianstate of pursuing the Kash-mir policy that has potentialof endangering the territorialintegrity and sovereignty ofthe country.

Delivering his presidentialaddress, Dr Ajay Chrungoo,Chairman Panun Kashmir,said that the statements ofthe likes of Prime Ministerof India and National Secu-rity Advisor suggest that In-dia is inching forward tosome compromise over Kash-mir with Pakistan but thegeneral masses are kept indark. Prime Minister of In-dia in an interview hadhinted that some sort of fi-nal settlement with Pakistanhad been arrived at whichcould not be carried forwardbecause of instability inPaksitan. Reminding PrimeMinister of India of theunanimous Parliament reso-lution of 1993-1994 on theissue, Dr Chrungoo askedPrime Minister if he has themandate for such assertions.Referring to Dr. ManmohanSingh's oft repeated assertionthat there would be no com-promise on territory, the PKleader wanted to know if In-dia has settled on ideologicalconcession instead. Dr.Chrungoo opined. “A nationstate has an out-look, an ide-ology and after ideologicalconcessions, the territorialintegrity and sovereigntycannot be safe guarded". Ac-cusing the GoI of keeping thenation in drak about negotia-tions, Dr. Chrungoo said thatthe Jehadi and separatistselements in the Valley andtheir radical supportersacross the border seem tohave more information aboutIndo-Pak negotiations thanthe Indians. Having a dig atthe Track-2 diplomacy,Panun Kashmir leader saidthat the statementsemnating from Home, For-eign and Defence Ministrysuggest that they are alsogroping in dark on the issueand it looks that "Track-2 di-plomacy has replaced the

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

Seminar HANDLING OF J&K: CONTOURS AND IMPLICATIONS

Centre's Kashmir Policy loaded with danger: Penalistsconventional state diplo-macy.”

Warning the nationalisticpopulation of India not to beoff-guard, Dr. Ajay Chrungoosaid that the talks about"Self-Rule Porous-borders,Joint Managements and Re-gional Assemblies" are nottalks in air. He added thatthe explanation of porous-bor-

der as free trade are not ten-able as there is no such con-cept of porous borders be-tween sovereign states andthe border between India andNepal or America andCanada is not described as po-rous. Warning the Indianstate of any compromisealone Chenab, Dr. Chrungoosaid, "if we compromise alongChenab, our borders will rollback upto Satluj".

Lambasting the so-calledliberal discourse in India,Dr. Chrungoo said, "the so-called liberal discourse inIndia facilitate with Islamicradicalism " He said thatwhile the world is fearing thetake-over of Pakistan byradical Taliban, the liberaldiscourse is advocating for

compromises with it. He saidthat it is a dichotomy thatwhen there is appreciation ofIndian position in saner ele-ments in Pakistan, Indianliberal discourse is relent-lessly attacking it.

Accusing a section of In-dian political spectrum ofdefending Muslim-Commu-nalism and denying even de-

bate on the issue, DrChrungoo said, "it has beenexpression of Indian state notto contest Muslim commu-nalism". Exhorting the popu-lace of India to fight out suchmachinations Dr Chrungoosaid, "such things are nothappening out of ignorance ordefault but it is a mindsetwhich has to be corrected.We have to fight the Indianstate on the issues."

Speaking on the subject,Prof. Dipanker Sen Gupta ofthe University of Jammu,said that handling of J&K bythe Union government isloaded with confusion. Hefavoured building of alliesamong the secular and na-tionalist forces in the stateand not to shy away from the

negotiations. He said thatwhen it comes to handling ofJ&K, the policy of the Uniongovernment is cloned withconfusion and there is confu-sion on Pakistani side aswell but that confusion isstrategic and deliberate. Ac-cusing Indian political estab-lishment of being apprehen-sive about the United Na-

tions Resolutions, Prof. SenGupta said that upto 2001,UN resolutions scared Indiaand now the observers feelhow the plebiscite was impos-sible as the onus lies on Pa-kistan that has to take stepsbefore the implementation ofthe UN resolutions" Indiacannot be faulted on accountof self determination andplebiscite," he asserted.

Referring to the state-ments about terrorism beingunder control in J&K, Prof.Dipankar Sen Gupta saidthat terrorists have alreadywon as an atmosphere hasbeen created in the Valleywhere an Indian cannotclaim to be an Indian. Headded that there is "socialsanction" for attacking such

persons. He said that thereis no section that has beenable to mobilise and developPro-Indian constituency inthe Valley. Referring to theagitation on Shopian issue,he said that there is not aword on similar crimes andkillings by a particular sec-tion from separatists andmainstream politicians thatis "the manifestation of a par-ticular ideology.”

Accusing the nationalmedia and media in Jammuof contributing to the sepa-ratists and communal ideol-ogy by not contesting it, ProfSen Gupta said that it failedto martial resources to pro-tect Indian interests in thestate. He said that there ischaracter assassination of apro-India lady who has ex-pressed her views on differ-ent fora. He said that Pro.separatists press has takena march ahead as it has beenable to sell fiction as facts toinfuse confusion. Prof. SenGupta described it a strangeparadox that "the people whocry for Azadi deny the sameright to the citizens of J&K".

Alleging pro-India MLAs ofbeing more interested inspending "Constituency De-velopment Funds" than em-powering their people, Prof.Gupta advocated formation ofallies among pro-India andsecular people in the state.He said, "Multi-prongedstrategy is needed to defeatthe separatists". He de-scribed Amarnath agitationa step forward in this direc-tion and advised not to go tosleep. Prof. Gupta advisedPro-India groups not to shyaway from negotiations as insuch circumstances their des-tiny will be decided by someothers.

Prof. Hari Om, a politicalanalyst, said that the natureof problem needs to be under-stood to find solution to theKashmir issue. He accusedIndian state of its failure toprotect the interests of mi-norities as "full space wasgiven for exploitation of mi-norities in the state". Prof.Hari Om advocated a changein the policy so that the in-terests of minorities—Jammuites, displace-people,Pandits and Ladakhis-areprotected.

(Contd. on Page 1)

The penalists (L to R(: Prof. Hari Om, Dr.Ajay Chrungoo, Sh. M.M.Khajuria &Prof. Dipankar Sen Gupta. --KS photo

88888KS Correspondent

DELHI, July 12: PanunKashmir Organised a oneday community meet at In-dia International CentreDelhi today on 12th July2009. The participants in-cluded Presidents / Heads ofdifferent Kashmiri PanditSamitis /Associations in andaround NCR -Delhi besidesprominent kashmiri panditsand Panun Kashmir activ-ists. The deliberations dur-ing the meet revolved roundthe role of Panun Kashmirduring the last 20 years ofexile and the ways to achievethe cherished Goal of theKashmiri Pandit Community.The participants unani-mously appreciated and ac-cepted the role of PanunKashmir in not only estab-lishing the forced exile of thecommunity nationally andinternationally at the handsof communal and fundamen-talist elements of Kashmirvalley and also the failure ofIndian political establish-ment to prevent the exodusof the community but also es-tablished Kashmiri Panditsas an important and integralpart to the solution of socalled Kashmir dispute.

Addressing the partici-pants Gen secretary PanunKashmir Sh. Kuldeep Rainasaid that the communityshould be proud of its mas-sive effort in upholding thehonour and dignity of theentire community despitehuge challenges and con-straints and the total neglectand callous attitude of politi-cal establishment of theCountry. The communityhas become a role model forall those people who havebeen the sufferers of thesame fate. He cautioned thecommunity members that inno way should the commu-nity bail out kashmiri Mus-lims as they were the primefactor in our expulsion fromKashmir valley. He addedthat Panun kashmir is a revo-

lutionary concept and itneeded revolutionary prac-tices to achieve it. He furtheradded that Govt of India hasbeen pursuing a policy ofpseudo secularism andPanun Kashmir has exposedthis farce face before theNational and International

community. He appealed tothe participants that it ishigh time to acknowledgethat Panun Kashmir is theonly viable and permanentsolution to Kashmiri Panditdisplacement and requestedthem to propagate and workfor achievement of Homelandthrough their respectiveSamitis /Associations -whichwas unanimously acceptedand endorsed by all partici-pants

Participating in the delib-erations the Vice chair per-son Panun Kashmir Dr.Shakti Bhan highlighted therole of Women in upholdingthe values of community andtheir remarkable contribu-tion in making the most test-ing times of the communitylook normal. She asked theparticipants to encouragemore and more female mem-bers of the community to bethe part of the on going strug-gle. Others who spoke on theoccasion include :

Dr. L.N. Dhar -PresidentKashmiri Samiti Delhi

Dr. M.L. Hashia -Presi-dent kashmiri Sewak SamajFaridabad

Sh. A.K. Kaul -PresidentKashmiri Pandit Sabha -Vashali

Sh. M.L. Bhat -PresidentHarmukh Charitable society-Vipan Garden

Sh. G.L. Munshi- Presi-dent Kashmiri welfare asso-ciation Shalimar Garden

Sh. A.K.Zutshi- PresidentKashmiri pandit sabhaShalimar Garden

Sh. Pamposh Raina-President Kashmir tradersassociation -Delhi ( Teh-Bazari )

Sh. O.N. Raina -presidentKashmiri Pandit Sabha -Ashoka Enclave Faridabad

Sh. Rakesh Pandita -Presi-dent Kashmiri pandit sabhaKong Posh Colony-JainNagar

Sh. Rajesh Langar- Presi-

Panun Kashmir organises community meet at New DelhiPanun Kashmir organises community meet at New DelhiPanun Kashmir organises community meet at New DelhiPanun Kashmir organises community meet at New DelhiPanun Kashmir organises community meet at New Delhi

HOMELAND IS THE ONLY WAY

dent Milchar-DelhiSh. B.L. Bhat--President

Kashmiri samiti New PalmVihar Gurgaon

Sh. Kundru -Presidentkashmiri pandit association-Nagafaragh

Sh. Bharat Bushan -Presi-dent kashmiri welfare asso-ciation- Dwarika

Prof. M.L. Raina- Presi-dent R.P. Raina memorialsociety

Dr. S.S. ToshkhaniSh. Satish Sher -secretary

Panun KashmirSh. B.L.Ambardar- Sec.

KPWA-FaridabadSh.M.L.Raina-Vice-presi-

dent-KPWA-FaridabadSh.Anil Dhar- Vice Presi-

dent-Kashmiri sewak samajFaridabad

Sh. Kuldeep Bhat- G.M.Gulf Chemicals-Muscat -Oman.

The programme was ablyorganised and conductedunder the guidance of Sh.

Vijay Tickoo-Vice ChairmanPanun Kashmir and ShKamal Wangnoo-SecretaryPanun Kashmir NCR

The meet concluded withthe declaration that a moreco-ordinated effort is re-quired on part of PK to edu-cate and apprise the commu-nity of Panun Kashmir per-ception and its necessity foran everlasting solution to thesufferings of the communityon every front be it social,cultural, religious or politi-cal. Sh. Vijay Tickoo Vice-Chairman Panun Kashmirannounced that a bigger meetwhich will include besidescommunity leadership, mem-bers of community from dif-ferent fields like medicine,journalism, education, busi-ness, artists etc. will be heldon 2nd August 2009 at Delhi.The purpose is to involve peo-ple from different walks of lifefor achieving our goal, headded.

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009 COMMUNITY MEET

Dr. L.N. Dhar President Kashmir Samiti Delhi, Sh.Vijay Tickoo, Vice-Chairman Panun Kashmir,Sh. Kuldeep Raina, Gen. Secretary Panun Kashmir & Dr. Shakti Bhan during the meet.

Sh. Kanwal Wangnoo, Secretary NCR Delhi addressing the meet. A view of the audience. --Photos/Raj Raina

99999KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

(Contd. from Page 6)realize some space in the newforeign policy of USA.Comments of the nominee ofUS President as ambassadorto India, Timothy Roemerthat Kashmir “has been anextremely sensitive hotspotfor the world and for theregion. Where we havealmost experiencedthermonuclear war onseveral occasions,” has beenmusic to the separatist rankand file as has been theearlier statements byAssistant Secretary of StateWilliam Burns or even thatof the secretary of stateHillary Clinton.

Separatists have also notmissed the success ofPakistani government to tonedown India’s assertion on 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Therelease of Hafeez Syed is seenas gradually stiffeningstance of Pakistan onKashmir. Keeping the potboiling in Kashmir througha non violent intifada servesPakistan to preserve itsKashmir Policy withreinforced moral legitimacy.

Last but not the least theIndian Ragdo-II intifada asper separatist thinkingdelegitimises the democraticprocess in the state. Mr.Arjimand Hussain Talibbrings out this aspect asbrazenly as possible in hiscolumn. “It should now beclear to India’s political andmedia establishment thathigh voter turn out inAssembly elections does notmean an end of KashmiriMovement for selfdetermination. Kashmirneeds a real politicalsettlement which goes beyondthe pre-1989 military statusquo”.

The ParadoxThe Central government if

it has any inclination todiffiuse the situation on theground has to resolve aparadox. The maincomponent NC of the rulingAlliance in J&K shares andidentifies with the commonminimum agenda of thecampaigners on the street inthe Valley. In a full pageadvertisement, the stategovernment declares its threemain and primaryachievements sinceassuming power as – i). Bolddecision taken after 20 yearsto replace CRPF by localspolice; ii) First CM to pleadeloquently for withdrawal ofAFSPA, Union Governmentflags the issue; iii) Presence

of Magistrates with police/security forces now mademandatory while dealingwith law and order problemsand iv) Bomai (Army) campre-located within a month.The main opposition PDP,both factions of Hurriat andthe local Bar Council all haverevocation of AFPSA anddemilitarization as theirmain demands. We have apiquant situation where inprincipal, the opposition,mainstream as well asseparatist, and the stategovernment is politically onthe same side.

The situation becomesbizarre when a section of theGovernment of India choosesto identify with thisconsensus. The incidental oraccidental remarks of noneother than the Vice PresidentMohammad Hamid Ansari,while reffering to the PM’sWorking Group onConfidence BuildingMeasures of which he wasthen the Chairman, onlyjustified the key demand ofthe separatists during thepresent unrest. The VicePresident observed thatimplementation of itsrecommendations wasconsidered by the PrimeMinister as the key toretaining confidence of thepeople. In his own report thenas the chairman of theWorking Group, ignoring thedissent within, Sh. Ansarihad recommended therevocation of Armed ForcesSpecial powers Act. Theentire report did not at alladdress anti terrorismmeasures as a vitalcomponent of confidencebuilding in the state.

Even though in all theincidents which lead toprotests in the recent timesthe suspected culprits werelocals working in local policeor territorial army or thegovernment officials, yet theforemost demand of everybodyof consequence has been theremoval of paramilitaryforces and army from thestate.

