Kashmiri Identity

Fact of Kashmiri Identity 

Distortions and Realities 

My basic premise for writing this column is that I agree with Shahnaz Bashir that the concept of Kashmiriat as pronounced by so called intellectuals is incorrect. I agree with him on two counts. One, that the Kashmiriat is an amalgamation of Saivism(read as Kashmir Saivism) and Sufism is incorrect .Two, it is used by some intellectuals to present romanticized versions of history or as Shahnaz has put it “history is being fudged to suit someone’s interests”. Notwithstanding my agreement with Shahnaz on the statements made above I would like to present a perspective to the distortions and realities of philosophical, cultural and somewhat entangled political history of
Kashmir.Kashmir Saivism is a monistic, non dual philosophy, the essence of which is merging of individual (limited consciousness) to the universal consciousness(unlimited and eternal consciousness).Its essential focus is on recognition(Pratibhjna) and  freedom(Swantarya) is the outcome of the recognition, since it frees us from bondage of ignorance. According to Vedanta philosophy, refined soul is God. All divine power according to the Vedanta philosophy resides in this physical body. All the grandeur and magnificence of divine potentialities of the Almighty are present in its entirety in dormant centers of human soul. He can be seen only in one’s own inner- self. Our entire life is God’s direct manifestation. The ascetic asks, “For whom should we worship (kasmai devaya havisha vidhema”. The emphatic answer is, we should worship for the God within us (Atma-Dev). The central doctrine of Sufism, sometimes called Wahdat or Unity, is the understanding of Tawhid: all phenomena are manifestations of a single reality, or Wujud (being), or al-Haq (Truth, God). It is often understood to imply that every phenomenon is an aspect of Truth and at the same time attribution of existence to it is false. The chief aim of all Sufis then is to let go of all notions of duality, therefore the individual self also), and realize the divine unity.It is therefore abundantly clear that all three philosophies have some similarities and differnces though it is believed that Sufism post Mansur-bin-Hallaj had Vedantic influence. What I fail to understand is who among the Saivites has said that Kashmir Savism or Saivism has sown the seeds of Islam or Saivism is a proto form of Liberal Islam or Sufism.Atleast I don’t know of any.If there are any they should be asked to explain the same except for Congressmen(including Nehru) who have license to lie.It should also be borne in mind that the scholars of Vedant philosphy were mostly brahmins(the brahmins of central India still have surnames like Trivedi,Dwivedi or Chaturvedi)but had contradictory philosphies to that of scholars of Saivism.This is no way meant they were at war with each other. The Tandav Nach(Nritya,it should be,for nach means a simple dance which does not essentially have a purpose while as Nritya is a dance which is associated with a certain  socio-cultural event and has a purpose and its own unique style) which pupotedly the learned scholar has quoted out of context is a celestial dance the purpose of which is killing of ignorance.When Shiva dances the Apasmar Pursh(personification of the ignorant one)is under his feet.The celestial dance signifies the death of ignorance, that’s what explainsShiva Sutra (2) of Vasugupta.-Jnanam Badanah(Limited Knowledge/Ignorance is bondage) .I have no shame in accepting that Kashmir Saivism wasn’t understood by many in Kashmir although people worshipped Shiva as their primary diety.May I please know how many Muslims in Kashmir today understand(not read or pray) the Holy Quran or al Hadith for that matter.The reason for this is simple,very few of us are philosophers and people at general have faith and religion is a matter of faith and not essentially philosophy.Nonetheless the following verses written many hundred years after monistic Saivism was propounded will prove beyond doubt the influence of Saivism on Kashmiri thought and sesnsitivity.I am selectively quoting Muslim poets only to prove the point.Shams faqir:”Zaanwale kar zaen yaar harmukh vichu deedar,parde zal az darde naar harmukh vichu deedar”.Shah Gafoor:Yyoth yith zanamas kaenh chune larun,darinay darun soham soo;Brahma,Vishnu,Maheshwar gharun,darinay darun soham soo.Azad Zargar:Harmukh bozmay chon keel Kalo,Ha valo baal chas praraeneyAhmed Shah Batwari:”Vishnas ti Krishnas Raesh Maidanas,Mahaganesh tate kas kare namaskar;Gange-raaz byuthum Gange-bal thanas,jan chum mileth jahaanas seet”.Ayub Betab:”Dyanas manz mas shankar chunho parvati mozaan,kamdevas van baan chalevaeth yokun karehaes dhyaan.”Leave alone Kashmiri poets,Ali Mardan Khan the Afghan general wrote “Huma aasli maheshawar boodh ki shab shahe ki man deedam.Ajab sansayase deedam namo narayane guftam.”We have countless verses to support this.Swoch Kral,Mahmud Gami,Wahab Khar,Samad Mir,Nyam Saeb,Rahim Saeb,Ahmed Dar and many others have been ifluenced by saivism abd the clear reflection is shown in their pieces of work. Does one have to say more?So much so for philosophy.Kashyap Bandhu is deeply revered by Pandit community for his yeoman’s contribution to curtail ceratin wasteful rituals and dresses.His contribution to the Pandit community as an educationist and social reformer is also hailed.So is Jialal