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Balidaan Divas
T.N.Dhar ‘Kundan’
It is customary perhaps world over, to celebrate the martyrdom of those who died for a cause. In India too we celebrate the martyrdom of those who gave their lives for the cause of gaining independence from the foreign rule. Times have changed and unfortunately these days some sinister and evil deeds are treated as a noble cause and those who die during unlawful activities defying the law are hailed as martyrs and their death is glorified even if they have themselves invited a violent end to their lives. We often see that killers, marauders and senseless murderers pass as martyrs in the same way as do persons who are selfish, who work to satisfy their personal interests and who work for self-aggrandizement pass as leaders.
Fortunately the ‘Balidaan Divas’ that we observe on 14th September every year tells a different story, a noble one at that. This day is to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of those who were patriotic, unbiased, professionally unblemished and humane to the core. Take the case of Pt. Tika Lal Taploo. I knew him personally. He was so humane that the suffering of a non-Hindu would touch his heart as deeply as the suffering of a fellow Hindu. For him an Indian was his dearest kin irrespective of his religion, caste or creed.. He was loyal to his motherland and sacrificed his life for speaking in favour of mother India. Justice Ganju was a jurist of impeccable unblemished record. He gave his life for doing his duty honestly and in accordance with the law of the land. Pt. Lassa Kaul was a broadcaster of repute. He was engaged in portraying the rich culture and literature of Kashmir and conveying the events and happenings from day to day as objectively and truthfully as warranted. He gave his life for being honest to his assigned task. Sarwanand Premi was a writer of great talent. He had mastery on many languages. He was as popular among Muslims as among Hindus, if not more. His cruel killing along with his son is even now mourned by many true Muslims of the area, particularly those whom he had served and who had benefitted from his erudite scholarship. His translation of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita in Urdu is a monumental work, which shows his command over different languages.
These are just a few of those true sons of Kashmir who are martyrs in the true sense of the term. They were selfless, devoid of bias, true to their duties and above all concerned about the well being of their community and honour of their country. We have to commemorate their martyrdom in the spirit of true Kashmiris, ever prepared to fight for our safety, honour, dignity and preservation of our identity. The poet may have said, ‘Shahidoon ki chitaon par lagenge har baras mele, vatan par marnewaloon ka yahi baqi nishan hoga – There will be celebration on the pyres of the martyrs year after year. That will be the only mark left behind of those who gave their lives for the country.’ Let us not make the celebration of this ‘Balidaan Divas’ just a ritual. Let this be a day of rededication for the cause of our community. Let not the supreme sacrifice of these noble sons of Kashmir go in vain. Their sacrifice should be the beacon light for us and it should illumine our path of struggle. Let us distinguish and discriminate and identify the real selfless, honest and truthful workers and leaders and be cautious about the selfish intruders, who are there only to grind their own axes.
Recently a new development has taken place. The struggle that was launched in connection with the allotment of land for the Amarnath pilgrimage and then its cancellation has added a new chapter in the history of the ethnic cleansing in Kashmir. This has brought together all those who have been suffering at the hands of religious fanatics, un-patriotic elements and the agents of the enemies of the country. In this struggle also many true sons of the soil gave their lives for a cause, which is noble, pious and above any narrow selfish motives. Let us add their names also to the list of the martyrs in whose memory the ‘Balidaan Divas’ is celebrated. This will give new meaning to these annual celebrations and widen the scope of our struggle. Rituals are important as these provide us an opportunity to rededicate ourselves in the service of the motherland. But ritual alone is not sufficient.
Let us make it clear on this auspicious day that we do not intend to advocate a religious or a sectarian or a geographical divide. What we want to stress is the restoration of secular, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic character in every part of the country. We want to re-establish an atmosphere of fearless and safe living wherein the regional minorities also live with dignity and honour. We want to safeguard our identity, preserve our rich cultural heritage and ensure that our religious, cultural or historical past is not allowed to be obliterated. We want to live in peace and harmony with every section of the society and contribute to the progress and advancement of our country with our dedicated efforts, discriminating intelligence and fearless sincerity.
We have done very little for these true martyrs of Kashmir excepting celebrating the ‘Balidaan Divas’ every year. Have we any Bhavan or a wing of a community centre named after one of these noble sons? Have we any road named after them anywhere? Is there any memorial built for them so that our coming generations feel gratitude towards them? Have we brought out a publication or a special number of any of our community journals in their honour? It is high time we compile a compendium of all the martyrs including those who lost their lives in recent struggle and publish their profile.. This would be the least that we can do to commemorate their supreme sacrifice. Or it could be the beginning of a series of activities in their honour.