India Ragdo-Intifada hasnothing to do with theincidents which causedpublic resentment. Itessentially uses the incidentsto lacerate symbols of Indiansovereignity. It seeks toproject an extremelypermissive, conniving andinactive state as a demonicpolice state. Governmentunwilling to defend itssecurity establishment takesa totally defensive position

and allows publicmobilizations by the mostregressive andfundamentalist regimesoperating on the ground. Itdeclares its lack of intentionto act publicly by eitherwithdrawing its securityforces or ordering them notto intervene whatever theprovocation. India Ragdoseeks to project the totalimpotence of authority to nailthe sovereignty of the nation.

The ruling NationalConference has an ideologicalresonance with the commonminimum programme ofagitationists to forcedemilitarization but anexistential need to preservethe military presence. Thecentral government knowsthat any laxity in the securityoperations in the state maylead to catastrophic resultsgiven the situation inPakistan yet it seeks tomaintain the stance of aneutral player while itssecurity forces are describedand lampooned as anoccupation force in the valley.The civilians in the valleyknow it very well that thevery survival of the civilsociety depends upon noneother than security forcesand yet they join to demonizethem. The paradox is deepand powerful.Inside The Present Turmoil

Most of the events whichlead to the public resentmenthave invariably a sexualangle. Separatists have beentrying to bring home to publicthat organs of Indian stateare not only indulging inextra-constitutional violencebut are also perpetuating amoral debasement ofKashmir society. Themobilization by Dukhtaran-e-Millat earlier had the samepurpose when sexual scandalinvolving governmentofficials and politicians cameto the fore some time back.In actuality we arewitnessing in Valley theglaring signs of socialdisorganization caused bymilitarization of socialmilieu. Local papers havetime and against brought tonotice the proliferation ofsexual cartels and flesh trade.Special correspondent ofDaily Excelsior, Ahmad AliFayaz, brought out themagnitude of increase in thenumber of brothels inSrinagar city a few yearsback. Well known ideologueand lobbyist of the separatistsnot in the distant pastreferred to ‘prostitution

cartels’ operating in thevalley in his columns in thelocal media recently.

The alarming aspect of thesituation is the manifestevidence of penetration offlesh trade into thegovernment and securityestablishment rather thangovernment promoting moraldebasement in the society.The concerns of a significantsection common Kashmiri isstill unheard. He is not sureof the integrity of his kith andkin and he is unsure to raisea hue and cry about it notbecause of the fear ofgovernment but because offear of militant.

The Jihadi militarizationbrought along with it the evilof temporary marriage-theMutah. Mutah becameeventually a social sanctionfor debauchery. The dreadedterrorist Akbar Bhai isreported to have married 83locals girls. One ShakeelaBano was abducted from herhouseboat by terrorists andsubjected to mass rape beforekilling her by burning. AlUmar terrorists outfit didthis thing with Shakeelabecause she refused to marrya terrorist for two years of hercaptivity. During captivityshe was raped regularly.After running away from hercaptors she escaped toJammu where a women NGOlooked after her. Aftersometime she ventured backhome where she was againabducted and burnt to death.Security forces thendestroyed the prostitutioncartels of the terrorists of AlUmar and paved way forfreedom of 150 women heldin captivity. Around the sametime security forcessucceeded in freeing 10women held captive byterrorists in Dacchan Marwaregion of Kishtwar inJammu.

Numerous such incidentscan be quoted. Theintroduction of promiscuityinto society by the terroristshas taken its toll on thesociety. Militarization ofsocial milieu in Valley hasplayed havoc with age oldtraditions and values.Government establishmentand security forces are faceto face with this menace andyet to devise a counterresponse to preventpenetration of flesh trade intoits rank and file.

The situation becomesvery alarming when we factorin reports that Kashmir topsthe world in the list of opium

abusers as per research of‘Community Drug AbuseStudy Survey Kashmir” doneby the well knownpsychiatrist Dr. MushtaqMargoob. His evaluation hasproduced astoundingstatistics. 47.77 percent ofpopulation in Kashmirconsumes some types of drugsincluding tobacco and itsallied products as per thisreport. There are 24.32 lakhsubstance abuses (includingtobacco abuses) in Kashmirwhich includes 2.11 lakhopioid, 1.37 lakhs cannabisand around 38,000 alcoholabuses. The number offemale drug addicts is alsoalarming. The NGOHindustan National SocialSecurity (HNSS) conducted adeaddiction programme in2008-2009 amongst females.The female drug addicts wereliterates and belonged to anage group of 18-33 and fromurban as well as village background.

Around the time agitationwas going in Shopian anational electronic channelshowed how army wasinvolved in destroying thepoppy fields around Shopian.Police also reportedrecovering quintals ofBhukki-the locally producedpoppy husk sold in northIndia.

ConclusionThrough the current

Intifada, the separatists seeka moral legitimacy. Theyseek to accord respectabilityto a regressive anti-freedommovement. They arecalibrating its interventionsto remain relevant even ifPakistan continues tovacillate or even collapses.The intifada is targetting theweakness of both Indian andAmerican policies to fightmilitarized pan Islamicfundamentalism. The moralof the story is to delegetimisethis Intifada by educatingpublic about the impact of themilitarization of society.Another imperative is to stopfiddling with dangerous ideasof self rule or Musharaffplan. These plans essentiallyundermine the ideologicalfoundations of India even ifthey may be non-territorial.Government legitimacy tothese plans keeps the potboiling in Kashmir. We havealso to realize that ideologicalcompromise eventually leadsto crippling territorialconsequences.

*(The author isChairman of PanunKashmir)

The Challenge of New Fundamentalist IntifadaCOVER STORYCOVER STORYCOVER STORYCOVER STORYCOVER STORY

1010101010KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

Sir,Your esteemed news letter, "Kashmir Sentinel", Vol. 14 No: 4-5 of May 2009 has reached to me. It is a matter of great celebrity that Panun Kashmir has launched a

cultural initiation in the form of "PRAKASH" and a critique by Prof. M.L. Koul on a book of my choice namely, "Lal Ded Meri Dhreshit Mai" authored by Mrs. BimlaRaina has been discussed on the vanguard of your esteemed paper. I perfectly agree with your valued views that "the truth should prevail" provided we place the"things in a proper perspective". I had raised my voice as early as in August, 2007 against the distortion of some of the Vakhs of Laleshwari by the interested lobby butthere were no takers with me at that time. Now that the things have changed with the intervention of educationist, historians, thinkers and scholars of the language ascontained by your prestigious paper. I am morethan optimistic that ultimately the Truth Will Prevail.

--S.N. PanditKot Balwal, Jammu

TRUTH MUST PREVAIL

REPORTREPORTREPORTREPORTREPORT

Panun Kashmir organisesfree medical camp

KS Correspondent

DELHI, June 21: In continuation of its series of freemedical camps being organised by Panun Kashmirin NCR Delhi the fourth in this series was conductedin Shalimar Garden, Ghaziabad in collaboration withSUDHAR & MILCHAR. Braving the hot weatherthe members of the community lined up for medicalcheck-up right from early hours of the morning. Thededication and selfless service of the community doc-tors was quite evident by their whole hearted partici-pation.The doctors belonged to almost all departments ofhealth care. The panel of doctors led by Dr. ShaktiBhan, Vice-Chairperson Panun Kashmir and asenior Gynaecologist included:Surgeon SpecialistDr. S. Kaul, Dr. Surinder Pandita, Dr. D.N.Bhat &Dr Ashwani Pandita.Gastro-EntologistDr. N.M. TickooUrologistDr.Smughla Bhan, Dr.B.K. Monga, Dr. Sanjay Wazir,Dr.Subash Gupta, Dr. Sunita Shakdar & Dr. SushmaKaul.OphthalmologistDr. R. Trisal, Dr. Vijay LaxmiDermatologistDr. Sonali BhatGynaecologistsDr. Girja Tickoo, Dr. Bimla Razdan, Dr.Lalita Tickoo,Dr.Pushpa Kaul, Dr. Meenakshi Zutshi, Dr.SushmaWazir & Dr. Mamta Thakur.PsychiatristDr. Raj GanjooOrthopedicianDr. Pradhiman Dhar & Dr. B.B. KachrooPhysiciansDr. Vimla Bhat & Dr.Pawan ZutshiE.N.T.Dr. Alok Kumar.Panun Kashmir and the Kashmiri Pandit Com-munity is highly thankful to Sh.J.P. Sharma, Prin-cipal Everest Public High School Shalimar Gardenfor providing his school premises and refreshment tothe community members who participated in the camp.Panun Kashmir activists led by Sh. Vijay Tickoo,Vice-Chairman, Sh. Kamal Wangnoo Secy. PK NCRDelhi and activists from Vipin Garden, Shalimar Gar-den, Vaishali etc. organised the camp. More than 500patients where provided free medical check-up alongwith medicines and clinical investigation.

Photos By Raj Raina

1111111111

(From Page 7)Accusing India of being

soft to terrorism, he said thateven after the attack on Par-liament and recent Mumbaiattacks, the Indian Policyvis-a-vis terrorism and deal-ing with Pakistan is reflec-tive of inconsistency. Advis-ing India to deal with terror-ism firmly he said," I'll nottalk of China or Israel butIndian should emulate Paki-stan in Swat". He asked In-dia to clear its attitude to-wards Pakistan and underUN resolutions, Pakistanhas to vacate PoK and North-ern Provinces. Supporting re-organisation of the state,Prof. Hari Om said that thedivision shall be on regionallines and not religious butadded that there should bescope for rehabilitation of

Pandits as they have beendisplaced for last 20 years.

Referring to vice-presidentHamid Ansari's remarksabout implementation ofWorking Group recommen-dations at the University ofKashmir Convocation, Prof.Hari Om said that his con-stitutional position is not con-sistent with such statementsand instead of it he shouldhave talked about improve-ment of academics. He addedthat during IIIrd Round Ta-ble Conference BJP andPanun Kashmir have disas-sociated from these recom-mendations as these don't re-flect the aspirations of the mi-norities and nationalistforces in the state.

Former Director Generalof J&K Police, Mr ManMohan Khajuria said that wehave to be conscious as our

fate is being decided in someother fora. He said that theIndian Policy towards Kash-mir has been guided by con-fusion as we failed to under-line the cause of the unrest.Accusing India of departingfrom the earlier stand onKashmir, Mr Khajuria saidthat with the appointment ofIK Gujral as Prime Ministr,the policy changed. Referringto Amarnath agitation, hesaid that the religious senti-ments were hurt and peoplereacted to the same. He saidthat we have to shed hypoc-risy and know that "everycountry is governed by itsinterests and India has to de-fine its national interests'.He said that the citizens ofIndia have to tell the Indianstate in unequivocal termsthat the Indians have theonly right to take any deci-

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009 CONTINUACONTINUACONTINUACONTINUACONTINUATIONTIONTIONTIONTION

sion on Kashmir.Making a brief interven-

tion, noted journalist MrSant Kumar Sharma gave a'detailed account of discrimi-nation with Jammu on theissue of delimitation andasked the people to fight forthe correction of the imbal-ance.

During his intervention,Prof. Keshav Sharma of theSchool of Management of theUniversity of Jammu saidthat the people we are deal-ing with are cunning and theIndian state must under-stand that. He said that dur-ing the freedom struggle theenemy was identified and thefight was clear but the lead-ers at that time didn't visu-alise the dangers fromwithin.

He asked the Indian stateto talk to pro-India constitu-

ency in the state and noneelse. Referring to the de-mands of likes of "Islamic-republic" of Kashmir, JointManagement, Self-Rule, dou-ble-currency, he said thatthere is understandingamong, terrorists, separa-tists and mainstream politi-cians of the likes of PDP andadvocated the treatment oftraitors with such leaders.

Mahesh Koul talked aboutthe challenges to PanunKashmir as it is faced withPseudo Secularism of Con-gress and Pseudo Hindutavaof BJP.

The programme was an-chored by Senior Vice-Chair-man of PK Shailendra Aimaand vote of thanks was pro-posed by Panun KashmirGeneral Secretary Sh.Kuldeep Raina.

Centre's Kashmir Policy loaded with danger: Penalists

JKENG 00333/26/AL/TC/94JK No: 1213/18Regd. JK-219/2009-2011Printer Publisher B.N. Kaul for andon behalf ofPanun Kashmir Foundation.Editor: SHAILENDRA AIMAComputer Graphic:S.K. BabbuPrinted at : The Kashmir TimesPress, Gangyal, JammuOwned by:PANUN KASHMIRFOUNDATIONPublished from PANUN KASHMIRFOUNDATION, 172, Sector-3,E.W.S Colony, Lower RoopNagar,Jammu-180013 (INDIA)Tele/Fax: 0191-2593166emal: kashmirsentineljk@yahoo.co.inwebsite: panunkashmir.in

India-Pakistan and Kashmir(From Page 5)

leaders on the future of thestate.

Dangers Ahead:During the last six dec-

ades of the Indian freedom,Pakistan has maintained ahigh degree of military pres-sure on India, which thatcountry has deftly used toperpetuate a sense of insecu-rity in Jammu and Kashmir.Pakistan has waged a reli-gious war against India, com-mencing with the invasion ofthe state in 1947 with its lat-est phase unfolding in theJehad in 1990. Inside thestate Pakistan has used theMuslims of Jammu andKashmir as a frontline of theJehad for the liberation of theState from the Indian occu-pation. Outside Jammu andKashmir, Pakistan hasalinged itself with the Anglo-American block of powers

and joined China to form theChina-Pakistan axis in theeast, in order to confine. In-dia into a pincer-hold alongits northern frontier.

Pakistan is an ideologicalstate committed to the Is-lamic order of society. Thepolitical class of Pakistan iscommitted to the unificationof the Muslim Umah into aMuslim International. Thecivil society in Pakistan,inspite of the protestations onthe contrary, is largelyfundamentalised. Any com-promise with Pakistan onKashmir, contemplated bythe Government of India, willdrive India to a second parti-tion. Hussain Haqqani, nowAmbassador of Pakistan inthe United States, wrote inhis book, which was pub-lished a few years ago. "Pa-kistan still has an unfinishedagenda in Afghanistan and

Kashmir." The Indian politi-cal class must take a note ofthe political agenda of Paki-stan. The Muslim struggle inIndia laid down the founda-tions of the Muslim power ofPakistan. Pakistan followsthe agenda of extending theMuslim power eastwardsinto the north of India, to se-cure a hold on the Himala-yas and eliminate India fromany future balance of powerin Asia and as an epicentreof the Islamic Revolutionwage a Jehad against India.Jamait-u-Dawa is ideologi-cally committed to extend aninvitation to the people ofworld to accept Islam. Its in-volvement in the terrorist at-tacks on Bombay, must openthe eyes of the Indian policy-makers.