Kilam’s contribution.Mr.Bazaz seems to be the flavour around which Shahnaz has cooked his pudding.Mr.Bazaz holds the same reputation among pandits as does Mr.Salman Rushdie among Muslims.I think it would be improper for me to qoute anything from the Satanic Verses for it will hurt the sensibilties of my Muslim brethern..As regards availabilty of Shavite material and knowledge,Mr.Bazaz was deeply mis-informed.For almost all major universities from Germany to Spain to United States teach Kashmir Saivism as a subject.New York State University even celebrates all major festivals and birthdays of Shaivate scholars right from Acharya Abhinavgupt to Swami Laksman joo.It has been written that Avantivarman was a brahmin and he massacared Buddhists.Kalhan who has been dispassionate and objective while writing Rajatarangni(read IV 715 to 19 and V 1-144) has made no such mention of Avantivarman killing Buddhists.It is obligatory on the scholar to mention the source of his/her research unless he/she himself travels back in time to see everything.As for people welcoming Islam with open arms and converting of free will please read the following.The source of the texts is Bahiristan-i-Shahi.I am quoting without even changing a line.“Sultan Shihabu’d-Din addressed himself to such works as would help him get peace in the world hereafter. He arranged a tomb and a burial place for himself to be used after his death. Towards the fag end of his life, he was infused with a zeal for demolishing idol-houses and destroying the temples and idols of the infidels. He destroyed the massive temple at Beejeh Belareh [31] (Bijbehara). He had designs to destroy all the temples and put an end to the entire community of the infidels.[32] ““Again it needs to be recorded that for some of the time which the holy Amir spent in
Kashmir he lived in a sarai at ‘Alau’d-Din Pora. At the site where his khanqah was built, there existed a small temple which was demolished and converted into an estrade on which he offered namaz (prayer) five times a day and recited portions of the Qur’an morning and evening. Sultan Qutbu’d-Din occasionally attended these congregational prayers.”“ [It may be recorded] that the temples of idol-worshippers, which had been destroyed and razed to the ground by the religious-minded and justice-loving Sultan Sikandar- God bless his grave and bless him-had been rebuilt and rehabilitated by Zainu’l ‘Abidin. He had permitted idolators and polytheists to revive the practices of infidelity and they had propagated heresy (kufr) and false religion (din-i batil). With the support of some more kings,[96] the infidels had flourished day after day. But with the support and authority of Malik Musa Raina, Amir Shamsu’d-Din Muhammad undertook a wholesale destruction of all those idol-houses [97] as well as the total ruination of the very foundation of infidelity and disbelief. On the site of every idol-house he destroyed, he ordered the construction of a mosque for offering prayers after the Islamic manner.” For details of forcible conversion of Hindus to Islam and their massacre in case they refused to be converted, see Tarikh-i-Hasan Khuihami; pp. 178-80. One significant detail is that three kharwars (one kharwar is approximately equal to eighty kilograms) of Hindu ceremonial thread (zunnar) were burnt by Sultan Sikandar. (Tarikh-i-Hasan Khuihami, Pir Ghulam Hasan, Vol II, RPD,* Srinagar 1954.)Regarding aborigines of
Kashmir, Nilamatapurana and Buddhist texts are the main source of  infornation. According to Nilmatapurana and various Buddhist texts it is Vishnu who after killing Jalodbhava(the water demon) crowned Nila Naag as the king of Kashmir.It is Nila,who invited the Brahmin Chandradev to
Kashmir. As for Pischasas,Buhler says’They were a tribe living in what can be called present day Kafirstan. They ate raw human flesh and drink blood.They constantly attacked various habitations and Kashmir was one of them”That we still called a blood sucking insect as pisch in Kashmir proves that this tribe drank human blood”.If someone wants to be quoted as their descendant it is for him or her to decide. It is preposterous, almost laughable to say that Aryans were Brahmins when we clearly know of the
varna (caste) system from various texts of the Aryans. In Kashmiri I would say” Mae chu aeme kathe seet kit kit gachaan”.The very basis of Aryan theory is contested now. Excavations have shown worship of ring stones(mother goddess cult)lingas(erect phallus) and the seal of pashupat(the protector of livestock)are traits common to vedic people and people of
Indus valley civilization. Indologists like Max Muller have propounded the Aryan myth to divide people of the sub-continent.If Aryans would have killed or forced Dravidians to flee I wonder if they would have worshipped same god-Shiva.It is my earnest request that we must look at history objectively and not quote what suits us. Half baked understanding of complex philosophies and intentional distortion of history will get us nowhere.
Kashmir stands at cross-roads. Let us not add to the misery of
Kashmir desa. It is for the readers to decide who are the illegal citizens, the people who were born here or the ones who came from
Arabia or
Persia or Panjab.The earth has never been anyones’. It has always changed hands. Who would have one day imagined the world without the great Roman Civilizations or Greeks or the Phahroaos!!! 