It is customary perhaps world over, to celebrate the martyrdom of those who died for a cause. In India too we celebrate the martyrdom of those who gave their lives for the cause of gaining independence from the foreign rule. Times have changed and unfortunately these days some sinister and evil deeds are treated as a noble cause and those who die during unlawful activities defying the law are hailed as martyrs and their death is glorified even if they have themselves invited a violent end to their lives. We often see that killers, marauders and senseless murderers pass as martyrs in the same way as do persons who are selfish, who work to satisfy their personal interests and who work for self-aggrandizement pass as leaders.
Fortunately the ‘Balidaan Divas’ that we observe on 14th September every year tells a different story, a noble one at that. This day is to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of those who were patriotic, unbiased, professionally unblemished and humane to the core. Take the case of Pt. Tika Lal Taploo. I knew him personally. He was so humane that the suffering of a non-Hindu would touch his heart as deeply as the suffering of a fellow Hindu. For him an Indian was his dearest kin irrespective of his religion, caste or creed.. He was loyal to his motherland and sacrificed his life for speaking in favour of mother India. Justice Ganju was a jurist of impeccable unblemished record. He gave his life for doing his duty honestly and in accordance with the law of the land. Pt. Lassa Kaul was a broadcaster of repute. He was engaged in portraying the rich culture and literature of Kashmir and conveying the events and happenings from day to day as objectively and truthfully as warranted. He gave his life for being honest to his assigned task. Sarwanand Premi was a writer of great talent. He had mastery on many languages. He was as popular among Muslims as among Hindus, if not more. His cruel killing along with his son is even now mourned by many true Muslims of the area, particularly those whom he had served and who had benefitted from his erudite scholarship. His translation of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita in Urdu is a monumental work, which shows his command over different languages.
These are just a few of those true sons of Kashmir who are martyrs in the true sense of the term. They were selfless, devoid of bias, true to their duties and above all concerned about the well being of their community and honour of their country. We have to commemorate their martyrdom in the spirit of true Kashmiris, ever prepared to fight for our safety, honour, dignity and preservation of our identity. The poet may have said, ‘Shahidoon ki chitaon par lagenge har baras mele, vatan par marnewaloon ka yahi baqi nishan hoga – There will be celebration on the pyres of the martyrs year after year. That will be the only mark left behind of those who gave their lives for the country.’ Let us not make the celebration of this ‘Balidaan Divas’ just a ritual. Let this be a day of rededication for the cause of our community. Let not the supreme sacrifice of these noble sons of Kashmir go in vain. Their sacrifice should be the beacon light for us and it should illumine our path of struggle. Let us distinguish and discriminate and identify the real selfless, honest and truthful workers and leaders and be cautious about the selfish intruders, who are there only to grind their own axes.
Recently a new development has taken place. The struggle that was launched in connection with the allotment of land for the Amarnath pilgrimage and then its cancellation has added a new chapter in the history of the ethnic cleansing in Kashmir. This has brought together all those who have been suffering at the hands of religious fanatics, un-patriotic elements and the agents of the enemies of the country. In this struggle also many true sons of the soil gave their lives for a cause, which is noble, pious and above any narrow selfish motives. Let us add their names also to the list of the martyrs in whose memory the ‘Balidaan Divas’ is celebrated. This will give new meaning to these annual celebrations and widen the scope of our struggle. Rituals are important as these provide us an opportunity to rededicate ourselves in the service of the motherland. But ritual alone is not sufficient.
Let us make it clear on this auspicious day that we do not intend to advocate a religious or a sectarian or a geographical divide. What we want to stress is the restoration of secular, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic character in every part of the country. We want to re-establish an atmosphere of fearless and safe living wherein the regional minorities also live with dignity and honour. We want to safeguard our identity, preserve our rich cultural heritage and ensure that our religious, cultural or historical past is not allowed to be obliterated. We want to live in peace and harmony with every section of the society and contribute to the progress and advancement of our country with our dedicated efforts, discriminating intelligence and fearless sincerity.
We have done very little for these true martyrs of Kashmir excepting celebrating the ‘Balidaan Divas’ every year. Have we any Bhavan or a wing of a community centre named after one of these noble sons? Have we any road named after them anywhere? Is there any memorial built for them so that our coming generations feel gratitude towards them? Have we brought out a publication or a special number of any of our community journals in their honour? It is high time we compile a compendium of all the martyrs including those who lost their lives in recent struggle and publish their profile.. This would be the least that we can do to commemorate their supreme sacrifice. Or it could be the beginning of a series of activities in their honour.
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