Maharaja Ranjit Singhforged, to close the routes ofinvasion into India from the

north. It was first breached,when the Indian governmentallowed the frontier regionsof Jammu and Kashmirstate, Baltistan and Gilgit, beintegrated by Pakistan intoits territories later known asa "Northern Region". Anychanges in the configurationof power in the frontier re-gions of Kargil and Ladakh,will eventually lead to thedemolition of the whole of thenorthern frontier of India.The warm upcountry ofJammu and Kashmir, withthe sprawling Shivalik plainsbetween the river Chinaband river Ravi, are crucial tothe security of the Himala-yas. Both Pakistan andChina have their eyes on theHimalayas. Had India takenthe warning, the TibetanDelegate sounded, in the po-litical committee of theUnited Nations General As-sembly in 1950 when Britainand the United States letdown Tibet on the issue of its

appeal against the Chineseinvasion, the Chinese armywould not have swoopeddown across the Mc MahanLine to occupy hundreds ofmiles of the Indian borderand in 1962.

*The author isChairman AdvisoryPanun Kashmir

Sh. Shailendra Aima Vice-Chairman Panun Kashmir conducting the proceedings of the seminar and a view of the audience. KS photo

Opinions 1212121212RITUALRITUALRITUALRITUALRITUAL

By Upender Ambardar

THE Puranas also referto seven matrikas orShaktis of Lord

Bramha, known asMaheshwari, Kumari,Vaishnavi, Varahi, Andhri andChamunda, who are invariablypropitiated and invoked beforethe start of a pooja. Thenumber seven also representsseven forms of agni or fireknown as Kali, Karali,Manojva, Sulahita,Sudhumarvarna, Ugra andPradeepta. It also representsseven stages of rebirth throughwhich a human being passesbefore the soul attains moksha.As per a belief, there are alsoseven levels of consciousnesseach of which is linked with theseven chakras of the humanbody.

Probably, it is due to thisreason that the river water iscut seven times during the'Amavasya' pooja to symbolizethe seven vows taken to honourand perform the Shivratrirituals steadfastly. After thecompletion of the ceremonial'Amavasya Pooja'. on the riverbank, a little water is put inthe empty 'Nout' to besprinkled on the entry door ofthe house as a mark of auspi-ciousness. This ritual is knownas 'Kalash Lav'. It is followedby closure of the main door ofthe house, which is opened onlyafter 'knock at the door' rituallocally known as 'dhub dhub'ends. It is a sort of a conversa-tional exchange of words be-tween an elderly lady of thefamily behind their door and anelderly male member outsideit eager to seek entry in thehome. The said dialogue is in atoken of affirmative andendorsement nod, in whichprosperity, tranquility, fortune,well-being and all materialcomforts are sought and sym-bolically assured. It is akin to'Zaem-brandh' ritual ofwedding function of KashmiriPandits, where sister-in-law ofthe bride closes the door and

Maha Shivratri-Revisiting Kashmiri Ritual VariantsMaha Shivratri-Revisiting Kashmiri Ritual VariantsMaha Shivratri-Revisiting Kashmiri Ritual VariantsMaha Shivratri-Revisiting Kashmiri Ritual VariantsMaha Shivratri-Revisiting Kashmiri Ritual Variants

opens it subsequently after thebridegroom promises to give thesought gifts to his sister.

In both the rites, the door isa symbol for the very psyche ofthe house inmates as it trans-ports us into the inner world offamily life, psychological secu-rity and comfort. Morever, homealso represents a sacred socialinstitution, where human rela-tionships are fortified and ce-mented on which is based thefamilial and societal life. On'Amavasya' i.e. Doon Mavas, asper a native belief, the divinebride Goddess Parvati is be-lieved to depart with Her divinebridegroom Lord Shiva to thebridegroom's home. The poojais performed on the river bankas the flow of river is ametaphor for life and its' lifebestowing generosity. The riverwater also symbolizes itspurifiactory powers as removalof impurities and sins both atthe physical and spiritual lev-els.

Besides, river also repre-sents the symbolic connectivityas an essential link oftransportation. The river wateralso represents the continuityof human life and the life giv-ing order, which is in harmonywith the natural rhythm of theuniverse.

In addition to it, the riverbanks are also regarded as thedwelling places of gods, saintsand sages. Probably, due tothese facts the 'Amavasya'pooja is performed on the riverbanks. Morever, as per a localbelief, Phagun Krishan PakshAshtami, known in the nativelanguage as 'Hur Aethum' issaid to symbolise one of the wed-ding ceremony rites of partingof the hair of Goddess Parvati(mus-mouchravun). Likewiseon Phagun Krishan PakshPratipadha, known as 'HurOakdoh' one more marriage re-lated ritual of house cleansingknown by the name of 'Ghare-Navun' is said to commence.The concluding ceremony ofShivratri falls on PhagunShukla Paksha Ashtami, lo-cally known as 'Tila Aethum'.It represents the final symbolicsend off to all the remainingdivine guests of the cosmic'baraat', who might have stayedback at the bride's home. It isan evening ritual in which oillit earthen lamps positioned on

grass woven spherical bases'Aarie' are placed at entry doorof the house, top of the court-yard wall, enroute path to theriver and base of the tree,whileas a few lamps are floatedonthe flowing river. The light ofoil lit lamps is a metaphor forlife. It is also symbolic of thelight offered to the departedsouls of the ancestors.

The history of our social andcultural development isinterepted through time-testedrituals and it is through themthat past becomes alive,observes Sh. Vjiay Malla, anoriginal residents of MalikAngan, Fateh Kadal Srinagarand now putting-up at SarwalJammu. The 'Gurtoo' traditionis followed by his family withan amazing purity and even awhiff of wrong doing is regardedas a blasphemous act. He dis-closed that prior to PhagunKrishan Paksh Pratipadha orOakdoh, all the cookingutensils are thoroughlycleaned, clothes washed andthe earthenware pots are re-placed by new ones. He alsorevealed that from 'Oakdoh'onwards, eatnig or taking teaoutside the home is disallowedand even puffing on a stranger'shookah is not permitted.

Sh. VIjay Malla also re-vealed that permissible veg-etarian dishes in his home are'monji haakh', moong daal andpatatoes, while as cooking of'Soanchal', turnips, rajmah andsun dried vegetables locallyknown as 'hoakh sabzi' are for-bidden. As per a belierf rajmah,turnips and soanchal are re-garded as 'dukoal' i.e.equivalent to non-vegetarianfood, while as the dry vegetablepreparations are not in tunewith the auspiciousness of theoccasion. Elaborating furtherhe recounted that in earliertimes at the time of ritualisticfilling-up of the earthenuntensil 'Nout' with water andwalnuts, the ladies of his homewould drape themselves in newoutfits and wear new 'Attahoar'in the ears as a mark of goodomen. Furthermore, a rice filledup thali having a smallquantity of salt was also madeto touch the right shoulder ofthe lady engaged in 'VatukBarun' ritual. In the local par-lance, this ritual is known as'Zangi Yun'. Both the rites bear

a striking resemblance with thepractice followed during themarriage and birth day func-tions.

The walnuts put in the'Nout' are usually in the oddnumbers of 101 or 151. Reviv-ing his old memories, Sh. Malladisclosed that during ShivratriPooja, even stored drinkingwater and cooked dishes couldnot be tasted till the pooja wasover and as a remedy a make-shift kitchen was utilised for thepurpose. A lavish spread ofrecipes cooked for Shivratripooja as per his family 'reeth'include methi, mixed withnadru, unpounded moong daal,raddish mixed with nadru, sourmethi, sour nadru, yellowcheese and fried crisp nadruslices. The rigid vegetariantradition is broken onAmavasya evening when amixed dish of turnips and goat'sstomach locally known as'demni gogzi' is cooked and ritu-alistically offered. The yellowcheese is also an additionaldish on that evening. Accordingto Sh. Vijay Malla, his familyalso offers pooja to the figura-tive clay images of Lord Shiva,Goddess Parvati and LordGanesh on Shivratri eveningand the ritul is locally knownas 'Parthishor'.

Sh. Raviji Raina, an erst-while resident of the villageSalia, district AnantnagKashmir and now putting-up atthe ORT complex PurkhooJammu is one more faithful'Gurtoo' for whom deviationfrom the ordained code is agrave religious offence. Remi-niscing the festival of yester-days, he stated that from'ekadashmi' onwards, the entryof an outsider in the house wasnot allowed. He also revealedthat even a cursory glance of anoutsider towards the Poojaroom ws a revolting and sinfulact on the presumption that theperson may have consumedmeat. In the repertoire ofdishes, his family as per theclan tradition cook yellowcheese, nadir yakhni, cauli-flower, sour raddish called'mujae kaela', fried poundedraddish tiki called 'jujae voer'and side dish of 'hakh'. ShRaviji Raina also recountedthat a specially fabricatedwooden knife was utilised forslicing raddish for the dish of

'mujae kaela' during hisgradnfather's time.

His family also has the cus-tom of preparing 'puris' madeout of the flour kneaded withmilk and fried in desi ghee priorto Shivratri. They are called'Bubur' and are taken as'prasad' after their pooja isperformed on Shivratri. As perhis family belief, purchase ofnew bronze utensils during thefestival days portends goodnessand prosperity for the entireyear.

Speaking on a nostalgicnote, he recalled that'Amavasya' pooja was per-formed at the village stream orspring bank. During theoutpouring of the 'Vatak nout'contents, the spring or streamwater was cut with a knife fivetimes. It is in sharp contrast tothe ritual of cutting water seventimes followed in other Gurtooand non-Gurtoo families. Thecutting of water five times isperceived to symbolize thepledge taken five times tofaitfhully perform the festivalrelated rituals as human bodyis composed of five elements offire, air, earth, ether and water.The digit five also representsfive main deites of Bramah,Vishnu, Mahesh Aditya andGanesh.

The number five is also sym-bolic of the five holy days ofAshtami, Chagturdashi,Purnimasi, Amavasya andSankrtai. The ritualistic poojaof 'Parthishor' on Shivratri isalso a part of his clan tradition.

The Shivratri rituals repre-sent a symbolic blending of areligious festival and familycelebration, which chronicle thecultural history and societalevolution of a community,remarked Smt. Urmilla Raina,earlier a resident of Gogji Bagh,Srinagar and now putting up atPamposh Colony, GreaterKailash, New Delhi. Sharingher nostaligic memories, shereminisced that in accordancewith her family tradition, leav-ened rotis' called 'phulkas' andwheat flour fried in ghee locallyknown as 'churma' was takenwith tea from Phagun KrishanPaksh Dashmi onwads. A dayprior to Shivratri, a specialpooja utensil designated as'Vagur' is installed amidstelaborate religious Pooja in the'Vatak Kuth'. The customarydishes cooked on the occasionare methi, moong daal andnadru. (Concuded)

(Festival Customs in Gurtoo Families-II)

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

1313131313PHILOSOPHY

By Prof. M.L. Koul

I N the annals of KashmirShaiva-praxis guru (preceptor,spiritual director) has been ac-

corded a distinguished stature of re-spect and reverence for the part heplays in initiating and guiding disci-ples in spiritual trajectories. High-level spiritual attainments and ex-emplary wisdom alone are the titlesof guru. A siddha purusha, a perfectsoul, is what guru is. Such a soulalone is qualified to have discipleswhose spiritual destinies he shapesand moulds through Shaiva practicesor his personal grace (shaktipat).Guru in Shaiva parlance is Shiva-guru or sat-guru. He is Shiva, acts asShiva or at the behest of Shiva. Adevotee or his disciple bows to him inabsolute supplication for having sethim onto the trail of Shiva and culti-vated him into a frame a pre-requi-site to recognise his pristine natureof Shiva.

In his highly acclaimed commen-tary on Shiva-Sutra Khemraj informsthat guru is one who teaches Realityor Truth (grinati updishyatitatvikam artham iti guru). He re-veals the potencies of mantra to hispupils (sah guru...mantra viryiprakashakah). In spand-karikaBhatta Kallat eulogises his guru forthe benediction of ferrying his boatacross the ocean of doubts (agadsamshai ambodi sam utrantarinam) through his illuminatingteachings. In Malinivijay Tantra guruis described as one who fully knowsthe essentials of thought (KashmirShaivism) he is wedded to andthrows light on the power of Mantras.In the same Tantra guru is said tohave power of grace (parmeshwarianugrahika shakti). If pleased withhis disciple, guru reveals to him allthe hidden truth about 'matrika-cakra' which exactly as per Shaivathought is Shiva's manifestation ofthe universe from the first letter 'a'to the last letter 'h' comprising San-skrit string of letters.

No knowledge without guru (gurubina na jnanam) is a cliched state-ment underpinning the vital signifi-cance of guru in the attainment ofJnan which is Shiva-consciousness.Guru as an embodiment of spiritualknowledge and radiance is extra care-ful of not impinging on the sense ofself-worth and self-image of a disci-ple. Guru in the manner of a psycho-analyst peers through the mind(chitta) of a disciple, measures hislevel of consciousness and his intui-tive quality to recognise his pristinenature of Shiva and puts him on thehighway of quest. A Shiva-Guru ismore than aware that his discipleeither a 'muud' (inferior in conscious-ness) or 'su-prabuddha' (superior in

Guru in Kashmir Shaivism & Guru in Lalla Ded Vakhconsciouenss) has a sense of autonomy.Without impairing it he cognises it as apositive factor contributing to his spir-itual advancement. Keen to awaken hisdisciple to the inward reality of 'self'Guru replenishes and reinforces all whathis disciple has as it is deemed funda-mental to 'self' and its cognition. Con-certed effort on part of guru is to expandand broaden his sense of self-worth, self-image and autonomy which are limitedand inhibited because of his conditionedexistence of an 'anu', a bound jiva.

Shiva guru, even if a monk, assidu-ously prepares his disciple for the world.He in no way commands him to robehimself after the manner of a recluse(sanyasin). He tastefully sublimates, re-fines and tempers the attitudes and pro-clivities of a seeker for a balanced mindwhich acts as a receptacle for flashes ofShiva-consciousness. The microcosmicbody along with its multiple senses andpotentialities are harnessed and notsuppressed as Shiva-guru is for affirma-tive view of life and world. A seeker re-mains in the world, a meshy layer ofdualities, and gains an insight into hisoriginal nature of Shiva right in theworld. No prescriptions are there toabandon the world and live the life of arecluse.

What concerns Shiva-guru most isthat he moulds his disciple in sync withhis cultural bequest and cultural set-ting. He roots him in the indigenous soilhe is a product of and reinforces his link-ages with the same roots. His icons arenative, his gods are native, his holyplaces are the Shiva-dhams litteredover the whole native place and hisworld-view belongs to him as a legacy.He worships water flowing in the vitastaand his logic is not rock-hard as is foundin desert cultures. Shiva-guru firmlyrooted deep down in his native soil en-riches and fertilises the broad swathesof spiritual way of life through his teach-ing and preaching based on catholicityof outlook and broad values of human-ism. To him, Shiva is world and world isShiva. It is a philosophical positionwhich shocks the believers of rock-hardlogic that narrows the space for plural-istic ways of life and pluralistic ways ofthought.

Guru as an expert in the Shaiva aca-demics expands the intellectual hori-zons of his pupil, sharpens his thinkingabilities and leads him with an awak-ened mind and brain to attain his spir-itual destiny of Shivahood. A constantinteraction between a pupil and his guruis the mechanism through which thepupil learns about metaphysical issuesalong with their complexities and intri-cacies and removes cobwebs of hisdoubts and misunderstandings and theguru exposits all the fundamental is-sues of the thought-model he actuallysymbolises. All the line of Shiva-gurusfrom Vasgupta to Bhatta Kallat toSomanand to utpaldev to Abhinavguptaand last but not the least SwamiLaxman Ji Maharaj have been remark-able theoreticians of Kashmir Shaivism.Scholarship and Shaiva-Yoga have beentwo facets of all the Shiva-gurus. Jnan(knowledge) and self-recognition (spir-ituality), to them, have not been dichoto-mous.

Shiva-guru is essentially a man ofculture. His aesthetic faculties are

sharp and tempered. Invested with pro-found knowledge of the whole spectrumof heritage he revitalises and refurbishesit through an interactive process of im-bibing and interriorising the reigningvalues and critically analysing andevaluating them. Revitalisation andperpetuation of the contours of nativeculture is the leit motif of a Shiva-guru.Abhinavgupta, a profile thinker andsiddha purusha was an exemplary aes-thete. Having thoroughly studied aes-thetics as a component of the extensivemosaic of Indian culture at the lotus feetof his erudite guru, Tota Bhatt, he madea precious contribution to the realms ofaesthetics through his path-breakingcommentary on Anandvardhan's'Dwanyalok' from a Shaivite perspec-tive. Guru, in sum, is an aesthete anddeals with the finer stuff of beauty. Mostof the Shiva-gurus have been deep-setlovers of music, drama, dance and po-etry and used them as resource to sharethe finest aesthetics of Shiva as thesource of beauty.

Much like six systems of Indian phi-losophy Kashmir Shaivism is not only alogically structured model of thoughtbut also contains a whole range of prac-tices for the realisation of spiritual des-tiny of a seeker. Shaiva-Yoga whatKashmiri Shaivites call it is a regimenof practices for all types of seekers hav-ing individual differences. Guidance andinitiation of an accomplished Shiva-guru or satguru is a must for all types ofseekers at various levels of conscious-ness.

Shiva-guru unhesitatingly showersgrace (shakhtipat) on an aspirant whois extremely awake and has inituitiveability to recognise his real swaroop (na-ture) of Shiva. His mere look at the as-pirant works as an alchemy that meltshis dross (malas) encasing him and freeshim from knots and complexes that bindhim as an 'anu' or 'pasu'. Guru's grace onsuch an aspirant is without reason andlogic and totally un-asked for. Guru'sshakhtipat (grace) on an aspirant meanshis mergence (samavesh) into Shiva-consciousness. Such grace for Shiva-consciousness is known as 'Shambhva'methodology. Khemraj puts in his com-mentary on Shiva-Sutra-akinchitchintakasya guruna pratibodhata

Jayate yah samaveshashambhava asau udahritah Defi-cient in inspiraion and intiative facultyShiv-Guru puts such an aspirant to aregular and uninterrupted practice ofknowing his innate reality. He is taughtand directed to imagine himself to beShiva only and that alone as his reality.A sort of auto-suggestive technique thistype of Shaiva-Yoga is known asshakhta-yoga, bhavanana-yoga orchitta-sambodh yoga.--Malinivijay Tantra writes.

uccar rahitam vastu chetsa evavichintayan

yam samavesham aapnotishaktah so atra abhideyate

An aspirant innately having low levelof consciousness and steeply mired inthe gross stuff of the world is prescribedanava-yoga. Shiva-guru in view of hisdeficiences introduces him to a regimenof pranaym (breathing exersises) anddyan, concentration on an icon, amantra or a syllable. Such practicesraise his level of consciousness so as to

motivate him for higher levels ofmethodologies for attainment ofmergence (samavesh) into or identitywith Shiva.

Guru is a liberator, uplifter andpath finder of the aspirants who areintensely motivated to pursue thepath of spiritual quest. He Is a crutchto those who are lacking in Shivaconsciousness. Guru, more than most,is a vital link between a seeker andhis ultimate destination. Hisrelations with his pupil are the samethat we witness between father andson. Ved Vyas labelled as 'vishalbuddhi' tyPifies guru. 'Vyaspurnima' as a commemorative datestands enshrined in the calender ofKashmiri Pandits, which is nearly5000 year old. Guru in reality isBrahma, Vishnu and Mahesh.

As revealed by her treasure- troveof Vakhs it can be said with certitudethat Lalla Ded had intense spiritualsensibilities which were tapped forfinal fruition by her guru, SiddaSrikanth. A name in Shaiva thoughtand Shaiva Yoga, Sidda Srikanth,was the family guru of Lalla Ded. Inthe style of Shiva-guru he hadcontinuous sessions of debates anddiscourses with her with a view tosharpening her philosophical clarityon issues relevant to the Shaivathought. Lalla Ded flumoxed her guruwhen she interpreted 'prakash'luminosity, tirth-holy place,'bandhav'-real kins and 'sokh' apleasurable feeling in a manner thatcompletely contradicted the viewsthat he harboured on them. It wassufficient to convince Siddha Srikanthof the philosophical mould of LallaDed.

In one of her extra-ordinarydiscourses with her guru Lalla Dedunequivocaly conveys that SiddhaSrikanth was a man of omniscience,had recognised his Shiva swaroop(real nature) and was possessed ofcalm and collected mind. She beggedof him to give her refuge andanchorage as she was love-consumedquite keen to merge into the ocean ofShiva's bliss. She also drew hisattention to the evanescence of timeand implored him to initiate her andothers present at the time of debatewithout loss of time. Says Lalla Ded

Syada mali syado syadakathan kan thav

kal ava kuthan ta kariv kyahaIn a candid vein Lalla Ded conveys

that she pestered her guru ruthlesslyto explain to her the nature of the'Nameless' and in the process got tiredand exhausted. Then she conveys herimpression that the 'nameless' is thesource of something (universe) whichlies submerged, there in anundifferentiated form.

gwaras pritsham sasi lateyas na kenh vanan tas kyah navpritshan pritshan thachista

loosaskenh nas nisha kyah tam draw

!!There are ample internal evidences

available from Lalla Ded Vakhs thatshe through her regular interactionwith her guru, Siddha Srikanth, whois parmeshwar to her, allayed her

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

(Contd. on Page 17)

1414141414SOCIETSOCIETSOCIETSOCIETSOCIETYYYYYKKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

Dr. Shashishekar Toshkani

WITH this we come to anotherimportant aspect of our studyof the early Kashmiri society

— social life. Here too we do not haveenough source materials to base ourinvestigation on. Even so the few literarysources that are available to us canprovide us with considerable, thoughstill not adequate, guidance. Beginningwith the Nilamata again, we find thatthe sylvan valley of Kashmir was full of“ever sportive and joyful people enjoy-ing continuous festivities”. Living inperfect harmony with their beautifulsurroundings, “they played, danced andsang to express their joys, to please theirgods and to appease their demons”, asDr. Ved Kumari puts it. Music anddance, it appears, were an integral partof their life, the key to their culturalDNA. The Rajatarangini andKutttanimata Kavya further testify towhat the Nilamata indicates — theenormous popularity of vocal and instru-mental music, dance, and theatre per-formances among the early Kashmiripeople. Music was popular even amongthe Buddhist monks, Kalhana tells us.There were festivals galore that theycelebrated — festivals that evoked de-votion for the divine, festivals thatcelebrated the blooming of flowers inspring, festivals that expressed joy atthe ploughing of the land and sowing ofseeds, festivals related to the ripeningof barely in the fields and harvestingthe first crop of the paddy in autumnfestivals, and even festivals evoking theBacchanalian spirit on the ripening ofgrapes. But there was not one festivalwhich did not have music and dancingas its essential feature. Any pretext wasenough for people to celebrate withsnatches of a song and jigs of a dance —be it the birthday of a god or the newsnowfall day ! What is interesting is thatwhile their context was social, their set-ting was religious.

And what was the nature of thismusic and dancing ? Mostly folk, ofcourse, but also classical, in accordancewith the precepts of Bharata’sNatyashastra, as we learn fromNilamata and Kuttlanimata-Matakavya. Musical instruments of allthe four types — tata (stringed),avanaddha (percussion), ghana (cym-bals), and sushira (wind) were in vogue.Veena or tantri, pataha (drum), muruj(tabor) mridanga (double drum), venu(lute), shankha (conch), ghanta (bell) andturya (trumpet) were among the morecommonly used varieties. Harmony be-tween vocal and instrumental music

Early Kashmiri Society—Social Lifewas highly appreciated. In an 11thcentury pen-portrait of Abhinavagupta,Madhuraja shows him with his fingersstrumming the veena. Bilhana extollsthe skill of Kashmiri women in dancingand theatrical performances. It is nowonder then that Kashmir produced oneof the greatest Indian masters of music,Sharangadeva, the writer of SangeetRatnakara, which is perhaps the besttreatise ever written on Indian music.

What Literary sources say about thepopularity of music and dancing in earlyKashmiri society is supported by ar-chaeological evidence. Thus, in one of thetiles from Harwan, we see threemusicians one playing a flute, anothercymbals and the third a pair of drums.Another tile shows a female musicianplaying on a drum which is hung overher shoulder. Yet another tile depicts afemale dancer in an actual dancingposture. She is shown holding a longscarf in her hands and waving it. Kingsof Kashmir patronized music, dancingand theatre. King Kalasha had a crazefor dancing girls and so did Harsha whokept awake through the nights to per-sonally instruct dancing girls in the artof acting in his own royal palace.

A unique thing about theatricalperformances in Kashmir during theNilamata age was the idea of“prekshadana” or “giving a dramaticshow as a gift”. Professional theatregroups (rangapjin) would give such“gifts” to entertain people on certain oc-casions and they in turn were supposedto sustain these groups. InDamodaragupta’s time (9th century),big business magnates, the shreshthisand the vanikas patronised thedramatic art. According to him therewere large theatre halls in his nativeland fitted with cushioned seats andback-rests. In an interesting reference,Kalhana, compares fleeing armies totheatre-goers caught in a down-pour,which suggests, however, that commonpeople must have watched such perform-ances in open-air theatres. Kshemendratoo refers to the existence of theatre hallsin Kashmir.

Puppet-plays also appear to havebeen popular in early Kashmir.Kuttanimata Kavya refers to woodendolls which were manipulated by meansof a mechanical thread (yantrasutra)and made to dance.

There were many other games andamusements with which people in earlyKashmir entertained themselves.Among these, garden sports seem tohave been extremely popular, andnaturally so because nature has giftedKashmir with plenty of gardens andbeautiful parks. On festivals likeIramanjari Pujana or Ashokikashtamithey would throng to these gardens andenjoy themselves with a variety ofsports. Such sports have been describedat length in the Kamasutra and severalother works.

“Special meals taken in gardens inthe company of friends and members ofthe family", writes Dr. Ved Kumari,“were a part of such garden sports”.Young maidens could have their fun andenjoy water sports on the Shravani fes-tival, according to Nilamata.Kuttanimata also refers to these sportsas a favourite form of amusement for

young men and women who would sprin-kle water on one another with akarayantra or syringe.

Kanduka-krida or ball—playing,which is said to have been “one of themost favourite games of ancient India”was equally popular in Kashmir. par-ticularly among girls Damodaragupta’sKuttanimata as well as Shyamilaka’sPadataditaka vouch for its popular-ity.

Chess and dice playing were amongthe favourite indoor-games of the peo-ple of Kashmir from very early times.Nilamata prescribes playing dice on theSukha Suptihka or Dcepavali night .Rajatarangini offers ample evidenceof their prevalence. Kuttanimata refersto it as a popular pastime. Women tooplayed chess, it informs us.

Hunting was one of the favouritepastimes of men, and was particularlypopular among princes. Some tiles fromHarwan depict huntsmen on horsebackchasing deer. Common people enjoyedwatching wrestling bouts and animalfights. We find interesting depiction ofram fights and cock fights on someHarwan tiles.

Goshthis or social gatheringsprovided good entertainment to sophis-ticated and culturally refined people inancient India. There is evidence inKuttanimata Kavya that suchgatherings were common in earlyKashmir also. Kshemendra refers toasthanis or sitting rooms where friendswould gather for conversation after hav-ing meals”. Respect was shown to giftedpeople known for their learning or theirskill in the arts, at such gatherings.

It is indeed intriguing that we do notcome across any evidence, literary or ar-chaeological, of ancient inhabitants ofKashmir dressing or adorning them-selves like its present day inhabitants.The typically ‘Kashmiri’ articles of maleand female costume, like the pheran, theturban, the.proofs, and taranga aretotally absent from literary works orsculptural representations. Is i becausethese were imposed on the KashmiriHindus at some later time ? How closeis their resemblance to the pairahan ofthe Middle East and the traditionalheadgear of Egypt and Sudan ? Whatwe find instead is the early Kashmirisusing a variety of costumes andadornments suited to the requirementsof “time and clime”, as dictated by goodtaste. Hsuan Tsang. the Chinesetraveller who visited Kashmir in 631AD tells us in his account that peoplewore leather doublets and clothes of finelinen. Other sources inform that bothmale and female attire consisted ofvasana yugala or an upper and lowergarment. And these garments weremade from a variety of fabrics - cotton,wool, china silk, patika (a course varietyof silk) and hemp. As the climate wascold, they covered their bodies withwoolen garments in winter. Kalhanauses the word ‘pravara' for the woolencloaks he says they wore . Nilamatacalls them 'pravarana' The poor usedkambala or sthulambala (coarseblankets). “Garments interwoven withthreads of gold, dazzling the eyes” werealso worn, according to Kuttanimata.But the most detailed informationabout dress and ornaments (worn in

11th century Kashmir) is provided byKshemendra’s works Narmamala,Samaya Matrika and Deshopadesha.Men wore a long-sleeved tunic calledkanchuka as the upper garment. Wom-en’s upper garment too was calledkanchuka, but in their case it was botha long-sleeved and a half-sleeved one —a kind of jacket not much different fromthe modern choli. As their lower garmentmen wore a kind of trousers calledpatnga or janghala, according toKshemendra. He has used the termskarpari and samputi also for trousers,but perhaps these trousers were of adifferent kind or made from differentfabrics. Dhoti or pa(i was also worn bymen, but pati sometimes meant a kindof scarf. They wore angarakshaka alsoover the kanchuka and wrapped theirbodies in tusti (perhaps a precursor ofthe present day shawl). Kshemendraalso refers to kambala or woolen blan-ket they used to cover the body. Themale headgear generally consisted ofshirahshata, a kind of turban. Caps ofdifferent sizes and shapes called thetpika (Hindi topi) were also in vogue.Kshemendra refers to mochot, a type ofsocks, or perhaps boots, reachingpartway up to the knees, as beingcommonly in use

According to Damodaragupta, men.rich and poor alike, used leathe shoes— a necessity in a cold place likeKashmir. The rich, he says, wore fash-ionable shoes having floral decorationsfrom outside and fitted with steel solesimported probably from Central Asia.Bee-wax was placed inside these shoesto make them comfortable to wear . Themore fashionable men. according toKshemendra, wore mayuropanah orpeacock shoes.

