1960 and thereafter
Pundit Kanthea Kak was residing at Safakadal Crossing until 1990. He was
grandfather of the children of his four sons and head of the joint family
consisting of more than two dozen mouths. The hearth used to be live from dawn
to dusk. The family was most disciplined one with respect for elders. The Head was master of
clean habits clad in neat and clean white toned ