Hi Bloggers,
I got these comments from one of the bloggers and my response is given below.
Some points for thought!
1. The shrine was discovered by a Kashmiri Muslim.
Reply: According to legend, when Kashyap Reshi drained the Kashmir valley of water (it was believed to have been a vast lake), the cave and the lingam were discovered by Bregish Reshi who was travelling the Himalayas. When people heard of the lingam, Amarnath for them became Shiva's abode and a centre of pilgrimage.
Then it was rediscovered by a Muslim shepherd named Buta Malik who was given a sack of coal by a sadhu. Upon reaching home he discovered that the sack, in fact, contained gold. Overjoyed and overcome, Buta Malik rushed back to look for the sadhu and thank him, but on the spot of their meeting discovered a cave, and eventually this became a place of pilgrimage for all believers. To date, a percentage of the donations made by pilgrims are given to the descendants of Malik and the remaining to the trust which manages the shrine.
As the history of Kashmir goes back to the days to Sharda Peeth, Kalhan’s Raj Tarangni and the fact that Kashmir was a major centre of learning for the Shivite School of thought, the probability of the cave being discovered earlier also remain. It however should not be an issue to score brownie points but to understand that the history of Kashmir is ancient and way beyond what is being taught to the kids in the valley.
There is ample and conclusive historical evidence, on the other hand, to prove that the holy cave and the ice lingam were known to the people since very ancient times and have been continuously and regularly visited by pilgrims not only from Kashmir but also from different parts of India.
“While the earliest reference to Amarnath can be seen in the Nilamata Purana (v.1324), a 6th century Sanskrit text which depicts the religious and cultural life of early Kashmiris and gives Kashmir’s own creation myth, the pilgrimage to the holy cave has been described with full topographical details in the Bhringish Samhita and the Amarnatha Mahatmya, both ancient texts said to have been composed even earlier.”
References to Amarnath, known have also been made in historical chronicles like the Rajatarangini and its sequels and several Western travellers’ accounts also leaving no doubt about the fact that the holy cave has been known to people for centuries. The original name of the tirtha, as given in the ancient texts, is of course Amareshwara, Amarnath being a name given later to it.
Giving the legend of the Naga Sushruvas, who in his fury burnt to ashes the kingdom of King Nara when he tried to abduct his daughter already married to a Brahmin youth, and after the carnage took his abode in the lake now known as Sheshnag (Kashmiri Sushramnag), Kalahana writes:
“The lake of dazzling whiteness [resembling] a sea of milk (Sheshnag), which he created [for himself as residence] on a far off mountain, is to the present day seen by the people on the pilgrimage to Amareshwara.”(Rajatarangini, Book I v. 267.Translation: M. A. Stein).
This makes it very clear that pilgrims continued to visit the holy Amarnath cave in the 12th century, for Kalhana wrote his chronicle in the years1148-49.
At another place in the Rajatarangini (Book II v. 138), Kalhana says that King Samdhimat Aryaraja (34 BCE-17CE) used to spend “the most delightful Kashmir summer” in worshiping a linga formed of snow “in the regions above the forests”. This too appears to be a reference to the ice linga at Amarnath. There is yet another reference to Amareshwara or Amarnath in the Rajatarangini (Book VII v.183). According to Kalhana, Queen Suryamati, the wife of King Ananta (1028-1063), “granted under her husband’s name agraharas at Amareshwara, and arranged for the consecration of trishulas, banalingas and other [sacred emblems]“.
In his Chronicle of Kashmir, a sequel to Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, Jonaraja relates that that Sultan Zainu’l-abidin (1420-1470) paid a visit to the sacred tirtha of Amarnath while constructing a canal on the left bank of the river Lidder (vv.1232-1234). The canal is now known as Shah Kol.
In the Fourth Chronicle named Rajavalipataka, which was begun by Prjayabhatta and completed by Shuka, there is a clear and detailed reference to the pilgrimage to the sacred site (v.841,vv. 847-849). According to it, in a reply to Akbar’s query about Kashmir Yusuf Khan, the Mughal governor of Kashmir at that time, described among other things the Amarnath Yatra in full detail. His description shows that the not only was the pilgrimage in vogue in Akbar’s time - Akbar annexed Kashmir in 1586 - but the phenomenon of waxing and waning of the ice linga was also well known.
Amareshwar (Amarnath) was a famous pilgrimage place in the time of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan also. In his eulogy of Shah Jahan’s father-in-law Asif Khan, titled “Asaf Vilas”, the famous Sanskrit scholar and aesthete Panditraj Jagannath makes clear mention of Amareshwara (Amarnath) while describing the Mughal garden Nishat laid out by Asif Khan. The King of gods Indra himself, he says, comes here to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva”.
As we well know Francois Bernier, a French physician accompanied Emperor Aurangzeb during his visit to Kashmir in 1663. In his book “Travels in Mughal Empire” he writes while giving an account the places he visited in Kashmir that he was “pursuing journey to a grotto full of wonderful congelations, two days journey from Sangsafed” when he “received intelligence that my Nawab felt very impatient and uneasy on account of my long absence”. The “grotto” he refers to is obviously the Amarnath cave as the editor of the second edition of the English translation of the book, Vincient A. Smith makes clear in his introduction. He writes: “The grotto full of wonderful congelations is the Amarnath cave, where blocks of ice, stalagmites formed by dripping water from the roof are worshipped by many Hindus who resort here as images of Shiva…..”
Another traveler, Vigne, in his book “Travels in Kashmir, Ladakh and Iskardu” writes about the pilgrimage to the sacred spot in detail, clearly mentioning that “the ceremony at the cave of Amarnath takes place on the 15th of the Hindoo month of Sawan” and that “not only Hindoos of every rank and caste can be seen collecting together and traveling up the valley of Liddar towards the celebrated cave……” Vigne visited Kashmir after his return from Ladakh in 1840-41 and published his book in 1842. His book makes it very clear that the Amarnath Yatra drew pilgrims from the whole of India in his time and was undertaken with great enthusiasm.
Again, the great Sikh Guru Arjan Dev is said to have granted land in Amritsar for the ceremonial departure of Chari, the holy mace of Lord Shiva which marks the beginning of the Yatra to the Holy Cave. In 1819, the year in which the Afghan rule came to an end in Kashmir, Pandit Hardas Tiku “founded the Chhawni Anmarnath at Ram Bagh in Srinagar where the Sadhus from the plains assembled and where he gave them free rations for the journey, both ways from his own private resources”, as the noted Kashmiri naturalist Pandit Samsar Chand Kaul has pointed out in his booklet titled “The Mysterious cave of Amarnath”.
2. The Yatra has always been conducted by Kashmiri Muslims.
Reply: Yes the yatra has been supported by the Malik family descendents but not conducted by them.
3. No Yatri was ever harmed by a Kashmiri Muslim.
Reply: Yes, numerous. Even this year some were killed at Bus Stand (5), grenade attack at Gulmarg, etc. Here are only some of them from previous years, it is a long list but i have taken only 3 years;
2000: At least 25 persons, including 16 Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 60 others were injured in an attack by militants at Pahalgam base camp.
2001: Twelve persons, including three women pilgrims and two police officials, were killed and 15 injured when a militant hurled two grenades at a camp and later fired indiscriminately near the holy cave.
2002: Two pilgrims were killed and two others injured when militants threw a grenade and later opened fire on a group of devotees in Jammu ahead of their trek to Amarnath cave shrine.
Twenty four persons were injured in a powerful grenade attack by suspected militants at a bus station on the route of the Amarnath pilgrimage.
A devotee and a taxi driver were killed and three injured when suspected militants lobbed a grenade in Anantnag along the pilgrim route.
Eight persons were killed and 27 wounded in an attack by militants on a base camp at Nunwan.
4. This year, we had record number of Yatris (more than 300,000) visiting the holy Shrine.
Reply: Yes, that is good but it has nothing to do with the valley as the arrangements are done by the SASB. Generally Yatra’s world over are matter of faith and people endure great hardship to complete them. Kashmir being part of India, 300,000 or 3 million is no big deal.
5. Each and every Yatri had praises for the locals who fed them in spite of scanty supplies due to the economic blockage of the highway.
Reply: Well, that is what was the great sufi kashmiri culture that Paki’s wanted to destroy. This was the culture of Lal Ded and Rishi peer. This was the culture where hindus celebrated the 3 day Herath festival (shivratri) with the next day as Salam for their Muslim neighbours. This was the valley which not only fed but gave alms to one and all inculuding hindu sadhu’s coming or going to the cave.
6. Entire country including the 300,000 Yatris are fully satisfied with the arrangements.
Reply: Well, the arrangements were done by SASB.
7. A handful of communal elements at Jammu have a problem.
Reply: It is not as our P.M say “an issue of modalities”. It is a decision of how people will be treated. 400,000 pandits were forced out of their land, 361 were killed, their temples destroyed and sahbir shah, sajjad lone, yasin mailk and their likes are saying that Jammu has communal elements. Well it is like Pakistan accusing India of supporting Taliban.
8. The local Jammu Dogra has never in history protested like this.
Reply: Well that is the point, their patience has now broken and the last straw in the camels backs was Omar Abdullah’s speech in the parliament. It is he who shouted “it is OUR LAND and we will die but not give it away”. How dare he, Kashmiri Pandits were the original inhabitants of the land and by saying so he has proved that he no sense or understanding of history. Clarifying that he meant all of J&K, well please do not lie now. If state subject was the issue, how come land was transferred to Railways, Airports Authourity, NHPC, HMT, Centaur, etc.
9. Some of the people who migrated from valley more than decade ago see this as an opportunity to take a revenge to rout out Muslims from Jammu
Reply: Well again you are missing the point. Surely 20 years is a long time to take revenge. It is akin to agreeing that temporary structures 13000 feet at Baltal can be used for changing the demographic’s of the valley.
10. The Jammu Dogras have fallen prey to the game plan.
Reply: same as above. Sadly, you are missing the point.
11. Who is benefiting from the protests?
Reply: Sometimes, protests are done without immediate gains. What will be gained is that the fact that Kashmiri’s have got too much without doing anything. How many pay taxes- state or central, pay for their electricity bills, etc. The formula of aid dispersal for rest of India is 75% loan and 25% grant, whereas Kashmir it is 75% grant and 25% loan (even that is not repaid back).
12. Our soldiers have laid down their lives fighting militants to keep the National Highway open for the past 20 years.
Reply: Yes, that is the point. The Highway is a scared piece if land for all and we cannot allow it to be used to pump in secessionist elements. Just for your information, an R.O.P (road opening party) of the army clearing the highway, starts their day at 4AM in the morning and ends it at 12PM midnight. It is too holy for anyone to understand. Hopefully the people would now realise how much it takes to keep the lifeline open. Troops can always be flown in as they have been for such a long time, it is common people who will suffer if disruptions occur.
13. Whose cause are people at Jammu supporting?
Reply: They are fighting for the cause of India and the right of an Indian over secessionists.
14. Kashmiri Leaders want a unified state including Jammu/Kashmir/POK/Ladakh
Reply: Sorry but that is not a consolation. It is and will remain unified as per the 1947 agreed boundaries. It is the writ of the Parliament that the P.O.K been taken back from Pakistan. Please read the pre 1947 history of J&K and the exploits of Maharaja Gulab Singh and how Indian have a claim over the entire state of J&K.
15. Protestors at Jammu want separate Jammu, Separate Kashmir, Separate KP Land, Separate Ladakh and maybe further slices of the flesh of our motherland.
Reply: Haven’t heard that but there will always be multiple view points and that is the corner stone of democracy. People in valley who have been following nizam e Mustafa cannot and will not understand what a pluralistic society is. After all they forced out 400,000 people out of the valley by the fear of gun to enforce their singular point of view. Imagine an entire generation of people growing up in a place where there are no minorities left. Most of the over 20 year olds in the valley have not even seen what Diwali, Herath, Nevreh or any other minority festival is like and that is the root cause of all these problems.
If this was not the case, tell me one conflict where the state has suffered so much in spite of their claim being backed by history that Pandits were the original inhabitants of the valley. The problem is the fact that people in the valley are not used to the other side reacting back and this is what has really puzzled them. It was always this Paki notion of a superior race being fed into the valley people which has now turned back to haunt them.
For 60 years Paki’s have fed into the people of valley a sense of utopia something which can only be compared to the communist. A false sense of bravado and beliefs. If you take a step back and understand that a nation who is number 6 or 7 in the list of failed states has not right to talk to India about running a nation or handling it’s conflicts. What they did to Lal Masjid, their use of gunships and missles against Tribal people, balti’s and balouch is well known. It is a country that sold its people to America for as less as 1000$$ and sent them to guantanamo bay and other American prisons.
Have a look at these 2 links and you would understand what I am trying to say. Have a look at this gentleman Amanullah Khan part I and II who was once the so called great freedom fighter of Kashmiri’s and what he has been reduced to. He is also talking of utopia but look at the fear in his speech when he says something about the Pakistan Army and ISI. He is senile but looking at his position you feel nothing but sad. This is what happens to someone who is backed by Paki’s.
Have a look at all this and then decide for yourself which way to go!
7 comments:
1. Definition of Legend Oxford Concise English Dictionary: A traditional story popularly regarded as historical but which is not authenticated; Oxford Pocket English Dictionary: A traditional story from the past which may or may not be true
Definition of Puranas : eighteen ancient books consisting of legends and mythological narrations dealing with creation, recreation and the genealogies of sages and rulers
Definition of Mythology (Oxford Pocket English Dictionary): Set of widely held but exaggerated or false stories or beliefs.
2. Supported by Malik Family agreed. But who are the pony owners? Who give shelter to Yatris during storms? Who carry the old on their backs? For your information, they are all Muslims since you seem to have seen Kashmir only through the internet and through “mythological” stories.
3. Total No. of Kashmiri Muslims Killed (as per Govt. of India Statistics) since 1988 – 31,000
Total Number of Kashmiri Pandits Killed (as per your own blog): 361
It is grossly incorrect to term Kashmiri Muslims as terrorists. The statement “All terrorists are Kashmiri Muslims” can to an extent be a valid statement. But when you take the converse statement it is an utter violation of logical reasoning. The total Terrorist population by exaggerated estimates would be no more than 1% of the entire population.
Hence if you say Yatris were killed by Kashmiri Muslims, I suggest you go back to school and take a class in reasoning.
By the way, terrorists have no religion and have been misusing religion/race/creed since time immemorial across the world.
4. SASB had only 8 Hindu members - Justice (Retd) G D Sharma, Prof Vishnu Murti Shastri, Sunil Sachdeva, Manoj Gaur, Dr Vimla Dhar, Professor Neerja Mattoo, Raghu Modi and Dr Arun Kumar. The people who did the actual work on field were all Kashmiri Muslims. Thus, to say that just 8 people managed a gathering of 3,00,000 people is absolutely ridiculous.
5. I absolutely agree with your statement. The primary aim of Pakistan is to destroy any and every system in India. They had been trying to disconnect the Valley from the rest of India for the past 20 years. When they didn’t succeed people in Jammu came to their aid. For God’s sake stop communalizing the whole issue.
6. As in point No 4
7. I’m sorry but I’ll again say that Jagmohan was responsible for the unfortunate uprooting of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley. He planned to “cleanse” the Kasmiri separatists in an indiscriminate planned attack. He along with his agencies spread terror amongst the KPs and they used to send Military Trucks to aid the migration. Even today, 1100 KP families still live in the valley. Why did anyone not touch them?
Coming to issues at Jammu, we have heard all voices coming from Jammu and from Kashmir. The voices and actions from Jammu are categorically against Muslims to the extent that even houses of Gujjars are being destroyed and supplies to the valley have been stopped.
On the contrary, Kashmiris made all attempts to make the Yatra successful by all means. Who is communal?
8. Excuse me; the land belongs to the people of Jammu as well, unless they choose not to associate themselves with the state. They have an equal right being state subjects. I agree that Kashmiri Pandits are also inhabitants of the land and Omar never disputed that in his speech. However, many of the Pandits chose to leave their homeland. I have read the other story about your childhood on your blog. But tell me how were Muslims different from Pandits. More Muslims who went against the terrorists were killed than Pandits. I will again reiterate that Jagmohan was responsible for the migration. Why did Sikhs and Christians never leave? Even after Chhati Singhpora incident? As I have already stated more than 31,000 Kashmiri Muslims have died due to Militancy, and the number excludes the number of Kashmiri Terrorists.
9. It is not about demographics. It is about pollution and contamination of ecology. The SASB started a helicopter service to add to the pollution. They were constructing permanent structures thereby destructing ecology. For evidence you may check their site at http://www.shriamarnathjishrine.com/amarnath-shrine-board.html
Moreover, if the Yatra is going on smoothly, isn’t it immaterial whether the land is transferred or not?
10. Same a/a
11. Pakistan & ISI are benefiting from the protests and from the economic blockade. Wake up!
12. Our soldiers died to keep the link open but our fellow citizens- brothers and citizens succeeded!
13. By blocking the road they are supporting the plans of secessionists
14. We want a unified state under India. Recent developments in Jammu aim at further dividing the state.
15. I’m sorry but Sikhs and Christians still continue to live in harmony with us. They, like us, never bowed down to terrorism. We have some of the leading schools run by Christian missionaries. Churches, Gurudwaras and temples and mosques continue with their religious proceedings.
If you now say that temples were destroyed, I would like you to find out how many mosques and shrines were destroyed by terrorists? Remember the destruction of one of the holiest shrines at Chraresharief? I again reiterate, terrorists don’t have any religion.
It is very unfortunate that sometimes ill informed individuals start to "blog" half-truths encouraging communalism. In the world today when everyone is striving towards peace, please use your efforts to contribute for a better tomorrow. Dont sow seeds of violence and hatered!
I hope that you have enough courage to let my comments come up on your blog!
1. Definition of Legend Oxford Concise English Dictionary: A traditional story popularly regarded as historical but which is not authenticated; Oxford Pocket English Dictionary: A traditional story from the past which may or may not be true
Definition of Puranas : eighteen ancient books consisting of legends and mythological narrations dealing with creation, recreation and the genealogies of sages and rulers
Definition of Mythology (Oxford Pocket English Dictionary): Set of widely held but exaggerated or false stories or beliefs.
2. Supported by Malik Family agreed. But who are the pony owners? Who give shelter to Yatris during storms? Who carry the old on their backs? For your information, they are all Muslims since you seem to have seen Kashmir only through the internet and through “mythological” stories.
3. Total No. of Kashmiri Muslims Killed (as per Govt. of India Statistics) since 1988 – 31,000
Total Number of Kashmiri Pandits Killed (as per your own blog): 361
It is grossly incorrect to term Kashmiri Muslims as terrorists. The statement “All terrorists are Kashmiri Muslims” can to an extent be a valid statement. But when you take the converse statement it is an utter violation of logical reasoning. The total Terrorist population by exaggerated estimates would be no more than 1% of the entire population.
Hence if you say Yatris were killed by Kashmiri Muslims, I suggest you go back to school and take a class in reasoning.
By the way, terrorists have no religion and have been misusing religion/race/creed since time immemorial across the world.
4. SASB had only 8 Hindu members - Justice (Retd) G D Sharma, Prof Vishnu Murti Shastri, Sunil Sachdeva, Manoj Gaur, Dr Vimla Dhar, Professor Neerja Mattoo, Raghu Modi and Dr Arun Kumar. The people who did the actual work on field were all Kashmiri Muslims. Thus, to say that just 8 people managed a gathering of 3,00,000 people is absolutely ridiculous.
5. I absolutely agree with your statement. The primary aim of Pakistan is to destroy any and every system in India. They had been trying to disconnect the Valley from the rest of India for the past 20 years. When they didn’t succeed people in Jammu came to their aid. For God’s sake stop communalizing the whole issue.
6. As in point No 4
7. I’m sorry but I’ll again say that Jagmohan was responsible for the unfortunate uprooting of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley. He planned to “cleanse” the Kasmiri separatists in an indiscriminate planned attack. He along with his agencies spread terror amongst the KPs and they used to send Military Trucks to aid the migration. Even today, 1100 KP families still live in the valley. Why did anyone not touch them?
Coming to issues at Jammu, we have heard all voices coming from Jammu and from Kashmir. The voices and actions from Jammu are categorically against Muslims to the extent that even houses of Gujjars are being destroyed and supplies to the valley have been stopped.
On the contrary, Kashmiris made all attempts to make the Yatra successful by all means. Who is communal?
8. Excuse me; the land belongs to the people of Jammu as well, unless they choose not to associate themselves with the state. They have an equal right being state subjects. I agree that Kashmiri Pandits are also inhabitants of the land and Omar never disputed that in his speech. However, many of the Pandits chose to leave their homeland. I have read the other story about your childhood on your blog. But tell me how were Muslims different from Pandits. More Muslims who went against the terrorists were killed than Pandits. I will again reiterate that Jagmohan was responsible for the migration. Why did Sikhs and Christians never leave? Even after Chhati Singhpora incident? As I have already stated more than 31,000 Kashmiri Muslims have died due to Militancy, and the number excludes the number of Kashmiri Terrorists.
9. It is not about demographics. It is about pollution and contamination of ecology. The SASB started a helicopter service to add to the pollution. They were constructing permanent structures thereby destructing ecology. For evidence you may check their site at http://www.shriamarnathjishrine.com/amarnath-shrine-board.html
Moreover, if the Yatra is going on smoothly, isn’t it immaterial whether the land is transferred or not?
10. Same a/a
11. Pakistan & ISI are benefiting from the protests and from the economic blockade. Wake up!
12. Our soldiers died to keep the link open but our fellow citizens- brothers and citizens succeeded!
13. By blocking the road they are supporting the plans of secessionists
14. We want a unified state under India. Recent developments in Jammu aim at further dividing the state.
15. I’m sorry but Sikhs and Christians still continue to live in harmony with us. They, like us, never bowed down to terrorism. We have some of the leading schools run by Christian missionaries. Churches, Gurudwaras and temples and mosques continue with their religious proceedings.
If you now say that temples were destroyed, I would like you to find out how many mosques and shrines were destroyed by terrorists? Remember the destruction of one of the holiest shrines at Chraresharief? I again reiterate, terrorists don’t have any religion.
It is very unfortunate that sometimes ill informed individuals start to "blog" half-truths encouraging communalism. In the world today when everyone is striving towards peace, please use your efforts to contribute for a better tomorrow. Dont sow seeds of violence and hatered!
http://badamwaer.blogspot.com/
Hello,
Please visit:
http://penandpurse.blogspot.com/2008/08/hindus-have-no-right-in-india-as-hindus.html#links
In 5 yrs, it will be Jammu Administrative Service..
http://badamwaer.blogspot.com/2008/08/in-5-yrs-it-will-be-jammu.html
By Alee Andrabi, Greater Kashmir
Srinagar, Aug 19: According to a computation made by the General Administration Department (GAD) in 2005, for submission to the Sachar Committee, the state had roughly 3,52,000 employees. The Department worked out the percentage of employees to the total strength of respective communities. Hindu employees represent 4.61 percent of the 30 lakh Hindu population in the state whereas Muslims have a representation of 2.85 percent for the 68 lakh Muslim population. So relative to the respective populations, Hindus outnumber Muslims in the State government. This should question the ‘assertions’ of discrimination effusing from the winter capital. Ridicule them. Deflate them. Scanning the composition of the State administration, the claims of discrimination do come home, indeed. The irony, though, is that the victim of this discrimination is not the ‘Pro National’ Jammu wala as we have been made to believe but the ‘Anti National’ Kashmiri, to put in the latest Right wing lingo. One, which is being endorsed by our wannabe Prime Minister L K Advani as well. Starting with the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the