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Revisionism in Kashmiri Pandits
By Dr. Romesh Raina
It would not be wrong to label Ms. Mayawati as the modern Chankaya of contemporary politics. Her emergence on brilliant social engineering is a learning experience for all the practicing politicians of the country especially students and distant watchers like me. The journey from Bahujan Samaj to Sarwajan Samaj is a story beset with exploitation of the social existence of society within Indian reality. It has various shades most important being the use of various castes as classes like approaching people as upper Middle class, Middle class and lower middle class and not as Brahmins, Dalits, Muslims, so on and so forth. The other shade is clever mixing of Ambedkarism with so called Manawad or Brahmanism. This is evident from slogans "yeh Haathi nahi Ganesh hai, Bramha, Vishnu, Mahesh hai" a clear departure from the past slogans like "Tilak, Tarazu aur Talwaar, inko maaro jhute chaar".
Seen from the context of Political Science this is doctrine of Revisionism which is a common feature of both in life and politics. We get its traces from earlier times as Aristotle revised Plato and Marx revised Hagel. The silent revolution being spearheaded by Ms. Mayawati speaks revision of old caste politics into a class politics and its predictable end result should form, the basis of new consensual politics in India. Its faint traces can be seen even outside U.P by analyzing BSP's performance in Delhi Municipal Council elections. Though an Urban Phenomenon yet if can unfold in a bigger way in the present political spectruffihe current historical discourse has grown from a genuine desire to know about the revisionism in Kashmiri Pandits who too have their brand. The first visible sign is heard from Pt. Lachman Dhar Kalla who is remembered as having solemnized the marriage ceremony of Mrs. Indira Gandhi and Shri B.K. Nehru, strongly advocated for widow re-marriage by writing a write up on the subject which created a strong controversy and a shastrarth (Public Debate) had to be organized on such a sensitive issue (1914-1916) when he was asked to explain his point by community elders which was a practice then.
The march of the history started laying foundations for social change in Kashmiri Pandits which has manifested in phases of its evolution due to combination of various forces, events and circumstances. It has been changing its face from time to time. The factors and issues imparting the change are the emerging new identities struggling to achieve social supremacy and empowerment. This has had a strong influence stretching in an unbroken sweep over the society, underneath which lies their brauised civilisational and eroded social structure.
The formative: years in the life of a community are crucial for its subsequent evolution and Shri Hargopal Kaul Khasta's emergence on the social scene fills the vacuum which was visible in the absence of any social activity. He was a strong votary of women's emancipation and education. As a first step started a school for women with his only daughter Padmavati as its Head Misterss, and also started first boys school, named Hindu School in Srinagar which is presently known as S.P. College, Srinagar, Kashmir. Community welfare agenda has been a dynamic and constantly evolving process with people applying tools of modernism and liberalism in the construction of social and political history of Kashmiri Pandits. At different points in History people have sought to envision the social psychology of the community and extend it to build the society. Its contours as patterns of change were defined by number of well meaning persons but Pt. Kashyap Bandhu popularly known as Bandhuji whose original name was Pt Tara Chand Koul played a phenomenal role. Infact he is considered as the most crucial actor of present times. He joined Yuvak Sabha in 1931 and started a social movement which focused on internal reforms of the community. In a run up to the evolution of an ideal society certain fundamental alterations took place which provided the context of reconstructing and re-inventing the community. Its predominant features include :
1. Social Reform
2. Widow re-marriage
3. Changing the dress code of women from Pheran to Saree
4. Women's Education.
This movement success fully attempted to meet its penetration to all the conceivable areas of society by drawing all the inclusive reforms plans. This phenomenon manifested itself in many ways of its evolution and the most important dimension being the formation of women's welfare trust inspired by Mrs. Margaret E Cousins besides her it included S/Shri Sri Kanth Toshkhani, Shri Dhar Koul Dulloo and Aftab Koul Nizamat as its members. Shri Nizamat turned out to be the driving force behind its success. Another important development of far reaching consequences was the formation of Samaj Sudhar Samiti in 1944 with Pt. Gopi Krishan as its President with almost similar agenda.
The cumulative impact of all these developments set in motion a process of awakening through a campaign to capture the Public opinion and Sheetal Nath became the nerve centre of all these activities. Infusion of awakening, reform, modifications and change constitute the major determining factors of revisionism. These factors combine represent the instruments of socio cultural transformation in order to change a classical traditional society into a modern vibrant entity and fruits are there for all of us to see. As we enter the post exodus phase after 90's, the most crucial phase of our existence especially when we have been reduced as a non territorial society, can we address our present core concerns through this process? Now is the time to identify the central challenges born out of migration whose pace has far exceeded because of the missing natural influences. Complicating the picture is that we are on the wrong side of history and witness to a fast neo-culturalisation of our society. Given the fact that our society is witness to erosion in the social framework because of superimposed factors like injustice, abuses and violations, our effort should be to evolve an institutional response order to construct our own destiny. While delving with future the objective should be to 1. Re-inforce Institution driven agenda 2. Influence public mind 3. Re-connect with the past.
What is important here is how an institution locates itself in a society and its ability to confront the issues before it. It gains currency because social institutions play a crucial role in shaping the growth and development of any society. They constitute a driving force in enforcing a social thought process. Viewed historically the sum and substance is to recognize social and cultural conditions with collective community life as important survival components. The current transition period allows us an opportunity to develop a new understanding of ourselves and to find a new sense of direction to our destiny in future as a collective entity.