We do not get much informationabout female dress from Kshemendra,except that they wore kanchuka as theupper garment. According toDamodargupta, they also werevarabana, which he describes as an itemof dress similar to a kanchuka Men alsowore varabana, but in their case it wasa kind of short fur coat. Kalhana tellsus that ladies generally attiredthemselves in a Sari and jacket{kanchuka) . For the upper garment theyused uttariya or amshuka. They alsowrapped themselves in wollen shawls.“Fashionable ladies”, says Ajay MitraShastri quoting Kuttanimata, “loved towear soft, clean and perfumed clothes”.They were fond of Chinese silk, hewrites’. In Harsha’s time, they wore half-sleeved jackets and lower garments“which were so long that their tail endstouched the ground”’ .

People, both men and women, werefond of wearing colured clothes, exceptwidows who were always dressed inwhite. Garments coloured with saffrondye were more preferred by fashionconscious men and women.

Women as well as men in earlyKashmir were very fond of wearingornaments and adorning themselves.Women were naturally more crazy thanmen for embellishing themselves witha variety of jewelleries. Kalhanamentions necklaces, ear-rings, armlets,wristlets, anklets etc among theornaments that ladies would wear.

(Contd. on Page 20)

1515151515HERITAGEKKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

By Sanjay Godbole

THE city of Taxila’ issituated at a distanceof 35 kilometers from

alpindi in the Punjab provinceof Pakistan. It is the seventhTehsii of Punjab province. Theold name of ‘Taxila’ was‘Takshashila’ and it was famousthroughout the world as anancient centre of Hindu andBuddhist culture. There is averse in the ancient epic‘Ramayana*. The versedescribes how Bharat, the sonof queen Kaikayi, afterdefeating all his enemies inwar, established twosettements, namely,Takshshila and‘Pushpakalavati’ in theGandhar province. Both thesesettements were abounding inall necessities of life. Bharatdeputed his two sons, Takshakat Takshashila and Pushpal inPushpakalavati’ to take chargeand rule them. The statecapital of Takshak’ situated onthe top of a mountain waspopularly addressed as‘Takshakshila’. This name‘Takshakshila’ in course of time,got changed to ‘Taksh-Shila’.The grandson of Arjuna, namedas ‘Janmajaya’ conqueredTakshashila and establishedhis rule on a hill there, called‘Haathiyal’. The firstpresentation of the great epic‘Mahabharata’ was given by‘Vaishampayana’ here only.‘Haathiyal means abode ofelephants. This whole regionwas called ‘Gandhar’ meaningthereby ‘Land of fragrance’. Inthe opinion of someArchaeologists from Pakistan,

Lord Buddha at TakshashilaKing Takshak belonged to the‘Naga’ Dyansty and he hadestablished the city ofTakshashila.

The University ofTakshashila was an importantknowledge imparting centre ofancient India and it wasoperational between the 6thcentury B.C. to the 5th centuryA.D. Here the studentsaspirants were admitted at theage of 16 and finished theireducational courses.

Here various courses, suchas archery, horse riding,elephant riding, philosophy,defence sciences, grammar,religion, law etc. were taught.The merit list of the alumini ofTakshashila Universityincluded such famous namessuch as Jyotipal thecommander of armed forces ofthe king of Varanasi, thephysician Jeevak of KingBimbisar, Prasannajeet king ofthe state of Kaushal and theemperor Chandragupta. Thefamous grammarian Paniniwas at Takshashila during thesixth century BC similarly,Arya chanakya, (Kautilya) wasalso busy in impartingeducation at TakshashilaUniversity. Many historiansfrom Pakistan are of the opinionthat Kautilya wrote andcompiled his world famoustreatise on economical sciences(Arthashastra) at Takshashilaonly. Takshashila wasrenowned all over the worldthen for unequalled quality ofeducation imparted and thediscipline observed. In one of the‘Jatak kathas’ of Srilanka,composed in the fifth century,there is a stray reference to theUniversity at Takshashila.

During the regime of theIranian emperor, ‘Dariyush theIst prior to the year 486 B.C.the King Tukkusati’ ofTakshashila was defeated bythe Iranian forces. On the tombof king Zerzes the 3rd (year 338B.C.) the fact that he conquered‘Gandhar’ along with the

images of the Gandhar’swarriors are carved out.Alexander the great reachedTakshashila in the year 326B.C., when king Ambhi was theruler. Ambhi subsequentlysurrendered to Alexander. Theregion where the remains of oldTakshashila lie scattered andstrewn is presently known as‘Bheer’. These remains arescattered in an areaadmeasuring some 1600 sqmeters. A strong fortificationexists in this area and has beenconstructed with wood, bricksand soil. The residences atTakshashila had storagespaces for food grains in therear walls.

‘Sirkap’ is a smallsettlement near Tamra-Nallah’near Takshashila. The remainsof me fortification, surfacedduring an archaeologicalexcavation, have long beentestified in in ancientliterature. In the biography of‘Apolonius’ authored by‘Philostratus’, he writes thatTakshashila is as imposinglycolossal as the city of‘Neenwah’. He further adds thatTakshshila has all thecharacterically distinctiveGreek features including aGreek styled fortification.Sirkap has narrow roads likeAthens’ and has single storeyedhouses have Parthian typeroofs. The remains of this cityare strewn over a large area of12000 sq. meters. During theregime of Alexander the greatthe Greeks addressed this cityas Taxile’. ‘Strabo’ hasdescribed this city as vast andexpansive and abounding. Afterthe Greeks, emperorChandragupta Mauryaconquered Takshashila. After,Maurya, the Bactrians, thesakes and then Kushanasruled Takshashila. The whiteHunas devastatedTakshashila on a great scaleduring the 5th century A.D. Thefamous Chinese traveller,‘Fahiyaan’ visited this area inthe 5th century. He addressedTakshashila as ‘Chuchshila’.He has described the four large‘Stupas’ there and has praisedboth the ruler and the ruled.Hu-en-tsang, the famousChinese traveller visitedTakshashila in the 7th century.He addresses Takshashila as‘Taa-chi-shilo’. He also saysthat Takshashila was includedinto the kingdom of Kapishainitially but was included inKiyashilo Kingdom (Which isKashmir at present.) He hasspecially described the bravepeople, the fountains and thearea abounding in flowers &fruits and the vegetation ingeneral.

The Takshashila Universitycharged one thousand‘Karsharpane’ (the thenprevailing unit of currency)

towards tuition fees from therich. The poor, however, wereprovided with education, free ofcost. The coaching work was onthroughout day and night.Takshashila could be very aptlydescribed as the one and theuniquely one University, whichwas fully operative andfunctional in the whole of theuniverse for one thousandrecord years and that too,without any incessance ordisturbance. During the Britishregime, the firstever attemptwas mady be ‘Cunningham’ tofathom the hidden whereaboutsof this ancient city ofTakshashila. Subsequent tothese attempts, in the years1912 AD and 1934 A.D. anarchaeological excavationexercise was undertaken, underthe able leadership of Sir JohnMarshall at Takshashila. Inthis excavation manyconstructed structures weresurfaced at different levels invarious encrustrations Theseinclude remains of the ‘BhallarStupa’ on the sharda hill at anenormous height, at the banksof river ‘Haro’. The KushanKings errected many ‘Stupas’and monasteries at ‘Jalian’. Inone of such monasteries, manycoins struck by Tormana and‘Samantdeva’, so also, manystucco idols (made from lime)of ‘Bodhisatva’, Goddess ‘Hariri’in Gandhara style surfaced Atthat time complete sets ofornaments also surfaced. One‘Annaiec Several earthen pots,terracottas, stucco idols andhoards of Indo Greek and SakaKushan coins were alsosurfaced. There is a stupa

erected by emperor Ashoka atDharmarajika. At thisDharmarajika stupa, there isan inscription of the Sythianking ‘Azes’. In that inscriptionthe name of emperor Ashokahad been referred to as ‘Dharraja’. This inscription wasbrought to light during thatexcavation. At ‘Jandiyal’ theremains of a uniquelycharacteristic and typicallydistinctive Greek temple weresurfaced.

During the excavation atTakshashila many miniaturestupas deployed during worshipand several Urns for preservingthe remains were brought tolight. After Sir John Marshall,Mr. Mortimer Wheelerundertook an excavation atTakshashila. After thepartition, Takshashila becamea part of Pakistan and thedepartment of Archaeology ofPakistan carried out manyexcavations at Takshashila.The research scholars ofPakistan’s Archaeologicaldepartment, in the year 1968were successful in locating theNeolithic remains belonging tothe year 3100 BC thus tracingback the available history ofTakshashila still backwards. Inthe year 1980, the researchscholars located a burialground belonging to Gandharaage. thus establishing thestriking connection betweenPeshawar and Takshashila. Inthe year 1998, during anexcavation project at ‘BmV theremains of the brought to Light.In this palace a meetingbetween king Ambhi took place.

TAXILA: Rare red sandstone Buddhist sculpturediscovered at Badalpur site. --Photo/Amjad Iqbal

TAXILA: Buddhist monastery discovreed atBadalpur, one of the biggest monasteries being

excavated 10 kms north of Taxila Museum.Photo/Jamal Shahid (Contd. on Page 17)

1616161616TRIBUTEKKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

By Dr. B.N. Sharga

IN our country the people have agreat fascination for the game ofcricket. They watch this game

with great passion that is why it isbeing generally regarded as the sec-ond religion of the country, All theT.V. channels now regularly telecasttheir programmes based on thisgame in which experts express theirviewpoints on the finer aspects of thisgame. It has now become a source ofearning big fortunes almost over-night. Many cricket players havebecome millionaires and own big poshbungalows besides a fleet of importedluxury cars as very big money is in-volved in this game. The firstKashmiri Pandit to make a mark inthis game as an umpire on interna-tional horizon was Pt. SwaroopKishen Reu, who earned a place forhimself in the Wisden Cricketer’s Al-manac for his unbiased and analyti-cal decisions based on his deep knowl-edge about the rules of the game.

The history of cricket in India isreally very interesting. The Britishsailors brought this wonderful gameto our country in the 18th century.They used to play this game at theBombay port for their recreation andenjoyment. The first recorded cricketmatch was played between Britishsoldiers and English settlers in In-dia in 1751. The first cricket club inIndia was established at Calcutta in1792 known as Calcutta CricketClub. It was the second cricket clubafter M.C.C. of England in the world.Parsis of Bombay were the first to beattracted towards this new game.They learnt the techniques of thisgame very soon and to make it popu-lar in the country formed the Orien-tal Cricket Club in Bombay in 1848.After sometime another cricket clubby the name of Young Zoroastrians’Club was formed by the young Parsiboys to play cricket . The Hindu boysthen formed their own club in 1866to play this game which was dulynamed as Hindu Gymkhana.

The cricket lover Parsi youngmenagain were the first to send their teamon a tour to England in 1886 underthe captaincy of one Dr.Patel to playmatches there . This cricket team ofParsis again went to England in 1888and won several matches there,which impressed the Englishmen somuch that they sent their team toBombay to play a match against theParsis of the city and surprisinglyagain the Parsis defeated English-men in this friendly match . Gradu-ally this took the shape of an annualPresidency cricket match betweenthe Englishmen and the Parsis ofBombay, which became triangularaffair in 1907 when the Hindus also

started participating in this tourna-ment. This became a quadrangulartournament in 1912 when the Mus-lims also joined it to enjoy this game.

It was in 1911 that an all Indiacricket team visited England underthe captaincy of Maharaja BhupendraSingh of Patiala consisting of starcricketers of that period . In 1926 twomembers of the Calcutta CricketClub went to London to seek themembership of the then ImperialCricket Conference for proper recog-nition of their club . Although tech-nically and legally it was not an offi-cial delegation from India yet LordHarris who was the Chairman ofI.C.C. then allowed M.C.C. to send acricket team to India with ArthurGilligam as its captain. This M.C.C.team played cricket matches againstan all India team as well as HinduGymkhana .

To make this game of cricketpopular in the whole country a meet-ing of the delegates from Sind, Pun-jab, Patiala, Delhi, United Provinces,Rajputana , Alwar, Bhopal, Gwalior,Baroda, Kathiawar and Central In-dia was held on 21st November 1927at Delhi in which it was decided toform an all India body to control theaffairs of cricket in the country andto give a fillip to this game, Conse-quently in December 1928 the Boardof Control for Cricket in India knownas BCCI was duly constituted to gov-ern and guide the activities of cricketin the country. Mr. R. E. GrantGovan an Englishman became thefirst President of B.C.C.I.

India played its first official Testmatch against England at Lords be-tween June 25-28, 1932. The captainof the Indian team was legendaryCol. C.K. Naidu whereas the Englishside was led by D.R. Jardine. Indialost this Test match by 158 runs. TheM.C.C. team then visited India in1933-34. Thus India was then recog-nized as the 6th cricket playing coun-try in the world. That is how thegame of cricket had established itsfirm footing in our country.

Pt. Swaroop Kishen Reu had agreat passion for the game of cricketright from his childhood. His grand-father Pt. Shyam Kishen Reu was ahighly religious and orthodox person,who was the resident of Habba Kadallocality in the Srinagar district ofKashmir valley. He was marriedwith Ragya the sister of Pt. KishanLal Ruggu, who was the first Indianto become the manager of Coopera-tive Paper Mill, Lucknow during theBritish period, Pt. Shyam KishenReu had a son Tej Kishen besides twodaughters one of whom was Mrs.Inderpati Razdan.

Pt. Shyam Kishen Reu’s son Pt.Tej Kishen Reu, who was born around1908, after completing his studiescame to Delhi around 1940 and got

employment in the Indian railways .He was married with Dulari, thedaughter of Pt. Ragya Prasad Zaduof Lahore. He built a house at 1835Mohalla Imli, Chowk Mubarak Shahnear Bazaar Sita Ram, which had abig concentration of the populationof Kashmiri Pandits in Delhi then.Pt Tej Kishen Reu had three sonsGyan Nath, Swaroop Kishen andIqbal Kishen.

Pt Tej Kishen Reu’s eldest son Dr.Gyan Nath Reu was born around1928. He did his M.A. from the DelhiUniversity and then took up a job inthe P & T department at Delhi. Heretired from active service in 1988as an assistant director . He also dida diploma course in homoeopathy andwas a practising homoeopathic doc-tor. He was married with Geeta Dar.He had a son Gopal Reu and a grand-son Rahul Reu, He died in 1984 atDelhi.