total cadre strength is 94 with 24 officers belonging to the Kashmir division, 27 officers belonging to the Jammu division and two from Ladakh. The other 41 babus are from outside the state. So where exactly is Jammu getting discriminated in all this? Delusion, but nothing! Further, most of the core developmental departments like Planning, Finance, R&B, PHE and Irrigation are headed by non-Kashmiris. Even the all important departments of Agriculture, Revenue, Social Welfare, Health, Home, CAPD, Industries and Commerce, Information, PDD are ‘endowed’ to non-Kashmiris. The trend is the same for Science and Technology, Transport and Culture. No Kashmiri components! Another ‘discriminating’ fact, for the record. Since 1947, out of 26 Chief Secretaries of the State, only 6 have been Kashmiri Muslims. How’s that for discrimination for the only Muslim majority state of ‘secular’ India. But no one has ever stood up for this. Makes sense, in a way. Why would a Kashmiri Muslim civil servant take the ‘risk’ of speaking against discrimination engineered by a minority and be branded as ‘anti national’. Not worth it! Never was. Now comes the real shocker. The Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS). This is where scores have to be settled, intriguing serious questions have to be asked, discrimination has to be debated and alienation of Kashmiri Muslims has to be addressed. Out of the 338 KAS cadre officers in the state, 155 officers belong to Kashmir division, 151 to Jammu division and 22 to Ladakh division. 10 officers are from junior KAS. Now how can this representation be fair, even ethical? This is unfair by any account of economic management or population distribution. The ratio is 55:45 in favor of Muslims but why has everything been worked out and settled at 50:50? It is not supposed to be that way. Kashmir outnumbers others in terms of population, but why is that they are outnumbered when it comes to Administration, Judiciary, Police and even Private enterprise? This preposterous idea of 50:50 distribution is absolutely fake, senseless by all parameters. Save your disappointment, resentment and protests for now though. Save them for the ‘administrative genocide’ I am about to illustrate. From 2001 till date, 478 KAS appointments have been made. Kashmiris are at 106, Ladakh at 12 and Jammu at a staggering overpowering figure of 360. Discrimination? No, not by any standards. This is something far beyond the term, with devastating consequences for the majority. As I said ‘administrative genocide’, if you like. Engineering, competent and successful, has been done for the next three decades and things (read Kashmiris) have been leveled out for the ‘pro National’ Jammu bureaucrats. In fact it would not even make sense to call it KAS five years down the line. It will be, rather already can be, rechristened as Jammu Administrative Service (JAS). And here in Kashmir, we would even have to import BDOs and Tehsildars! And mind you, Kashmiris are not overpowered in bureaucracy alone. It’s all across. Take for example the 641 Muslims and the 1015 Hindus figuring in the tentative seniority list of 1656 Junior Agriculture Assistants as of April 2006. Or for that matter the 114 Muslim AEEs in Works Department against the 164 Hindu AEEs as of May 2005. And be assured, it only gets worse after that. The latest recruitments don’t show any mercy to Muslims or Kashmiris. Amongst the 429 Accounts Assistants selected by the Service Selection Board in April 2008, Jammu accounts for 334 Assistants while Kashmir gets a ‘fabulous’ 95. I am not even going to comment on that. Of course, Raj Bhawan, the custodian of the constitutional rights of all sections of society remains off limits for at least one community, no prizes. The last Muslim Secretary the First Citizen of the state had was when we used to have a Sadr i Riyasat. Since then it is graciously adorned by the malis of Floriculture Department who are considered indispensable for their manicuring skills and presenting a gulab every morning to the sahib of the estate. However with the arrival of the present Governor two middle level Muslim officers from the former Chief Minister’s office are now manning the secretariat outpost of Raj Bhavan. To conclude, all this is in complete sync with the latest branding of Kashmiris. Anti Nationals, at the end of the day you see. PS: Yesterday’s piece on judiciary reflected only the current composition affected by deputation and transfers. The actual composition of the J&K High Court Bench gives Kashmir 6 slots and Jammu 6. Of these two from Jammu, Justice V K Gupta and Justice T S Thakur are already Chief Justices posted on deputation. Justice Bilal Nazki from Kashmir is a judge on deputation to the Bombay High Court. The State Hugh Court has so far sent 3 judges to the Supreme Court, one of whom, Justice Anand, served as Chief Justice of India. The other two were justice Raja Jaswant Singh and Justice R P Sethi. You know their home addresses.
BEHIND THE SCENE..................Kundan Lal Jammu is on fire. The state of Jammu & Kashmir is on the verge of a final breakup. These and many such pronouncements are seen and heard every where these days. Perhaps this is either a reckless exaggeration or a product of wishful thinking. First let us try to understand as to what constitutes Jammu. Again most of its definitions in fact define the ideological perceptions of those who attempt the definitions. The definers wish to have a Jammu of their own wishes or beliefs and are not bothered to see the ground realities as they exist today and shall continue to exist in the days and years to come unless of course something spectacular takes place in the political geography of this region. For a pucca Hindu brigade nickerdhari, Jammu is the land of temples, temples and temples, most of them erected on state land without any formal permission or authority. To such perverted minds the Jammu region which is now spread over ten districts means only the kanakmandi and areas surrounding it. The whole Jammu Pradesh or Rashtra is thus colored saffron and no other colors exist in the vibgyor of the human society, of course in addition to the exalted humans there are some exalted animals also to provide the spiritual company in this land of bliss. This type of insane mental disposition can and does conveniently overlook the demographic disposition of the region called Jammu. Such perverted minds wish to dub all people living in these areas as dogras and ignore that dogras constitute a small minority of the population of this region. The majority of the population is composed of scheduled tribes (gujjar & bakerwals) non-scheduled tribes fighting for their scheduled tribe status (paharis) scheduled castes (harijan) and other ethnic and racial groups like Kashmiri, Sikhs, pothoharies, and punjabies etc.Even on religious lines the region is anything but a monolith. We have Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists in the population. On the basis of geography and climatic zones again the region shows extreme diversity. Languages, culture, customs every area of human activity is marked by differences and these differences can neither be surmounted nor ignored. This being the case what then is this Jammu which is supposedly on fire and ready to be torn asunder as a result of an agitation launched for restoration of 800 kanals of land far away in Kashmir valley to an organization which has to look after a cave shrine at best for two months a year. What then are the unstated motives behind this ruckus? Jammu can not aspire to be a separate state for it lacks linguistic, cultural, ethnic and religious homogeneity. The carving out a separate heterogeneous state can not be a solution to the perceived problems created by heterogeneity itself. You do not treat a person bitten by a snake by injecting venom. Then what is the agenda. Unfortunately even best minds among us, so called Jammuites do not know .We seem to be too pathetically carried away by the din and noise on the streets of Jammu to understand and analyze the situation in a rational and reasonable way. What is happening on the streets of Jammu city is in fact an unfolding of an agenda least known to us, the jammuites.The agenda is laid by those who have been enjoying the hospitality of people of Jammu for the last two decades now. Our very own Kashmiri pundits are at the bottom of this game. They are killing many birds with one arrow but they do not carry a bow. The innocent, good at heart people of Jammu are carrying the bow and shooting the arrows. What is the Kashmiri pundit leadership up to? The answers are not too far to seek. From the days of migration Kashmiri pundit leadership has been trying in every conceivable way to pay back the Kashmiri Muslims for the perceived genocide, exodus and what have you in the dictionary. It is another matter that the genocide involved not more than 100 people dead as per official data released by home ministry. The KP leadership crisscrossed entire globe with fake tales and opposed Kashmiri aspirations on every platform. They did everything they could to malign their compatriots and now they have used the last agniban(offence intended, Dr Agnishekhar) They are not interested in amarnath shrine or the land. Had it been so they would have demanded full control over amaranth shrine affairs by demanding an exclusive Kashmiri management of the shrine? Everyone in Kashmir would support a Kashmiri management of this and all other Kashmiri pundit shrines. Such a management would perhaps find it much easier to improve the facilities for pilgrims as the goodwill of local Kashmiri Muslims would stand guaranteed.KP leadership on the other hand inducted remove Vohra slogan in to the agitation for it fears advent of Vohra on the scene in Kashmir. Governor Vohra is not new to Kashmir politics and Kashmir problem. Having played an important role as an interloculator on Kashmir he has his own advantages. Our KP friends do not want any movement whatsoever towards conflict resolution in Kashmir. They would definitely love to have a novice at the helm and if that novice has any bhagwa leanings, so much the better. The present agitation in Jammu has to be seen in this perspective. It may still be possible for us Jammu’s good at heart people to see behind the scene. It goes to our credit that we maintained very good relations with Kashmiri Muslims even when things were very difficult. We maintained peace even when there were grave provocations such as an attack on raghunath temple. Who is then today asking Kashmiri Muslims to leave Jammu? It can not be us, the people of Jammu. It is in fact the perverted KP leadership who has already begun rejoicing on the possibility of taking revenge. But those among the KP’s who know people of Jammu, also know that we are capable of seeing the whole game and will rise to the occasion and not allow to be used as bows for shooting someone’s arrows. Jammu has a stake in peace. We can not and will not allow to be treated as pawns in a dirty game. Jammu has over the years seen a new growth on every front. It is fast emerging as a hub of great economic activity. It is on the threshold of a new and modern age. It is poised to be a centre for excellence in every sphere of life, a cultural and intellectual capital perhaps next only to Delhi and Lahore in this part of the subcontinent. We can not fritter our energies for the sake of satisfying the ego of a handful of irrelevant political orphans. Those who feel and preach that a total separation from Kashmir shall cure all the ills, should remind themselves of the economic, political and social fallouts of such an utopian dream. The sooner the futility of this exercise is realized the better for all of us. Jammu will survive, thrive, grow and prosper only as long as it remains firmly wedded to Kashmir. It has a great future in case it allows a pluralistic society on its land. The moment Jammu loses its multiethnic character it shall cease to grow. The state of Jammu and Kashmir shall continue to be an inseparable part of Indian union as long as Jammu remains inseparable from Kashmir.