Gov Mansur fana,vyodun huvey hyond musalmano;Ann Paranas chune manah,chune gudrun chaye rozaano(Ahmed Shah Batwari) 

 

“Mahsoos” 

Dear Sir, 

This is in reference to the column”Shaikh-ul-Alam-between legend and history”by Prof.Mohammed Ishaq Khan.Prof Khan has mentioned that Shaikh-ul-Alam(Nund Rishi or Sahzanand as Kashmiri Pandits call him)has criticized Brahamical social order and the extravagant Brahmanical rituals.This statement is partly true and conceals more than what it reveals.The truth is that he criticized the established order of religion whether Islam or Hinduism.I may like to quote what great saint said about establishment in religions, about maulanas and about brotherhood between the Hindus and Muslims. 

The Mullah in the mosque,And the Brahmin before the idol of stone
Perhaps only one out of a thousand of them will be redeemed,Otherwise, Satan will grab them all. 

The fake darwesh counts his beads,And derives joy from hearing their sound,But closes the door of the mosque and does not say his prayers.Remember O cheat! You are not God’s friend but His foe. 

O slave of God! You have a rosary in your hand, But it is actually a knife. You have opened a shop in the bazaar of this fleeting world to rob others. Pay heed lest you shall be used as fuel in the fire. Oh! What a pity! You have cut off your own feet with your axe. 

About oneness of Hindus and Muslims this is what Nund Rishi had to say:*Children of the same parents, When will Hindus and Muslims cut down the tree of dualism? When will God be pleased with them and grant them His grace?We belong to the same parents Then why this difference? Let Hindus and Muslims worship God alone. We came into this world like partners. We should have share our joys and sorrows together. 

Oh Hindus and Muslims! How will you attain salvationif you don’t take good deeds with you? Prayers and ritual performances, if not accompanied bygood deeds, not only do not please God, Rather, they condemn one to damnation in Hell. 

Even till this date all the books of prayers and hymns of Kashmiri Pandits have Shrukhs of Nund Rishi.This is a testament to the fact that Nund-Rishi though being a devout Muslim did not preach Islam alone but humanity, which  is the essence of all religions. 

One must also not forget to mention what he had to say about Lalla (and the glory of Lord Shiva),who had profound influence on Nund Rishi 

Lalla drank fully at the fountain of immortality. She has witnessed the omnipotent glory of Shiva. Hence, we treasure utmost adoration for her in ourhearts. She carved for herself the stature of an exalted one. O God, grant that very boon to me 

That Lalla of Padmanpore,Who had drunk to her full the nectar.She was an avatar of ours, Oh God, grant me the same spiritual power. 

It is being increasingly seen that in columns(in your esteemed newspaper) irrespective of the textual content, Brahminical bashing is but a norm. In the times that we live in we must mend fences and build bridges and not resort to unnecessary rhetoric. 