Pt Tej Kishen Reu’s youngest sonPt. Iqbal Kishen Reu was bornaround 1932. He was employed in therailways and had a thorough knowl-edge of Kashmiri Karm Kand. Hewas a practising Kul Purohit andused to perform religious rituals ofhis jajmans, After performing themarriage of Priyanka Gandhi withRobert Vadra in 1996 according toK.P's traditions he left this job. Hethen on the request of Justice PratapNarain Bakshi the founder Presidentof All India Kashmiri Samaj trainedPt. Jeevan Dar of Allahabad inKarmkanda to carry on his legacy.After Pt. Jeevan Dar’s death his wifeMrs. Poonam Dar has taken up thebatton. She also publishes aKashmiri almanac every year for thebenefit of the community. Pt. IqbalKishen Reu died in 2004 at Delhi af-ter a long illness. He was unmarried.

Pt. Tej Kishen Reu’s second sonPt. Swaroop Kishen Reu was born on

13th July 1930 in his ancestral housein Habba Kadal locality of theSrinagar district in Kashmir. He hadhis schooling in Delhi, where his fa-ther was posted. He did his B.Comand LL.B. from the Delhi UniversityHe then took up a job in the office ofAccountant General of India and dueto his sincerity and hard work be-came an Accounts Officer in it.

Pt. Swaroop Kishen Reu had agreat love for, the game of cricketright from his childhood . He was amember of the Delhi Universitycricket team as a batsman cumwicket keeper. He made his debut asan umpire in December 15-20, 1978Test match at Bangalore in the firstseries against the West Indies led byClive Lloyd but unfortunately thatTest match had to be abandoned dueto riots. In the next Test match ofthis series at Madras he and the otherumpire J.D. Ghosh were criticized bythe experts and commentators for al-lowing too many bouncers in thematch by D.L. Haynes, causing se-vere injuries to the players. ThisWest Indies team had cricket stal-warts of that period like M.D.Marshall, A.B. Williams, JwelGardner, Michel Holding and SirVivien Richards, etc.

A year later in 1979 at the sameground Pt. Swaroop Kishen Reu, hisfellow umpire and players had to layprostrate on the ground during thesession of the game when swarms ofbees attacked all of them suddenlyto save themselves from their sting,which was really a very peculiar sightto watch.

As an umpire Pt. Swaroop KishenReu was a witness to numerous Testrecords which were achieved in thehistory of Test cricket right beforehis eyes mainly by Sunil Gavaskarand Kapil Dev who have now become

FIRST KASHMIRI CRICKET UMPIRE

Pandit Swaroop Kishen Reu

S.K. Reu and Mrs. Sunita Reu at the time of their marriage in 1965

(Contd. on Page 20)

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Guru in Kashmir Shaivism & Guru in Lalla Ded Vakh(From Page 13)

doubts and misgivings aboutmetaphysical issues andShaiva-yoga praxes. Sheimplores him to teach her(grinati updishati tatvikamartham iti guru) the secretabout pran and apan as to whyone is hot and the other is coldthough both rise from the sameregion. says Lalla Ded

he gwara parmeshwarabhavatam cheya chuy

antar vyuddwashivai whopdan

kandpuraha-ha kwa turn ta ha-ha

kwa totPran and apan are the two

lexical words in all versions ofYoga. But, Lalla Ded during theinteraction is promped to knowabout the Shaiva meanings ofthese two lexical words. InShaiva Yoga the lexical word'chandrama' denotes the breathemeging from outer-dwadashant moving towards'hridaya' and the breathemerging from innerdwadashant (hridaya) movingtowards outer-dwadashant.The first is apan-breath andthe second is pran breath. Thebreath moving outside (pran-vayu) is naturally hot. It is atthe 'hridaya' that apan-vayuhalts and pran-vayu emerges.In the same way it is at theouter-dwadashant that pran-vayu ends and apan-vayu

emerges. Both pran and apanvayus are the gross forms of theoriginal all-pervading 'pran-shakti'.

In his classical work 'Ascentof Self', Prof. B.N. Parimoo hascharacterised the said-Vakh asa soliloquy, posing the questionand answering it herself. But,the author of the write-up afterdue thought does not agree tothe view of Prof. Parimoo. Thesecond line of the Vakh-"bhavatam cheya chuy antarvyud" is significant whichsurely conveys that she wantsher guru to express (bhavatam)his own views on the ShaivaYoga meanings of pran andapan vayu as he has knowledgeabout it and knows about itexperientially.

Lalla Ded having undergonenumerous sessions ofdiscourses with her Shiva gurufor awakening and sharpeningof her Shiva-consciousness wasfinally imparted 'diksha' whichin the words of Ram Kanth, anoted Shaiva scholar ofKashmir, is a sort ofconsecration ceremony only toinitiate one into the higher life,bestowing on the initiate theboon of self-knowledge andcasting away the dirts due tosense of difference(swaroopasambodhadanatmakob h e d a m a y a b a n d h a -k s a p a n a l a k s a n s c asamskarvisesah). Lalla Ded

had diksha, an initiationthrough a 'vachan", whichmeans a word (vachak pad)embedded with denotativemeaning (vachya). Theembedded meaning asconveyed by the line (nebradopnam andar acheun) is thereference to the senses asshackles (pasa) which are to bewithdrawn for attainment ofShiva-consciousness.

Though Lalla Ded has used'mantra' in many a Vakh, yetin the small Vakh underreference she uses 'kunuyvachun' which is for mantra-mantra varnatmakahsarvey sarvey varnahshivatmakaha Mantracomprising impregnated lettersor symbols are pointers to'ahanta', I consciousness ofShiva. What Srikanth did withLalla Ded through 'kunuyvachun' or Mantra was to directher mind (chitta) to 'ahanta', I-consciousness of Shiva. InShaiva Yoga mantra is themain shakhtopaya for self-recognition (pratibijjna).

The 'kunuy vachun' ormantra deeply impacted herpsycho- physical framethrowing her into a convulsionof joy and ecstasy (tawaihyutum nangai nachun).

The vakh reads asgwaran dopnam kunuy

vachunnebra dopnam andrai

achunSui Lalli gava mea vakh

ta vachuntawai hyutum nangai

nachunThe word of Shiva-guru

which is mantra, divine powerclothed in sound, coupled withthe ritual of cleansing of herbody and mind with the holywaters of Ganga as the symbolof absolute purity led Lalla Dedto attain Shivahood while inlife, thereby conquering the fearof death.

Sings Lalla Ded--gwara kath hridayas

manzbag ratamganga zala navum tan ta

mannSodih Jeevan mokhtai

provumyama bhayi cholum polum

aratMotivated with a deep

sense of responsibility untoothers Lalla Ded declaims thatabsolute trust and faith in theword of Shiva-guru, his mantra,the ever fleeting mind under thecontrol of Jnan(Shivaconsciousness), theoutward directed sensescompletely pacified and calmedare the gateway to final bliss(anand) surmounting theexistential fear of death andanybody generating fear byputting a man to death.

Says Lalla Ded:-gwara shabdas yus yach

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

(From Page 15)Similarly, after the Greeks,evidence of the capture ofTakshashila by the SythianSakes were unearthedArchaeologists, thus refutingthe conclusions held to be trueLogically hereinsofar by theBritish scholars. All theseexcavational exercise, carriedout, brought to light, about 800ancient artifacts.

Currently, at present, thedirector of the Archaeologicaldepartment of Pakistan, Dr.Ashraf Khan is engaged in theexcavational project, atBadalpur, some 10 km awayfrom Takshashila. This areacomparatively remained ratherneglected. The sole reason asto why this place was notattended to, so well, was thatin the areas in the near viscinityof this area, yield of ancientartifacts was not upto the markor upto the expectations. Dr.Ashraf Khan, whilecommenting upon the presentstatus of the project to me, saidthat in the year 2005, thisexcavation near Takshashila,one Buddha Vihar was broughtto light at ‘Jinnawali’. Thespecial feature of thismonastery was that somemurals were painted at theentrance. Dr. Ashraf hassubmitted his research paperabout this monastery at

Jinnawali to theArchaeological conference heldin Europe. An exhaustivevolume giving details of therecently surfaced artifacts atTakshashila is being compiled.Last year’s excavations haveresulted in surfacing gold coinsstruck by Kanishka theKushan emperor along with188 assorted coins struck byvarious other kings. Some of thecoins bear an emblem of‘Agnikunda’ (A special basinconstructed in bricks for fireworship or for ablations forfiregod or giving offerings toother deities through themedium of fire) Dr. AshrafKhan further informed that inthese excavations about 128seals made out of stetite andcarnelian stones. Some of theseseals carry some letters in‘Kharoshti’ script, and arebeing deciphered. A very specialfeature is that on the grindingwheels or hand mills foundduring this excavation, thereare some letters carved out in‘Kharoshti’ script and on one ofthe wheel, there was a symbolof swastika. Many specimen ofearthen pots of both Greek andIndian style are also surfacedduring this excavation. At‘Badalpur’ there was a jumbosized monastery. Thismonastery was laid waste bythe ‘Hunas’ from

Turkmenistan in the ancienttimes. It will require a periodof minimum two years ofsustained efforts for theArchaeology department tounearth all the remains of thisstructure. Dr. Ashraf Khan hasan intention to bring to lightsome hundred and odd stupasand monasteries lying hiddenso far. in the surrounding areaof Takshashila. Unesco’declared Takshashila as aworld heritage spot in the year1980 and very sincere andrigourous all out efforts arebeing made to preserve thisprecious heritage. The idol ofLead Buddha, surfaced onlylast month (Mar. 2008) in theexcavation at Takshashilaundertaken by Dr. Ashraf Khanhas brought Badalpur nearTakshashila in the lime light.This idol is sculpted in red sandstone and it measures 13 cm x12cm in size. In this sculpture,Lord Buddha is shown in aseated position Padmasana (A lotus shape posture) andthere are two lions sculpted atthe bottom, near Buddha’s feet.On each side of the idol, twodisciples are shown. On the leftthe woman is sporting a solidchain. The hand of Lord Buddhais shown to offer Sanctuary. Onthe backdrop, a Bodhivrikshais shown (The wisdom tree).Lord Budhha is sporting

garment, as per the traditional)style of Ekankshika Bhikkus’this sculpture is associatedwith the inaugural discoursegiven by Lord Buddha. A wheelcalled Dhammachakra’ iscarved out below the feet ofLord Buddha and a‘Dhammamudra’ (Symbol) iscarved out on the sole. The treeshown in the backgroundindicates or suggests the stageof emancipation. Lord Buddhain this sculpture is shown in apleasant mood and bears asmile on his face. In the opinionof Dr. Ashraf Khan this idol ofLord Buddha belongs to the 2ndcentury and belongs to thetraditional Mathura style. Asto how an idol of Mathura styleof art has surfaced in theGandhara region Dr. AshrafKhan has the followingjustification, as an apt reply tosuch a querry. Many a Buddhistmonks from far off regions,regularly visited Takshashilato have glimpses of the stupasand monasteries over there inthose times and in allprobabilities, one of suchmonks must have brought thissculpted idol to Takshashilafrom Northern India. Thissculpture, Dr. Khan veryproudly says, is the biggestdiscovery of the century. Afterthe attack of the ‘Hunas’ thoseBuddhist monks, who wereresiding at Takshashila,gradually migrated to the‘Swat’ valley. The sculpture

happens to be the only secondsuch sculpture of its kindbelonging to the Mathura styleof art. In the year 1945, asimilar idol of Lord Buddhabelonging to Mathura artschool was brought to light.Hereinsofar, some stupas and27 monasteries, have come tolight from the area surroundingTakshashila. At Jinnawali, amonastery having 19 Largerooms has been surfaced. Onthe left bank of river ‘Haro’ atBadalpur, in an areaadmeasuring 81 m x 78 m.there are many monasteries.These monasteries have 40 bigrooms of the size of 64 sq.meters each and of 12 feetheight. The inner walls of thesemonasteries had plaster oflime and soil. Dr. FazaldadKakar, the director of theArchaeological Department ofPakistan, has issued an orderabout this newly foundsculpture found at Badalpur.Accordingly, this idol of LordBuddha after it undergoes thenecessary process of somechemical treatment forconservation, will be shifted tothe museum at Taxila. In thisconnection Dr. Kakar hasremarked that new vistas ofcomparative studies betweenGandhara and Mathura artstyles have been thrown opento the scholars and researchersof this particular field.

*The Author is a notedarchaeologist, based in Pune)

patch baregyan vagi rati chyath

torgasyandrai shomith anand

kareadakus mari bai maran

kasThe internal evidence of the

vakhs does not buttress theview that Lalla Ded's case wasthat of guruna pratibodtah',generating 'samavesh',mergence into the ocean ofShiva consciousness,characterised as 'shambavaupaya'. What I have gleanedfrom all versions of Vakhs isthat her guru had mapped herascent step by step and stageby stage. She had tried themethodoligies of 'anava yoga'which stress measures likepranayam, concentration(dyan) on some form of icon orany other symbol as suggestedto her by her venerable guruand pilgrimages to holy placesfor purification of mind andbody. Because of her deep senseof 'loss and married life pain'as a result ship-wreckedmarried life Lalla Ded musthave deep disturbances (ksob)agitating her mind (chitta). So,taking up the anavamethodology was necessary topacify her mind and steadilyshe must have been led toadopt 'shakta' methodologies todevelop a frame necessary forfurther ascent of being one withShiva.

Lord Buddha at Takshashila

1818181818May 1: Old city witnessed restrictions as normalcy

returned elsewhere after two days of strikeand restrictions in view of the parliamen-tary polls in Anantnag constituency. A Gujjarwoman Shah Bano Begum, victim of terror-ists, vowed to continue her struggle for jus-tice even if two terrorists involved in victimi-sation have been killed.

May 2: A boy was killed and two others injured in ablast in Boniyar. A jawan died in suspiciouscircumstances in Uri. Police arrested twoOGWs of LeT from Bharat, Doda. A CRPFjawan was killed in an accidental fire inBillawar, Kathua. AR Rather describedJagmohan as author of PDP's self-rule.

May 3: A militants' doctor Khursheed, trained totreat terrorists, has been arrested in Doda.Four cops were among 12 people hurt in anti-poll protests in Nowhatta, Srinagar.

May 4: A top HM terrorist Dawood was killed whilehis body guard managed to escape atKilotran, Doda. A Pakistani national wasarrested near IB in Makwal sector. A terror-ist hideout was destroyed and arms andammunition recovered in Surankote, Poonch.An NC worker was shot at and criticallywounded in Khanqah-e-Mohalla, Srinagar.

May 5: Arms and explosives were recovered as forcesdestroyed a terrorist hideout in Mankote,Poonch. Two suspects were arrested inJammu.

May 6: Terrorists gunned down an SPO in Budhal,Rajouri.

May 7: Two top HM terrorists were killed while theirassociate escaped in injured conditions in afierce gunbattle in Dessa, Doda. An LeT ter-rorist was arrested for SPO's killing inBudhal. Amidst strike and call of boycottmore than 24 percent voters exercised theirfranchise in Srinagar Parliamentary Con-stituency.

May 8: A terrorist was killed in an encounter inKupwara. A civilian was killed incross-firing at Salota in Marmat, Doda. Ajotted lover and HM terrorist gunnd downgirl's mothr, husband and father-in-law in abizzare incident at Bandara in Gulabgarh,Reasi. At least 12 people were killd inclashes in down-town, Srinagar. An SPOjumped into pond, shot himself as he wasdenied leave.

