Friday, 29 April 2016
Saturday, 9 April 2016
Concentration Camp
From Google,
I looked for the meaning of concentration camp: It is defined as: "a place
in which large numbers of people, especially political prisoners or members
of persecuted minorities, are deliberately imprisoned in a relatively
small area with inadequate facilities, sometimes to provide forced labour or to
await mass execution. The term is most strongly associated with the several
hundred camps established by the Nazis in Germany and occupied Europe 1933–45,
among the most infamous being Dachau, Belsen, and Auschwitz.
In view of
the definition for Concentration Camp, we the Kashmiri Pundits are members of
the persecuted minorities with inadequate facilities define Jagti as a Concentration
Camp.
Unlike the Nazi
Concentration Camps, Jagti Concentration Camp provides ready-made audience to
people with political aspirations. Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah during pre-partition
days had ready-made audience at the busiest Lal Chowk and post partition,
Hazrat Bal. Mir Waiz has ready- made audience at Jamia Masjid. Likewise, Jagti-
the Concentration Camp provides ready-made audience to political aspirants.
Among
Kashmiris, there are enumerable philanthropists who are eager to help one
another without making their names public. I name them as Big Brothers. Orzu
Foundation is one such organization that supports quality education to one of
our daughters. Surprisingly Orzu Foundation members do not make their names
public. Prior to Jagti came into existence, some unknown people settled abroad wrote
to me that they would like to pay for the quality education to the children of
the Camp dwellers. I wrote to them not to pay to any individual or parents of
the wards, rather pay directly for their respective Schools their fees and the
bus fare. I contacted Camp commander Purkhoo camp a number of times for the
list of deserving students, with the name of their respective schools. All my
efforts turned futile. Again the abroad settlers expressed their desire to
support coaching of deserving students from camps. I wrote to them to pay
directly to the coaching centres and not to any individual. I managed their
telephonic contact with Dr.S N Pandita one of the professors at a leading
Coaching Centre. Concessional fees was also negotiated, but no one came forward
to avail of the benefit.
2009, I made
mention of the poor educational facilities and educational standard of the KP
students in the valley. They badly need attention from the dispersed community.
Let people
be sincere to cause without making it a show-piece for baking political chapattis.
Philanthropists
are above caste creed colour and religion. Last year one of my Muslim friends directly
contributed Rs.5000 to the bank account for the quality education of one of our
daughters and another Muslim friend paid Rs.1000 to an ailing Pundit in the
valley through me. Quality education of
three Sikh students was sponsored by Ishwar Ashram Trust, Bagwan Gopi Nath
Trust and Kahmir Pundit Sabha Amphala( During the days of Surgbashi T N Khosa
Sahab). Prof. B L Raina managed free coaching to one who did research on
cancer.
Bharat Mata ki Jai
concentration
Camp.
Thursday, 7 April 2016
Navreh Mubarak
Warm Navreh Greetings
to you all. On this day we used to enjoy the outing to Badamwari (The fully
bloomed almond blossom) under the foot of the Hari-Parbat
hillock. Three days thereafter it would be
followed by another picnic on account of the Zangtrai.
This picnic was being hosted by the parents of the mother (Matamal).
The third picnic was Baisakhi. This day Nishat garden
was thrown open to the general public after winter. Nishat and
other Mughul gardens
were being decorated like a new bride of teens on this day. People irrespective
of caste creed and colour, rich and poor would visit these
gardens, some in 'Doonga' some in shikara and
the rest in buses. Those days a few had their own conveyance. Comparing today's
prosperity to that golden era, I believe, I personally have become poorer. That
poverty was far better than today's prosperity. Baisakhi was
followed after five days by Ramnavmi. On this day, Ramchandrun at Barbershah
Srinagar would be the picnic spot.
Specialty at Ramchandrun was
spot fried nadrimonji (Aziki
jawan kiah zanen naderi monji kiah ghaie). Very few would be
equipped with a k-oil stove, a mark of HIG (Higher income
group). Generally people were carrying samawar, tea
-ingredients, charcoal, telveri and ketlam
along with. Nadrimonji and luchi were
locally purchased from the make shift halwai shops.
Unfortunately
the present MNC has devoured the whole of it and shifted us from Baisakh calendar (warm spring)
to cold January calendar (the coldest month).
Today
parents are divided, the couples are divided, the whole family is divided to
serve the MNC, know not when to enjoy the dollars. Thanks to the latest
telecommunication system that enables them to contact one another on
phone/cell/internet/skype.
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Guest Control
Around April, 1960, the Degree examination was over and marriage season had stepped in. In view of scarcity of rice and other eatables the State Government issued a notification for austerity measures. Feasts on account of marriages or on any other celebration the number of guests to be invited was restricted to 25. The household of the bride could entertain 25 from his relations and 25 from the family of the groom. People devised a formula and stretched the function to a period of a number of days. Each day specific number restricted to 25 was served with the invitation. So if the number of guests was 100, they were invited @ 25/each day on four different dates. The Government did not yield. It promulgated that within a specific period only one feast was allowed to be celebrated.
It generated an extra source of income for the concerned Police Chowki officer. Besides, the confiscated dishes fattened the police officials and their families.
Those very days one of my cousins got married. I faintly remember that the guests were served in groups of 25. It was ensured that another group be called from the hideout only after the first one had left. At any particular time there should not be more than 25. I believe I was in the third group of 25.
Hustle and bustle was over. The gap between the two festivities became age-bar. In view of the left over stocks, sufficient to meet the requirement for the next function, the host, father of the bride was persuaded by his well-wishers to do away with the liability of the allied function of ‘phirsal’.
I don’t remember whether I was invited or not, but being my ‘matamal’, I did not wait for formality of invitation. I accompanied the newlywed couple and managed to sit among the distinguished guests. Soon the bride appeared on the scene and signalled me to go back and get more children for whom enough of preparations were already cooked.
In obedience, I ran from Agahamam to Dalhasanyar across the River Vetesta and returned within no time, leading a band of enthusiastic age-group.
By the time I returned, it was already dark. Crisscrossed the interwoven by- lanes, hardly five yards away from the destination, when I became panicky in view of the commotion around the main entrance. In whispers an elderly and appreciably tall person suggested that I should go back before the police would arrest me for breaking the Guest control Act. He was dressed in black achkan, narrow-tight trousers in snow-white colour (tang-murie pajama) pink colour turban and apparently seemed to be a man of authority. I cautioned:"Chalivo (run away)" and along with the band dispersed to reassemble back at Dalhasanyar. Later on I came to know that he was Pundit Jia Lal Khuda, uncle of Shri Kuldip Khoda IPS who recently retired as Director General of Police.
The bride was the younger sister of the mother of Shri Kuldip Khoda. It was the ‘phirsal’ to two grooms who were married to two sisters on the same day. Both the grooms were hid in some abandoned store room beyond the reach of the Police. The police took the head of the family along with some of his close relations into custody. All the utensils filled with different varieties of meat, thalies, glasses and other paraphernalia was confiscated by the Police. The next day people in custody were released on bail. For more than six months the utensils that were on rent remained in the court custody. Rent on the hired utensils accrued more than their cost.
Syed Wali Shah from Munvarabad was the in charge Dy. S P. He was beyond the reach of a common man and nobody could influence him. Those days his office was at Batmaloo in the premises of today’s Police Control Room. All the policemen at the traffic beat from Batmalloo to Munvarabad were kept informed about his exit from his room at his lunch hour. The policemen used to be over cautious about their duty and ensure that salute to the officer was not missed.
Bharat Mata ki Jai
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