Regards 

Rashneek Kher 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeh Majboor kya naam hai?was almost a curt remark from my would be wife when her father showed her an article titled”The Forgotten Tirtha of Bheda Devi”by Arjun Dev Majboor.Years rolled by, after her inquiry on Arjun Dev’s pen name, there was little that we heard of Majboor but his verses in Koshur Samachar. His verses reflected sorrow, anguish and uncertainity, but unlike many other poems in the kashmiri section, there was a fragrance of an unlikely dream and effervescence of an unlikely trait that one would call hope.We read more about him and his works, whilst we were in Ahmedabad. One day as I was sifting through the Internet Edition of Greater Kashmir(an English daily published from Kashmir)I came to know about a book written on Arinmal by Majboor.The newspaper carried a story on his remarkable zest (despite his ill health )for unmasking the cloud of doubt that Arinmal(a seventeenth century Kashmiri poet) had intentionally been clothed with by some scholars based in Kashmir.After almost two years of this newspaper report we got a chance to go to Jammu to attend a marriage, what else!The search for Arinmal took us(me and my wife) to various places some boring and some not so boring. Eventually somebody told us to get in touch with one Mr.Sagar who might have a copy of the book. I called Mr.Sagar and asked him if he had a copy of the book, which thankfully he did not have but he had something I would thank him ever after for. To my amazement he had Majboor’s phone number and he told me Majboor had shifted to Jammu from Udhampur.It took me some persuasion from my own soul to conceal my joy of finally getting the book, but destiny had more in store for me than just that. I called the number that Mr.Sagar had given me. Soon I was talking to someone I had known through his poems. After exchanging pleasantries I requested Majboor for a copy of the book. I was pleasantly surprised when he invited us (me and my wife) over for lunch and to get a copy of the book. I instantaneously accepted the invitation, actually jumped for it. The prospect of meeting him set butterflies in my stomach.It was a pleasant winter afternoon when we reached Majboor’s non-descript house in Bohri.We were led into the inner room of the house where we first saw Majboor in person. He looked very much like the picture I had seen of him in Koshur Samachar, except for the  pale face and frail physique. Probably all had not been well with his health. He was glad to see us and it showed on his face, but to say the same for us would be an understatement. We were extremely excited. Soon we got talking over hot cups of kehwa.We traveled back in time to see a young boy and his quest for knowledge taking him to the most unlikely places where our mundane lives seldom take us to.He got nostalgic about his childhood and his years of adolsence.His art of story telling transported us to the springs of Zainapora where Majboor spent his childhood and the aura which bore its first imprints on his nubile mind.My wife wanted to know about his book on Lala Lachman( a 19th century bard and poet).She was particularly interested in knowing about “Gade Dhogul” one of the relatively unknown poet’s reflections on the society of the day he lived in. Majboor’s humility was at its full display when he took time and pains to narrate to us the story and the pun involved in it. We moved on to his interactions with Rahul Sankrityan (one of the greatest scholars of the last century)and thus came to fore, what really had transformed Majboor from a simple village boy with a quest, to a man who had come of age. Majboor told us about the time he spent with Rahul Sankrityan at
Lahore and how he started to look at things differently and how his interactions with Sankritian evolved him. After meeting Rahul Sankrityan ,Majboor was a different man. He was someone who had the legacy of Kashmiri Pandit scholarship and tutelage under one of the most balanced icons of communist philosophy. Soon we had lunch in his room which was served on wooden chowki(the low kashmiri table,where one can sit on the floor and have food on).There was a story to them also. These chowkis were one of the very few things that Majboor had managed to carry with him, when he had to leave his motherland, his Zainapora (his land of thousand imaginations).We were equally impressed by his desire to unravel the glorious past of Kashmir.I had read an article by Majboor in Vistasta(an annual magazine published by Kashmiri Pandit Sabha,Kolkatta)about his visits to Kapteshwara,Ganghobeda and Narastan.Painful as it is to know about the places of pilgrimage that people of our generation might never get to see, the vicarious pleasure of someone having seen them is the only refugee for souls like us.Majboor went into great details to tell us about his experience on visting these ancient temples and pilgrimage sites. Bewildered, I thought Maslow should have visited
India before revealing his pyramid of needs to the students of psychology. How despite his limited means of income Majboor listened to his heart and traveled on the path which many would not dare to venture on. In the course of our discussions with Majboor we discovered he was an agnostic, a trait not uncommon to the emancipated. The sun was setting on the parapet of Majboor’s rented accommodation probably indicating the ephemeral nature of the houses that we live in and also the metaphysical sense of how time was about to end on the once great Kashmiri scholarship. Or maybe it was time for poetry. Majboor recited to us one of best pieces of work –Raaz Hamsas Kun.It was his longing for his motherland on the wings of wax, probably a flight of fancy which was not to happen but in the realm of imagination. The recitation was immaculate and poetry profound and haunting. By the time he finished reciting the sun had set and the firmament bore the look of a day that passed by both literally as well as metaphorically. Our eyes were moist and taste of the poem lingered in our subconscious for months. With heavy hearts we sought his permission to leave though our feet would not follow our heads. Majboor wanted us to stay over so did we, but we mere mortals had some mundane duties to attend to and bread to earn for our bodies, surely our souls had their meal.On the flight back to
Delhi, me and my wife wondered how many youngsters know about Majboor. It was a moment of contemplation that we soon forgot when we got entangled in the web of our lives. We remained in touch with Majboor over phone and soon he expressed a desire to have some of his poems put to music. It was indeed a great thought to take his poems to the masses. The choice of the composer was unanimous, who else but the great maestro himself. Pandit Bhajan Sopori was really forthcoming and helpful in this endeavour. Shamima Azad and Abdul Rashid Farash lent their voices to the poems.The album will soon be released in Srinagar by the Chief Minister of the state Mr.Ghulam Nabi Azad.There is very little for me comment on the lyrical content and musical excellence of the album.My favourite however remains”Gayam Vaensa Vanan yath dastanas,dazeth khoth varake varkay aasmanas”The poem is based on the legendary Gunadi,the author of Brihstkatha.When he recited his verses to the king, the king because of his ignorance ,simply dismissed the verses as ordinary. Gunadi enraged by the kings behaviour went to a jungle and recited his poems.All the birds and animals of the jungle came to listen to him. Even trees bowed their branches to listen to the beautiful verses which the king dismissed as ordinary. Then Gunadi burnt all his verses and the pages went up in the air. Majboor’s despondency is reflected in the verses as is Gunadi’s while burning his verses. The truly great do not sing paeans to the establishment .This was as true of Gunadi or Mirza Ghalib as is of Majboor. 