It would not be wrong to label Ms. Mayawati as the modern Chankaya of contemporary politics. Her emergence on brilliant social engineering is a learning experience for all the practicing politicians of the country especially students and distant watchers like me. The journey from Bahujan Samaj to Sarwajan Samaj is a story beset with exploitation of the social existence of society within Indian reality. It has various shades most important being the use of various castes as classes like approaching people as upper Middle class, Middle class and lower middle class and not as Brahmins, Dalits, Muslims, so on and so forth. The other shade is clever mixing of Ambedkarism with so called Manawad or Brahmanism. This is evident from slogans "yeh Haathi nahi Ganesh hai, Bramha, Vishnu, Mahesh hai" a clear departure from the past slogans like "Tilak, Tarazu aur Talwaar, inko maaro jhute chaar".
Seen from the context of Political Science this is doctrine of Revisionism which is a common feature of both in life and politics. We get its traces from earlier times as Aristotle revised Plato and Marx revised Hagel. The silent revolution being spearheaded by Ms. Mayawati speaks revision of old caste politics into a class politics and its predictable end result should form, the basis of new consensual politics in India. Its faint traces can be seen even outside U.P by analyzing BSP's performance in Delhi Municipal Council elections. Though an Urban Phenomenon yet if can unfold in a bigger way in the present political spectruffihe current historical discourse has grown from a genuine desire to know about the revisionism in Kashmiri Pandits who too have their brand. The first visible sign is heard from Pt. Lachman Dhar Kalla who is remembered as having solemnized the marriage ceremony of Mrs. Indira Gandhi and Shri B.K. Nehru, strongly advocated for widow re-marriage by writing a write up on the subject which created a strong controversy and a shastrarth (Public Debate) had to be organized on such a sensitive issue (1914-1916) when he was asked to explain his point by community elders which was a practice then.
The march of the history started laying foundations for social change in Kashmiri Pandits which has manifested in phases of its evolution due to combination of various forces, events and circumstances. It has been changing its face from time to time. The factors and issues imparting the change are the emerging new identities struggling to achieve social supremacy and empowerment. This has had a strong influence stretching in an unbroken sweep over the society, underneath which lies their brauised civilisational and eroded social structure.
The formative: years in the life of a community are crucial for its subsequent evolution and Shri Hargopal Kaul Khasta's emergence on the social scene fills the vacuum which was visible in the absence of any social activity. He was a strong votary of women's emancipation and education. As a first step started a school for women with his only daughter Padmavati as its Head Misterss, and also started first boys school, named Hindu School in Srinagar which is presently known as S.P. College, Srinagar, Kashmir. Community welfare agenda has been a dynamic and constantly evolving process with people applying tools of modernism and liberalism in the construction of social and political history of Kashmiri Pandits. At different points in History people have sought to envision the social psychology of the community and extend it to build the society. Its contours as patterns of change were defined by number of well meaning persons but Pt. Kashyap Bandhu popularly known as Bandhuji whose original name was Pt Tara Chand Koul played a phenomenal role. Infact he is considered as the most crucial actor of present times. He joined Yuvak Sabha in 1931 and started a social movement which focused on internal reforms of the community. In a run up to the evolution of an ideal society certain fundamental alterations took place which provided the context of reconstructing and re-inventing the community. Its predominant features include :
1. Social Reform
2. Widow re-marriage
3. Changing the dress code of women from Pheran to Saree
4. Women's Education.
This movement success fully attempted to meet its penetration to all the conceivable areas of society by drawing all the inclusive reforms plans. This phenomenon manifested itself in many ways of its evolution and the most important dimension being the formation of women's welfare trust inspired by Mrs. Margaret E Cousins besides her it included S/Shri Sri Kanth Toshkhani, Shri Dhar Koul Dulloo and Aftab Koul Nizamat as its members. Shri Nizamat turned out to be the driving force behind its success. Another important development of far reaching consequences was the formation of Samaj Sudhar Samiti in 1944 with Pt. Gopi Krishan as its President with almost similar agenda.
The cumulative impact of all these developments set in motion a process of awakening through a campaign to capture the Public opinion and Sheetal Nath became the nerve centre of all these activities. Infusion of awakening, reform, modifications and change constitute the major determining factors of revisionism. These factors combine represent the instruments of socio cultural transformation in order to change a classical traditional society into a modern vibrant entity and fruits are there for all of us to see. As we enter the post exodus phase after 90's, the most crucial phase of our existence especially when we have been reduced as a non territorial society, can we address our present core concerns through this process? Now is the time to identify the central challenges born out of migration whose pace has far exceeded because of the missing natural influences. Complicating the picture is that we are on the wrong side of history and witness to a fast neo-culturalisation of our society. Given the fact that our society is witness to erosion in the social framework because of superimposed factors like injustice, abuses and violations, our effort should be to evolve an institutional response order to construct our own destiny. While delving with future the objective should be to 1. Re-inforce Institution driven agenda 2. Influence public mind 3. Re-connect with the past.
What is important here is how an institution locates itself in a society and its ability to confront the issues before it. It gains currency because social institutions play a crucial role in shaping the growth and development of any society. They constitute a driving force in enforcing a social thought process. Viewed historically the sum and substance is to recognize social and cultural conditions with collective community life as important survival components. The current transition period allows us an opportunity to develop a new understanding of ourselves and to find a new sense of direction to our destiny in future as a collective entity.
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