May 9: A computer savy commander of LeT waskilled alongwith his body guard at Beli inBharat Doda. A terrorist was killed inKangan, Ganderbal. Two LeT terrorists werearrested in Srinagar city. Terrorists hurleda grenade towards the residence of formerDy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baigat Khawaja Bagh Baramulla; the device ex-ploded is the compound without causing anydamage. A CRPF Havaldar killed his col-league in Kishtwar. Pak troops fired mortarshells in Bhawani area of Nowshera, BhimSingh demanded general amnesty toKashmiri youth in jails.

May 10: Terrorists are using safe air and train routeswith fake Pakistani passports to infiltrateinto India.

May 11: An IED was detected and defused inKupwara on the eve of elections. A PDP rallywas attacked in old Baramulla town inwhich 12 persons were injured.

May 12: An HM terrorist was arrested in Pattan,Baramulla. Body of a civilian was recoveredunder suspicious circumstances inRathsuna. Two terrorists were injured, oneescaped and one is believed to have died inan encounter in Suroo forests in Kishtwardistrict; a girl was also killed in the encoun-ter.

May 14: A Bangladeshi was arrested on IB inKanachak sector.

May 15: Terrorists shot dead a youth in Zachaldara,beheaded a forest-guard in Handwara andattacked the house of a Numberdar inGanderbal. A woman terrorist of HuM wasarrested from Sopore.

May 16: An SPO was killed while terrorists managed

KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009 CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS (May 1, 2009 to June 30, 2009)CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS (May 1, 2009 to June 30, 2009)CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS (May 1, 2009 to June 30, 2009)CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS (May 1, 2009 to June 30, 2009)CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS (May 1, 2009 to June 30, 2009)

their escape in Sumbal, Bandipore. SajjadLone lost even his security deposit as NCwon all the three seats in the Valley andCongress bagged both the seats in Jammuand an independent won in Ladakh.

May 19: An HM terrorist was arrested in Anantnag.Three people were injured as people pro-tested against alleged custodial death inAluchi Bagh, Srinagar. Two HM terroristssurrendered in Kishtwar town. An Armyjawan killed his colleague and injured an-other in Kalakote, Rajouri.

May 20: An OGW of HM was arrested in Baramulla.May 21: An HM Battalion Commander was killed

at Kulgam. Centre extends package to J&Kstaff started since eruption of militancy.Mirwaiz Umar Farooq threatened mass agi-tation if Kashmir issue not resolved.

May 22: Shabir Shah was released after nine months.PoK truck drivers smuggle SIM cards intoIndia. An infiltration bid was foiled and threeterrorists killed in Kupwara. An HM Com-mander and an OGW were arrestd in Sopore.12 peopl were injured in NC-PDP clash inBudgam.

May 23: Shabir Shah has been put under house ar-rest. A CRPF SI was found dead under mys-terious circumstances in a train. ForeignMinister SM Krishna described Pak's ter-ror infrastructure hurdle in ties.

May 24: Two hawala operators, an SPO and a Con-gress worker-were arrested with Rs 5.4 lakh;the money was meant for HM Div. ComdrGhulam Nabi. Terrorists movement hasbeen observed in Hill Kaka, Poonch.

May 25: Four more Pakistani SIM, memory cardshave been seized from a PoK visitor as crossLoC bus left fourth time without a freshpassenger. Valley is reportedly abuss withdomestic and foreign tourists.

May 26: Three terrorists were killed in Doda andKishtwar districts. A TA jawan and two oth-ers were arrestd as they were waiting for arelative-terrorirst who was to infiltrate viaAkhnoor sector.

May 27: Five kg explosive material and three smokegrenades were recovered from a cow shed atKharpora, Tangmarg and subsequently de-stroyed by police bomb disposal squad. Fivepeople were injured in clashes as people pro-tested against death of a youth in police ac-tion, a youth injured with a tearsmoke shellsuccumbed to his injuries. CM released Rs20-crore and revalidated unspent Rs 11.45for the relief to militancy victims.

May 28: 45 kg explosives were recovered from a hide-out in Gandoh, Doda. An HM terrorist wasarrested in Baramulla. Geelani and Shahasked Kashmiris to welcome tourists andextend hospitality to them. An IED was de-tected and defused in Budhal.

May 29: Two terrorists surrendered in Kulgam. RDXand grenades were recovered during a searchoperation at Kawarian in Krishna Ghati sec-tor of Poonch. CM urged PM for meet onWorking Group reports.

May 30: An HM OGW was arrested from SeelBaddar, Doda. Secretary Boder Manage-ment Vinay Kumar visited Jagati Townshipand is scheduled to take up KPs' demandswith the state government. Mysterious deathof two women sparked protests in Shopian.Pak admits Mumbai terror group Jamaat-ud-Dawa links to Al-Qaeda.

May 31: Terrorists killed an Army jawan, an SPOand a village Numberdar across Kashmirvalley. Govt. constituted SIT to probe deathof two women in Shopian even if governmentclaimed that the two died of drowning. Ex-plosives haul was recovered at Ari in Mandi,Poonch.

June 1: An Army jawan was killed in an encounterat Rajpora Zachaldara in Kupwara. ChiefMinister announced judicial probe intoShopian deaths as a the incident bringsKashmir to standstill with Geelani extend-ing strike call till Wednesday. CM recom-

mended dismissal of an SOG Insp. whosealleged misuse of power led to the death of acivilian.

June 2: Valley observed complete shutdown overShopian deaths. Three hideout were bustedin Poonch and two youth were arrested un-der arms act. Responding to Pak PMGeelani's remarks that Kashmir issue holdsthe key to durable peace in the region, For-eign Minister SM Krishna said that "terror-ism has nothing to do with Kashmir and it(terrorism) is abominable".

June 3: Two scrap dealers were killed in a blast inKhag, Budgam. Terrorists gunned down ateenaged girl Nigeena at Donadu in Kellar,Shopian. Two Army jawans died in accidentswhile 100 people were injured in clashesacross the Valley. A terrorist hideout wasdestroyed in Mahakund forests of Gool andlarge quantity of arms and ammunition re-covered. Hazratabal Assembly constituencyrecorded 20 pc voting.

June 4: The situation in Valley worsened with thedeath of a youth with tear-smoke shell as 50more persons were injured in fresh clashes.Normalcy returned to Rangreth that wit-nessed communal clashes. The situation inValley triggers decline in tourist arrivals.President Pratibha Patil said that ties withPak depend on action against terror.

June 5: Three LeT HM Comdrs were killed in anencounter at Mandrala in Gandoh on Doda-HP border. An NC worker was shot dead byterrorists in Pulwama. Even if the forcesthwarted Geelani' s plans to address a press-conference, the separatist leader extendedthe strike call upto Sunday. More PakistaniSIM Cards were seized in Poonch RajouriArms and ammunition were recovered inPoonch. LeT key operator Madni, arrestedin Delhi was to recruit Indian Youth for ter-rorism.

June 6: Geelani was arrested as clashes continuedon the 6th day of strike in the Valley.

June 7: A terrorist was killed in an encounter inBandipore. More separatists were arrestedas 20 more people were injured on the 7thday of the strike. A large quantity of armsand explosives including three UMGs wererecovered in Poonch and Reasi districts.

June 8: Three terrorists, a Major and a jawan werekilled as Army foiled an infiltration bid inKupwara. Even if the government foiledShopian march on the 8th Day of the strikea cop was held for the alleged rape of a girltwo month back and murder of her grand-mother in Tangmarg area. Large quantity ofarms and ammunition was recovered inRajouri and Doda districts.

June 9: Valley showed signs of normally after eightdays. Prime Minister said that India hasvital interests in making peace with Paki-stan.

June 10: Two HuM terrorists were killed in Sopore.No loss of life was reported in an encounterin Zachadbara while three people were ar-rested in connection with recoveries of armsfrom a vehicles in Pattan. Azad describedPDP as enemy of peace. Murwaiz UmarFarooq asked for CBMs to resolve Kashmir.

June 11: Terrorists made an unsuccessful bid to blowa CRPF bunker at Saraf Kadal in Srinagar.Union Home Minister P Chidambaram saidthat police will get primary role in main-taining law and order and para-militaryforces will take back seat. Even if AsiyaIndrabi's strike call failed to evoke response,protests continued on the Shopian incident.

June 12: Police arrested two OGWs and two crimi-nals across the Jammu region and recoveredarms and ammunition. P. Chidmabaramsaid that talks with separatists would beheld at appropriate time and AFSPA wouldbe reviewed after discussions with PrimeMinister and Defence Minister.

June 13: A cop and a youth were shot dead by terror-ists in Sopore town. A major tragedy was

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averted by the recovery of an IED on IndraGandhi Road near Police Hqtrs. in Srinagar.Two youths were killed and two others in-jured seriously in a landmine blast at Dadot,close to LoC in Mendhar sector. FarooqAbdullah said that AFSPA will go if policeperforms well.

June 14: Terrorists shot dead a former colleague atGutlibagh in Ganderbal. Body of a civilianwas recovered with marks of violence inSumbal Bandipore.

June 15: Large quantity of arms and ammunition wasrecovered in Budhal area. A mobile phonealongwith SIM of an Indian Telecom Com-pany was recovered from the slain infiltra-tors in Kupwara sector. A cop was killed anda civilian injured by terrorists in Soporetown.

June 16: At the first top level contact betweenManmohan Singh and Zardari after Mumbaiattacks, Prime Minister asked Zardari tostop terrorism and decided that the Indo-Pak foreign secys will hold discussions onterror. Army Chief General Kapoor reviewedsecurity situation in Kashmir Valley.Around 5000 perform darshan on Day one ofthe Amarnath Yatra.

June 17: A woman, a peon in UCO Bank, was killedby terroists in Sopore. A terrorist hide outwas busted in Kalakote and arms and am-munition recovered from there. Prime Min-ister said that Zardari had sought more timeto against terror and asked Kashmiri sepa-ratists to give up gun and violence for dia-

logue.June 18: Security Forces recovered arms and ammu-

nition during a search operation in Trehgamand detected and defused an IED near abridge at Shothpora, Kupwara.

June 19: On the eve of Vice-President Hamid Ansari'svisit to Srinagar, a former terrorist waskilled and two others injured when an IED,they had fabricated, went off in Lal BazarSrinagar. One person was killed and threeothers injured in a grenade blast at Dalgate,Srinagar. 25 people were injured as the au-thorities foiled Baramulla march. EightIEDs were recovered from Kot Dhara, Rajouri.

June 20: A woman was killed by terrorists inBijbehara. Strike crippled normal life inValley as people continue protesting againstalleged rape and murder of two women inShopian. Vice-President Hamid Ansari saidthat Prime Minister has agreed to the im-plementation of WG recommendations.

June 21: An HM terrorist was killed in Bharat, Doda.The Justice Jan Commission submitted itsinterim report and recommended actionagainst several officials in Shopian incident.

June 22: Three top LeT terrorists were killed inGulabgarh of Reasi district. An IED was de-tected and defused on Jammu-SrinagarNational highway near Panthyal. RDX andgrenades were seized in Bani, Kathua. AnSP, a DySP and an SHO were among fiveofficers suspended on the recommendationsof Jan Commission on Shopian incident .

June 23: Accusing centre of its failure for formationof a national security policy former DG Pun-jab KPS Gill said that there is more danger

Shanti Nagar Behind Krishna Mandir (ShivNagar) Jammu. 14/4/2009

65. Sh. Vikram Raina S/o Late Dr. Shanta andLate Sh. S.K. Raina New Delhi. 14/4/2009

66. Sh. Srikrishen Koul S/o Late Sh. Sundri LalKoul originally resident of 2- Karan Nagar Sgr;presently residing at 22/23 D-S- New RajinderNagar New Delhi. 14/4/2009

67. Mrs. Bimla Dhar wife of Sh. C.L. Dhar R/oRuman House Gurha Bakshi Nagar, Jammu.15/4/2009.

68. Sh. B.L. Tickoo S/o Late Sh. J.N. Tickoo R/o137/7 Channi Himmat Jammu. 15/4/2009

69. Smt. Leelawati Koul W/o Late Sh. Baskar NathKoul originally resident of UmanagriBraniangam Anantnag Kmr. presently resid-ing at H.No: 39, Lane No: 7 Anand Nagar BohriJammu. 16/4/2009.

70. Smt. Rani Miya W/o Sh. T.N. Miya originallyresident of Kocha Nidan Rainawari Sgr; pres-ently residing at 145-Colonels Colony BohriJammu. 16/4/2009

71. Smt. Veena Ji Thathoo W/o Sh. Chaman LalThathoo R/o H.No: 158, Sector-2 PamposhColony Janipur Jamu. 17/4/2009

72. Sh. Arjan Nath Koul S/o Sh. Nand Lal Kauloriginally resident of Bagh Rainawari Sgr; pres-ently residing at Adarsh Colony Subash Nagar,Dehradoon . 17/4/2009

73. Smt. Khema Koul W/o Sh. Tribwan Nath Kouloriginally resident of Malikyar Fatehkadal Sgr;presently residing at B-1, Classic Apparts Sec-tor-22, Dawarika New Delhi. 18/4/2009

74. Sh. Rajinder Kumar Bhat S/o Sh. Triloki NathBhat R/o Peth Kanihama Beeru Kmr; presentlyresiding at H.No: 106-B Hari Nagar, OldJanipur Jammu. 18/4/2009

75. Sh. Pushkar Nath Miskeen S/o Late Sh. KanthJoo Miskeen R/o 135-Lower Luxmi Nagar,Sarwal Jammu. 19/4/2009

76. Smt. Saraswati Razdan W/o Late Sh.Kidarnath Razdan resident of IInd BridgeMadanyar Habbakadal Sgr; presently residingat O.R.T. Nagrota Camp Qtr. No: 313, Jammu.19/4/2009

77. Sh. Ashok Raina S/o Smt. Mohan Rani RaniaR/o Village Malmoha Magam Kmr; presentlyresiding at H.No: 17, Ajit Colony Gole GujralJammu. 19/4/2009

78. Smt. Kamlawati Mattas W/o Late Sh. Prem

Nath Mattas R/o 39-A Vipan Garden Krol ModeNew Delhi. 19/4/2009

79. Smt. Pran Piyari (Nancy) W/o Sh. K.K. RainaC/o H.No: 265/2 Anuradha Puram BarnaiJammu and originally resident of Sathu-Barbarshah, Kak-Mohalla Sgr. 19/4/2009

80. Sh. Prem Nath Kotroo S/o Late Sh. Shiv JeeKotroo originally resident of Bagdaji RainawariSgr; presently residing at H.No: 88/163-StreetNo: 4 Shanti Vihar Durga Vihar Phase-2,Deenapur Najafgarh New Delhi. 20/4/2009