 

 

 

Invaders and
Independence 

The pseudo-intellectual brigade of our nation often cites alienation of the Kashmiri masses as the reason for the armed insurgency in
Kashmir. As a result of this, we Kashmiris living outside the state are often left to answer a barrage of questions ranging from, What exactly is wrong in Kashmir to Who do you side with…,or, ubiquitous and seemingly intelligent jhollawallas ( an extinct breed of communists elsewhere, to be seen only in India) asking Why doesn’t India let go of Kashmir if the people don’t want to stay with India. Being no historian of any repute whatsoever, I decided to write what can be a layman’s guide to the genesis of  
Kashmir crisis and the independence issue.Unlike other Islamic invasions like that of
Iran,
Kashmir did not have armies of Arabs or Turks marching into
Kashmir. Although Zulchu raided
Kashmir in the early spring of 1323 AD,but he had entered
Kashmir not with a mission to rule but to raid. This is evident from the fact that when his armies marched back (with women and children as slaves) they were caught in a snow storm which killed all of them. The conversion of Rinchan Lama (who defeated Suhdev’s general Rama Chand by treachery),to Islam was a turning point in the history of Kashmir.There are various theories on how Rinchan (1324-26AD) converted to Islam but the most plausible seems the fact that Bulbul Shah(a zealot of the Shah Ne’matullah Wali sect)converted him to Islam. Thus Rinchan was the first Muslim ruler of
Kashmir, apart from being a foreigner. We must not fail to mention the role of Shams-ud-din(Shah-Mir 1341-45 AD)who had come to Kashmir as a dervish, killed associates of Kota Rani(wife of Rinchan) and usurped the crown later. Thus
Kashmir began to be ruled by invaders and its natives lost their independence. The next notable king was Shihabu’d-Din (1360-1378 AD,grandson of Shams-ud-din)about whom the famous Persian Text Bahiristan-i-Shahi says and I quote” Towards the fag end of his life, he was infused with a zeal for delmolishing idol-houses and destroying the temples and idols of the infidels. He destroyed the massive temple at Beejeh Belareh  (Bijbehara). He had designs to destroy all the temples and put an end to the entire community of the infidels. But death overtook him in the year A.H. 780 (A.D 1378).”This was the beginning of miseries for the people of
Kashmir. The rather notorious role of Sayyid’ Ali Hamdani(popularly called Shah-i-Hamdan in Kashmir by Muslims) in changing the mindset of foreign invading Muslim rulers from fairly benign to extremely fanatic Muslims is clear from the fact that he asked Sultan-Qutubdin to impose Shariah(Islamic Laws) in Kashmir. About Sayyid Ali Hamdani,Bahiristan-i-Shahi says I quote” Again it needs to be recorded that for some of the time which the holy Amir spent in
Kashmir he lived in a sarai at ‘Alau’d-Din Pora. At the site where his khanqah was built, there existed a small temple which was demolished and converted into an estrade on which he offered namaz (prayer) five times a day and recited portions of the Qur’an morning and evening. Sultan Qutbu’d-Din occasionally attended these congregational prayers.” I am choosing a Muslim source to quote for it lends credence to the fact that such demolitions were glorified and even considered righteous by the Muslim rulers, historians and the Amirs.After the death of  Sultan-Qutubdin,he was succeeded by his son Sultan Sikandar who needs no introduction. “Sikandar But-shikan or Sikandar the Iconoclast” burnt or destroyed as many temples as he could lay his hands on. He killed thousands of Hindus and converted lacs. One significant detail is that three kharwars (one kharwar is approximately equal to eighty kilograms) of Hindu ceremonial thread (zunnar) were burnt by Sultan Sikandar. (Tarikh-i-Hasan Khuihami, Pir Ghulam Hasan, Vol II, RPD,*
Srinagar 1954.).His period was a period of utter darkness and barbarianism in the history of Kashmir.This is what historians (mostly muslims)have to say about him.”He [Sikandar] prohibited all types of frugal games. Nobody dared commit acts which were prohibited by the Sharia.. The Sultãn was constantly busy in annihilating the infidels and destroyed most of the temples…” (Haidar Malik Chãdurãh: Tãrîkh-i-Kashmîr; edited and translated into English by Razia Bano, Delhi, 1991, p. 55.)“[he] strived to destroy the idols and temples of the infidels. He got demolished the famous