Jammu is on fire. The state of Jammu & Kashmir is on the verge of a final breakup. These and many such pronouncements are seen and heard every where these days. Perhaps this is either a reckless exaggeration or a product of wishful thinking. First let us try to understand as to what constitutes Jammu. Again most of its definitions in fact define the ideological perceptions of those who attempt the definitions. The definers wish to have a Jammu of their own wishes or beliefs and are not bothered to see the ground realities as they exist today and shall continue to exist in the days and years to come unless of course something spectacular takes place in the political geography of this region. For a pucca Hindu brigade nickerdhari, Jammu is the land of temples, temples and temples, most of them erected on state land without any formal permission or authority. To such perverted minds the Jammu region which is now spread over ten districts means only the kanakmandi and areas surrounding it. The whole Jammu Pradesh or Rashtra is thus colored saffron and no other colors exist in the vibgyor of the human society, of course in addition to the exalted humans there are some exalted animals also to provide the spiritual company in this land of bliss. This type of insane mental disposition can and does conveniently overlook the demographic disposition of the region called Jammu. Such perverted minds wish to dub all people living in these areas as dogras and ignore that dogras constitute a small minority of the population of this region. The majority of the population is composed of scheduled tribes (gujjar & bakerwals) non-scheduled tribes fighting for their scheduled tribe status (paharis) scheduled castes (harijan) and other ethnic and racial groups like Kashmiri, Sikhs, pothoharies, and punjabies etc.Even on religious lines the region is anything but a monolith. We have Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists in the population. On the basis of geography and climatic zones again the region shows extreme diversity. Languages, culture, customs every area of human activity is marked by differences and these differences can neither be surmounted nor ignored. This being the case what then is this Jammu which is supposedly on fire and ready to be torn asunder as a result of an agitation launched for restoration of 800 kanals of land far away in Kashmir valley to an organization which has to look after a cave shrine at best for two months a year. What then are the unstated motives behind this ruckus? Jammu can not aspire to be a separate state for it lacks linguistic, cultural, ethnic and religious homogeneity. The carving out a separate heterogeneous state can not be a solution to the perceived problems created by heterogeneity itself. You do not treat a person bitten by a snake by injecting venom. Then what is the agenda. Unfortunately even best minds among us, so called Jammuites do not know .We seem to be too pathetically carried away by the din and noise on the streets of Jammu to understand and analyze the situation in a rational and reasonable way. What is happening on the streets of Jammu city is in fact an unfolding of an agenda least known to us, the jammuites.The agenda is laid by those who have been enjoying the hospitality of people of Jammu for the last two decades now. Our very own Kashmiri pundits are at the bottom of this game. They are killing many birds with one arrow but they do not carry a bow. The innocent, good at heart people of Jammu are carrying the bow and shooting the arrows. What is the Kashmiri pundit leadership up to? The answers are not too far to seek. From the days of migration Kashmiri pundit leadership has been trying in every conceivable way to pay back the Kashmiri Muslims for the perceived genocide, exodus and what have you in the dictionary. It is another matter that the genocide involved not more than 100 people dead as per official data released by home ministry. The KP leadership crisscrossed entire globe with fake tales and opposed Kashmiri aspirations on every platform. They did everything they could to malign their compatriots and now they have used the last agniban(offence intended, Dr Agnishekhar) They are not interested in amarnath shrine or the land. Had it been so they would have demanded full control over amaranth shrine affairs by demanding an exclusive Kashmiri management of the shrine? Everyone in Kashmir would support a Kashmiri management of this and all other Kashmiri pundit shrines. Such a management would perhaps find it much easier to improve the facilities for pilgrims as the goodwill of local Kashmiri Muslims would stand guaranteed.KP leadership on the other hand inducted remove Vohra slogan in to the agitation for it fears advent of Vohra on the scene in Kashmir. Governor Vohra is not new to Kashmir politics and Kashmir problem. Having played an important role as an interloculator on Kashmir he has his own advantages. Our KP friends do not want any movement whatsoever towards conflict resolution in Kashmir. They would definitely love to have a novice at the helm and if that novice has any bhagwa leanings, so much the better. The present agitation in Jammu has to be seen in this perspective. It may still be possible for us Jammu’s good at heart people to see behind the scene. It goes to our credit that we maintained very good relations with Kashmiri Muslims even when things were very difficult. We maintained peace even when there were grave provocations such as an attack on raghunath temple. Who is then today asking Kashmiri Muslims to leave Jammu? It can not be us, the people of Jammu. It is in fact the perverted KP leadership who has already begun rejoicing on the possibility of taking revenge. But those among the KP’s who know people of Jammu, also know that we are capable of seeing the whole game and will rise to the occasion and not allow to be used as bows for shooting someone’s arrows. Jammu has a stake in peace. We can not and will not allow to be treated as pawns in a dirty game. Jammu has over the years seen a new growth on every front. It is fast emerging as a hub of great economic activity. It is on the threshold of a new and modern age. It is poised to be a centre for excellence in every sphere of life, a cultural and intellectual capital perhaps next only to Delhi and Lahore in this part of the subcontinent. We can not fritter our energies for the sake of satisfying the ego of a handful of irrelevant political orphans. Those who feel and preach that a total separation from Kashmir shall cure all the ills, should remind themselves of the economic, political and social fallouts of such an utopian dream. The sooner the futility of this exercise is realized the better for all of us. Jammu will survive, thrive, grow and prosper only as long as it remains firmly wedded to Kashmir. It has a great future in case it allows a pluralistic society on its land. The moment Jammu loses its multiethnic character it shall cease to grow. The state of Jammu and Kashmir shall continue to be an inseparable part of Indian union as long as Jammu remains inseparable from Kashmir.
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