81. Smt. Meenawati W/o Late Pt. Tara Chand BhatR/o Khardoori Habakadal Sgr; presently resid-ing at H.No: 50, Durga Nagar Enclave Sec-1,Jammu. 20/4/2009

82. Sh. Chand Narayan Ganjoo S/o Late Sh. GopiNath Ganjoo originally resident of BaghJogilankar Rainawari Sgr; presently residentof 7/8 Shreeji Dham Revapark Garba GroundWaghodia Road Baroda. 20/4/2009

83. Sh. Vijay Raina S/o Late Sh. M.N. Raina ofNew House Karan Nagar Sgr; presently resi-dent of Chandigarh. 20/4/2009

84. Smt. Leelawati Koul W/o Late Pt. Jagan NathKoul originally resident of BabaporaHabbakadal Sgr; presently residing at C-409,Sushant Lok-1 Gurgoan Haryana. 22/4/2009

85. Sh. Chuni Lal Pandita presently resident ofFaridabad Haryana and previously resident ofSuthrashahi Sgr. 22/4/2009

86. Sh. Som Nath Bhan S/o Late Kanth Joo BhanR/o 43-Karan Nagar Sgr; presently residing at74-B, Kunjwani Greater Jammu. 23/4/2009

87. Smt. Promilla (Veena) Ganju W/o Sh. P.K.Ganju R/o Amar Villa 31, Mahinder Nagar,Jammu. 23/4/2009

88. Sh. Bansi Lal Bhat S/o Late Pt. Keshav NathBhat R/o Ladhoo Pampore Kmr; presently resi-dent of Muthi Camp, Phase-I Jammu. 23/4/2009

89. Sh. Bishambar Nath Raina S/o Late Sh. TikaLal Raina originally resident of KarfaliMohalla Sgr; presently residing at H.No: 109,Ward No: 4, Dogra College Road BaribrahmanaJammu. 23/4/2009

90. Smt. Kamlawati Bhat W/o Late Sh. RadhaKrishen Bhat R/o Mattan Anantnag Kmr; pres-ently residing at Qtr. No: C, 2/20 MishriwallaCamp Jammu. 23/4/2009

91. Sh. Ganesh Dass Koul Late Pt. Mana Joo KoulR/o Ramnagri Shopian Kmr; presently resident

of H.No; 186, Ambika Vihar, GokuldamAshram Talab Tillo, Jammu. 23/4/2009

92. Smt. Mayawati W/o Late Sh. Radha KrishanReshi of Akingam Kmr; presently resident ofQtr. No: 226, Block-C Muthi Camp, Phase-IInd,Jammu. 24/4/2009

93. Sh. Kashi Nath Bhan R/o Gotingoo KupwaraKmr; presently resident of Nagrota Camp. 24/4/2009

94. Sh. Piaray Lal Pandita S/o Late Sh. Jia LalPandita of village Ponzwa Verinag Kmr; pres-ently residing at P/45, JNE-MES, Qtr. JO-ITMode Udampur. 25/4/2009

95. Sh. Mohan Lal Moza orignially resident ofBadiyar Bala Sgr; presently residing at 12 AmitNagar, (Opp. Church) Muthi Goan Jammu. 25/4/2009

96. Smt. Kamlashori Shali W/o Late Sh. SardariLal Shali originally resident of Saki-DafarSafa Kadal Sgr; presently residing at H.No: 39,Subash Nagar, Jammu. 25/4/2009

97. Smt. Shyam Rani Dambee W/o Late Sh. NandLal Dambee R/o Bage-Sunder Balla ChattabalSgr; presently residing at 141/4 Anand Nagar,Bohri Jammu. 25/4/2009

98. Sh. Kanya Lal Bhat S/o Sh. Late Lassa KakBhat R/o Darbag, Harwan Sgr; presently resid-ing at H.No: 43, Lane No: 27, RajporaMangotrian Jammu. 26/4/2009

99. Sh. Chuni Lal Koul S/o Late Sh. Keshav NathKoul originally resident of Hanad ChawalgamKulgam Kmr; presently putting up at EP/BC-36 Near Sharda Press, Residency RoadJammu. 26/4/2009

100. Sh. Pran Nath Koul S/o Late Sh. Sri Kanth Kouloriginally resident of Drabiyar Habbakadal Sgr;presently resident of 18/174, Indira NagarLucknow (UP). 26/4/2009

101. Smt. Vijay Reshi (Babli) W/o Sh. K.L. Reshierstwhile resident of Khandha BhawanNawakadal Sgr; presently residing at LowerShakti Nagar Near Ram Sharnam AshramJammu. 27/4/2009

102. Sh. Omkar Nath Thusoo S/o Late Sh. ShreedharPandit formerly resident of Gotangoo KupwaraKmr; presently resident of Ganesh Nagar,Patoli Brahmana, Jammu. 27/4/2009

103. Sh. Sat Lal Razdan (Master Jee) S/o RaghavRam of Anantnag Kmr; presently R/o 7-BagwatiCanal Road, Jammu. 29/4/2009

to the country from politicians than Pak.June 24: A JeM Comdr and two LeT's OGWs were

arrested in separate operations in KashmirValley.

June 25: Defence Minister AK Antony said that peacewith Pakistan cannot be one way traffic andthere is no question of lowering guard inJ&K. Two doctors were suspended inShopian case.

June 26: Three people were injured in CRPF firing inShopian as Valley observed a shut down butgovernment foiled Cheshmashahi march. Aterrorist was among three held for a widow'smurder in Baramulla. Indian Foreign Min-ister SM Krishna met Pakistani counterpartShah Mohd. Qureshi but said that the tiesare under stress.

June 27: Three CRPF jawans were injured as terror-ists lobbed a hand grenade at JehangirChowk, Srinagar. Terrorists gunned down acouple in Danga Kandi, Rajouri. Omar advo-cated for resumption of dialogue betweenCentre and separatists.

June 28: A Pak intruder was gunned down in AkhnoorSector.

June 29: Curfew was imposed in Baramulla as twopeople were killed while protesting for mis-behaviour of police with a lady. A jawan waskilled as Pak Army violated cease-fire onLoC in Poonch Sector; two terrorists arefeared to have infiltrated. A terrorist hide-out was busted in Surankote. LeT and JeMare reportedly shifting bases to PoK.

June 30: Curfew continued in Baramulla as strikecripples life in Valley, two more persons waskilled in firing.

(From Page 18)

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KKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

2020202020CONTINUATIONKKKKK ASHMIRSENTINEL

JULY2009

(From Page 16cricket legends. Pt. SwaroopKishen Reu was generallyconsidered to be a lucky um-pire for India. But in his 13thTest in 1983-84 at KanpurIndia lost the match. In theTest series against Englandin 1981-82 in the fourth Testmatch at Calcutta he stoodin the Eden Garden groundas an umpire before a recordcrowd of about 4 lac specta-tors throughout its five days,which is a world record. Afurther niche was carved atBombay in 1983-84 serieswhen he erased the feeling ofindecision felt by his fellowumpire M. V. Gothosker af-ter an Indian appeal againstHaynes for handling the ball.It was fourth such dismissalin the history of Test cricket.

Pt. Swaroop Kishen Reubeing a law graduate used toapply his legal and analyti-cal mind while enforcingrules and regulations of thegame as laid down by theI.C.C. on the ground. He oncetook to task Imran Khan theskipper of Pakistan for tam-pering with the ball. His lastTest as an umpire was atBombay, from November 28to December 3 in the 1984-85 series against England ledby David Gower . He stoodon the ground as an umpirein 17 Test matches which isan Indian record shared withanother Indian umpire B.Satyaji Rao.

Pt. Swaroop Kishen Reuapart from performing theduties as an umpire in Testmatches also had the oppor-

tunity to do the same job inOne Day Internationalmatches as well. His firstODI was India verses Eng-land at Jallundhar on 20thDecember 1981 and his lastODI was England verses Pa-kistan at Sharjah on 26thMay 1985. In the ODI playedat Jallundhar in the GandhiStadium in 1981-82 seriesthe Indian side was led bySunil Gavaskar with DileepVengsarkar, Kapil Dev, KirtiAzad, Sandeep Patil, RaviShastri and Madan Lal as itsmembers. The captain of theEngland’s team was KitchFletcher and Graham Gort,Geof Boycott, Ian Bothom,David Gower, Mike Gettingand Geoff Cook were its mem-bers. India won this ODI by6 wickets.

In recognition of his out-standing services for thegame of cricket he wasawarded Padma Shree in1986 by the President of In-dia Gyani Zail Singh. Hethen started leading a retiredlife. He died on 21st Novem-ber 1992 at the age of 62years at Delhi due to Cancer.

Pt. Swaroop Kishen Reugot married in 1960 withSunita who was the daugh-ter of Pt. Shibban Lai Handooof Delhi. He had three sonsSanjeev, Sunil, and Susheel.Sanjeev Reu is holding ahigh post in Tata Interna-tional and is married withSavita. He has a son Yugaland a daughter Latika. SunilReu is working in Dubai andis married with Jyoti.Susheel Reu is employed in

Atlas Cycles of JallundharHe is married with Sheetaland has a son Saransh and adaughter Srishti.

Pt. Swaroop Kishen Reuwas a jolly good fellow. Hewas quite obese, so could bevery easily identified on thecricket grounds. TeresaMclean in his book The Menin White Coats has writtenthat with his huge girth lend-ing him a SydneyGreenstreet profile, SwaroopKishen was perhaps the mostinstantly recognized umpireever to take the field in aTest match not with stand-ing one or two extroverts ofrecent years, and a rear viewof him was chosen to gracethe dust jacket of this bookon umpires and umpiring .It was a real treat to observehim pedalling bicycle in thelanes and bylanes of Delhiwith folds of flesh hanging onboth the sides of its seat cov-ering it completely from pub-lic view.

Pt. Swaroop Kishen Reuhad a great sense of wit andhumour. To cut jokes was hisfavourite pastime. He wasalso famous for chewing to-bacco He was great foodie.Kashmiri delicacies were hisgreatest weakness so he lovedto cook the Kashmiri dishesat home, like an expert chef.He was a man of manytraits. Though he was a softspoken person who never losthis temper, yet he was veryfirm in his decisions, suchpeople are always remem-bered for their peculiar hab-its and characteristics.

The game of cricket mixedwith glamour has become abig business now than a mere

sport. Newly introducedyoung scantly dressed andcurvaceous cheer leadersfrom America and other for-eign countries who pump anextra dose of adrenaline inyour blood vessels whilewatching a match has givenan entirely new dimension tothis game. There was a timewhen slaves used to be auc-tioned in the markets of dif-ferent countries of CentralAsia. Now star cricketers are

S.K. Reu receiving Padma Shree Award fromPresident Gyani Zail Singh (1986).

being auctioned in presenceof film actions and industri-alists who make bids forthem. Some of the moneyminded cricketers even donot care for national honours.This is the new face of thisgentleman’s game, which itused to be once upon a time.Abraham Lincoln has veryrightly said that in the endit’s not the years in your lifethat count, it is the life inyour years.

vilepana on the face and thebody to enhance their physicalbeauty. These were preparedfrom ingredients like saffron,sandalwood, camphor andandropogon. Men appliedmustard on forehead andsaffron pomade on beard. Theypainted their nails too, andperfumed their clothes withvarious kinds of powders.Ladies of course were evenmore conscious about enhanc-ing their bodily charms byusing different cosmetics. Theyanointed their body withsandalwood and saffron pastes.Using leaves soaked in muskto scent their cheeks, theyapplied collyrium in the eyesand reddened their feet andlips and, of course, nails, withlac dye (alaktaka). Womenwere also extremely fond ofpainting different designs andbeauty Marks on their faces.

Ladies' coiffures wereamazingly beautiful andelaborate. Three kinds ofhairstyles were particularlypopular among them, we learnfrom Damoadaragupta. These

(From Page 14)Damodaragupta takes greatdelight in describing variouskinds of necklaces hugging thebosoms of pretty women of histimes. He speaks of pearl neck-laces (mukta hara) havingseveral strands of pearls.Kshemendra speaks of coralcollars (kanthi) and conch-shellnecklaces (shankhalatika).They were fond of wearing ear-rings of various shapes. BothDamodargupta Kshemendraspeak of palm-shaped ear-dropknown as kanaka-tadi thatcame to Kashmir from theSouth. King Harsha introducednew types of jewelleries in the10th century which too seem tohave come from the South6 .These included ketaka-leafedtiaras, pendants which restedon the forehead. (tilaka,modern tikka) and golden-strings at the end of the locks,perhaps something like the or-nament called talaraz inKashmiri. Ladies also loved to

wear a number of braceletsknown as valaya or kataka, oneach of the wrists which wouldmake sound on moving. Theywore small finger-rings of goldknown as balika in root of thefinger. But jingling girdlesadoring the hips and tinklinganklets on the feet were a greatcraze. Strangely enough thereis no reference to dejiht the ear-ornament which identifiesmarried Kashmiri ladies.Perhaps it came later.

Men also liked to wearornaments of different designs.These included necklaces, ear-rings, wristlets, armlets,bracelets and finger-rings. Menof ordinary means woreornaments of cheap materialslike glass-beads and conch-shells.

What is very interesting isthat both men and women usedunguents and cosmetics asbeauty-aids. They appliedvarious kinds of perfumedpastes known as angaraga and

were veni, dhamilla and alka-avali. Veni was a long danglingbraid decked with flowers.Dhamilla, explains Ajay MitraShastri, was a form of coiffurein which the hair was tied intoa single big knot over the headand adorned with flowers.Bilhana's refernce to it in'Chaurapanchashika' showsthat it was quite popular inKashmir. Alaka-avaliaccording to Shashri,"consisted of arrangements ofhair in rows of spiral locks onthe forehead".

Various modes of dressingthe hair were prevalent amongmen also. Fashion-consciousmen wore their hair long withcoloured tassels attached tothem. According to theDamodaragupta, kings andnobles braided their hair inseveral ways. Damadarguptawrites that affluent menarranged their hair with a longpiece of cloth covering threefourths of the head and leaveone fourth open. Men alsodecorated their hair with floralgarlands.

Much of what has been saidin literary works about thecostumes and ornaments invogure in early Kashmir iscorroborated by sculptures andterractto figures of an earliertime. For instance, in oneHarwan tile we see a ladycarrying a flower vase. She iswearing a diaphanous robe andlarge ear-rings. On another tilea woman water carrier is shownwearing a Sari. On some tilesappear women wearnig closefitting caps. Yet some othertiles depict men wearingtrousers and loose fitting robes.Dr S.C. Ray finds the influenceof Central Asian dress on theserepresentations, but this needsto be further investigated.Several splendid terracottafigurines from Ushkur showwomen in beautiful coiffureswith their hair fixed withhairpins. Several busts showthem wearing kanchukas andnecklaces. Terracottafragments showing girdles andfinger rings have also beenfound from Ushkur.

--To be continued

Early Kashmiri Society—Social Life

Pandit Swaroop Kishen Reu