temple of Mahãdeva at Bahrãre. The temple was dug out from its foundations and the hole (that remained) reached the water level. Another temple at Jagdar was also demolished… Rãjã Alamãdat had got a big temple constructed at Sinpur. (…) the temple was destroyed [by Sikandar].” (Khwãjah Nizãmu’d- Dîn Ahmad bin Muhammad Muqîm al-Harbî: Tabqãt-i-Akbarî translated by B. De, Calcutta, 1973)”Sikander burnt all books the same wise as fire burns hay”. “All the scintillating works faced destruction in the same manner that lotus flowers face with the onset of frosty winter.” (Srivara, Zaina Rajtarangini).Many mosques were constructed from the debris of broken hindu temples. Iskandarpora was laid out on the debris of the destroyed temples of Hindus. In the neighbourhood of the royal palace in Iskandarpora, the Sultan destroyed the

temple of
Maha Shri which had been built by Pravarasena and another one built by Tarapida. The material from these was used for constructing a Jami’ mosque in the middle of the city. Most of the Hindus fled the valley of Kashmir in order to protect their religion,women and children.This was the first forced migration of Hindus from Kashmir.Thus the first steps of pan-Islamization or conversion of Dar-ul-Harb to Dar-ul-Islam were taken and and a strong base was set for the foreign invading rulers to follow.However the rule of Sultan Zaina-ul-abidin(Badshah)was a period of glory and prosperity for Kashmir.He rebuilt a lot of temples and appointed scholars to re-write Hindu scriptures and texts.A lot of Sanskrit texts were translated to Persian and vice-versa.Peace and great scholars returned to Kashmir.Ancient rituals and customs of the land of Kashmir were revived.Islam and Hinduism lived in harmony alongside. In terms of Zain-ul-abidin’s achievements his reign can be compared to the reign of the greatest ruler of Kashmir Lalit-aditya-Muktapida.His reign lasted fifty-two years.With the sad demise of the great leader of men and the torch bearer of secularism forces of fantacism came to the fore again.There were constant infightings between various contenders for the crown of Kashmir.All the contenders despite their differences were cruel and unjust to Hindus.The below given qoute from Baharistan-i-Shahi justifies that.”With the support of some more kings, the infidels had flourished day after day. But with the support and authority of Malik Musa Raina, Amir Shamsu’d-Din Muhammad undertook a wholesale destruction of all those idol-houses as well as the total ruination of the very foundation of infidelity and disbelief. On the site of every idol-house he destroyed, he ordered the construction of a mosque for offering prayers after the Islamic manner. The idolatory and heresy which had existed prior to his coming to this place were effectively replaced by his preaching and propagation of Islamic laws and practices. He brought honour to all the infidels and heretics (zandiqa) of
Kashmir by admitting them to the Islamic faith and bestowed upon them many kinds of rewards and benefactions. It is publicly known as well as emphatically related that during his life-time, with the virtuous efforts and elaborate arrangements made by the fortunate Malik Musa Raina, twenty-four thousand families of staunch infidels and stubborn heretics were ennobled by being converted to the Islamic faith.It is difficult to compute the number of people who had hitherto indulged in corrupt practices of a wrong (false) faith and dissent and were put on the right track under the proper guidance of Mir Shamsu’d-Din ‘Iraqi .” Not be fazed and bored by too much of history the point that I am trying to arrive at is…Arabs, Afghans and Persians have conquered our land for centuries, killed the natives much like Europeans who created America by killing Red Indians, destroyed temples and other great institutions like libraries and ancient houses of learning, subjugated the language of the land and imposed alien languages are now asking for independence of the very land that simply does not belong to them. That to my ignorant mind this is the genesis of the problem, though self proclaimed intellectuals like self styled commanders would argue the opposite with pen and gun respectively. The leaders of Hurriyat want us to believe two things, one that they are the true representatives of the people of
Kashmir, two the people of
Kashmir want independence from the Indian dominion. That we are so used to strange happenings in the state we may believe the most absurd to be the norm, yet on both these counts our mental faculties would reason us to believe otherwise. Hurriyat is an amalgamation of fundamentalist religious parties of a certain faith alone. Most of the constituents of the Hurriyat are headed by people whose ancestors are not natives hence have come into the state as invaders or religious preachers with political motives. Thus we have a group of people mostly foreigners representing a certain faith which happens to be Islam in this case. That puts a big question mark on its so called representative character. As far as people of
Kashmir(even if we consider only Muslims to be the citizens of
Kashmir)wanting independence why on this earth would they stand in long queues at last assembly elections to exercise their franchise. I am referring to the last elections only because they were considered free and fair not just by national but reputed International Agencies. Besides if Hurriyat is the true representatives of the people of
Kashmir as they want us to believe I wonder what Congress, PDP and other political parties are. Are people so naïve that they voted them in power despite a strong threat by terrorists to kill anyone who would vote.The separatists by themselves are no force to reckon with. That’s why
Pakistan is supporting them with men, material and money to carry out subversive activities within the state. Only a weak cause has to be supported by brute force which can be testified by the earlier attempts of rulers of non-Kashmiri descent. Why did Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela not need terrorists to support freedom movements in their respective nations? The garb of independence very subtly hides the wolf of Pan-Islamic expansion. It is about time, we call the separatists’ bluff. Let them show their representative strength first and then claim to be the true representatives of people and torch bearers of the sponsored freedom struggle. While genuine grievances of the people of all the regions of the state should be addressed to, terrorism and its traders should be sternly dealt with for they are no better than ordinary criminals.Thus is the layman’s guide to genesis and issue of independence in
Kashmir. 

 

(Rashneek Kher) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Between Brahman and Mullah Bashing 

Kasid ke attay attay khat ek aur likh rakhooMain jaanta ho jo woh likhenge jawaab main 

It gives me immense pleasure to correspond through your esteemed newspaper with one of the best known scholars of History in contemporary Kashmir-Prof. Mohd Ishaq Khan. His column dated 11th Oct, 06 as a response to my response to his column was a sure step walked from his previous column. Prof Khan is unequivocal in describing how Nund Ryosh was equally severe on Mullahs and not just Hindu Priests. It is hard not to agree with Prof.Khan when he says Nund Ryosh’s life and the titles attributed to him should be studied in their correct contextual and conceptual framework. But before we proceed to do just that, may I submit, where in my previous column have I mentioned that only selective verses are contained in books of prayers of Kashmiri Pandits. Also have I nowhere written that Nund Ryosh was against the Shariah(Islamic Laws),what I have written is “The truth is that he criticized the established order of religion whether Islam or Hinduism” .Prof Khan quotes” But this fact should not lead him(me in this case) to assert that the Shaikh was against the Shariah or the so-called established or institutionalized religion.” I am not sure whether the word “Order” was a typographical or intentional omission. Neither have I anywhere indicated that Nund Ryosh sought to reconcile Saivism and Sufism. Therefore it is my humble request to the learned scholar not to distort what has been said in my column for we must stay clear of garbled mess of semantics and related historical disorders.In continuation to what I have said, the question of the common thread running between two differing religious viewpoints or even a remote reference between them does not arise. Through this column I wish to make it abundantly clear that I do not wish to parrot this line of Saivism and Sufism brotherhood story (a thought already written by me in the earlier columns of this newspaper), neither do I subscribe to it. Yet history must be presented in its right perspective and context. Kashmiri Pandits drew lineage from the home grown religion of the land which at that point of time was Kashmir Saivism. Kashmir Saivism does not recognize caste system and anyone can be a Saivite. It made a conscious effort to put philosophy of the ritual over the ritual and thus internalize the ritual itself. Kashmiri Muslims obviously drew lineage from Islam, a religious concept which was spread in
Kashmir through religious preachers like Bulbul Shah and Syed Ali Hamdani. The learned scholar has written and I qoute ” At the same time, the impact of Shaivite philosophy on a true seeker after the Truth like Nuruddin cannot be ignored during the formative period of his spiritual evolution.”I am sure he wouldn’t say the same about either Bulbul Shah or Syed Ali Hamdani. There lies the difference between two sets of religious preachers of the same religion. While Nund Ryosh was a son of the soil and understood and respected concepts like Saivism and its nuances apart from being influenced by it, the foreign preachers were ignorant and even intolerant of this stream of thought as well as the existing religion in the valley. This can be easily testified by these lines relating to Syed Ali Hamdani (text Bahiristan-i-Shahi) I quote” Again it needs to be recorded that for some of the time which the holy Amir spent in
Kashmir he lived in a sarai at ‘Alau’d-Din Pora. At the site where his khanqah was built, there existed a small temple which was demolished and converted into an estrade on which he offered namaz (prayer) five times a day and recited portions of the Qur’an morning and evening. Sultan Qutbu’d-Din occasionally attended these congregational prayers”.It would be hard for anyone to find such verses being attributed to Nund Ryosh.As to why Pandits and Muslims call him by different names, is a story not uncommon to people living in the subcontinent. Bulle-Shah, Kabir, Lal-Ded, Sai Baba or Nund Ryosh have this common story where every community wants to own them. Prof Khan’s column is a testament to this fact in case of Lal-Ded and I quote” Such eulogisation contributed to her romanticisation, so much so that in the Sufi literature of
Kashmir she was called Maryam-i Makani, Rabia Sani, Arifa and so on”. I agree with Prof Khan about three distinct phases in the life of the great saint but let us see what Prof Khan has written. He agrees that in the second phase of his life Nund Ryosh was influenced by Lal Ded, because of her fight against Brahman ethnocentrism. Taken that to be true, and that he wanted to slay the same demon I assume there would have many more Muslim saints and Ullemas who would have been also opposing Brahman ethnocentrism more fervently than Lal Ded.Why did he chose Lal-Ded( as a role-model), a Hindu saint, a Saivite… baffles me no end! About the third phase of his life, we must take into account the times Nund Ryosh lived in.With time Nyond Ryosh gained fame and even the then king had known him. Despite being a great saint and visionary he was but a mortal and even if he wished to say something which was not in strict conformance to Sharia, he would not have dared to take the establishment and the Ullema on beyond a certain point.Besides he had the example of Mansur-bin-Hallaj, another great Sufi saint being stoned to death after his arms were severed for simply saying Anal-Haq.Maybe it is about time we discuss “Wazoo-i-Khoon”.As regards sources which Dr.Khan calls historical and Persian hagiographical accounts(and bases his brahmanical bashing..oops Historical facts on),let us evaluate their historical authenticity. Most details in this regard have come down to us in various Rishinamas or Nurnamas.Amin Kamil, an eminent poet and critic, points out , that these greatly differ from one another. The late Abdul Ahad Azad,says  “greater reliance has been placed in them on imagination than on historical facts.” The first Rishinama or Nurnama that has come down to us was written about 200 years after his passing away. Surely, there has been a lot of mixing of facts and fresh light needs to be shed on many “unclear” events and episodes in the story of his life and the cobwebs that have gathered around many others need to be cleared. I really don’t feel the need to argue the fact as to why Nund Ryosh called Lal Ded an Avtaar because the verse is self explanatory and unless we have an agenda to prove something else, nothing is left to doubt. As to whether Lal Ded was a renegade, yes she was a rebel, but if she was an avatara for the commoners undergoing process of Islamic acculturation is a statement of historical mischief. If one reads Vaakhs of Lal-Ded not even one is seen to be supporting Islamic Laws (Shariah) nor have we any verses where Lal-Ded exhorts “commoners” to convert to Islam or Sufism.  There surely are vaakhs asking Hindus to give up ritualistic religion and concentrate on Shiva, The all pervading. This call is truly in conformance to the cannons of Kashmiri Saivism.Out of approximately 235 odd vaakkhs which have come down to us almost one-third are devoted to Shiva and his glory,I wonder what makes Prof.Khan say that attempts are being made to resuscitating Lalla as a protagonist of Kashmiri Saivism. Lalla does not need to be resuscitated as a protagonist of Kashmir Saivism. She already is..and her vaakhs are more than a testament to that. As to why Saivate chroniclers are quiet about Lal Ded’s vaakhs and life, I presume Prof.Khan is referring to Jonaraja, Srivara, Shuka and Prajabhatta. It may surprise all of us but Kalhana makes no mention of either Charaka, Aryabhatta, Anandvardahna or even the great Abhinavgupta in his Rajatarangni. Does that mean Kalhana was ignorant or he despised them so he did not write about them. These people were essentially court chroniclers and would write royal history or incidents related to the royals. That explains why Suyya(the engineer on whose name Suyyapur-present day Sopore is based)finds mention in Rajatarangni but Abhinavgupta does not.There still is a lot be researched about the life of the great saint especially his leanings and their historical context. While we must do serious research to clear the mist, I once again request that we should not make conscious efforts of appropriation of great icons of our history. It is being observed that such efforts are being made to erase or at-least distort the past with reference to Hindu history and its impact on Kashmiri psyche and thought. Arinmal being, in realm of imagination only or Lal Ded being avatara for people undergoing Islamic acculturation, Hari Parbat being called Kohi-Maran are all attempts of such appropriation or distortion. I would like to conclude with a verse from the great saint himself which makes us feel how he himself sought synthesis (which Prof Khan and me cannot debate on)and how the essence of Bhagwad Gita has been invoked to describe a Musalman. Also please mark the choice of words to define a faithful……… 

Suy Purusha Swarg Pravi,Yus aahar tsavi beyan saanRaten dohan yus roza thaviAisi Sato sath namaanKrud,lubh,muh,mad,ahankar traviSuy dapize musalman 

 

 

(Rashneek Kher)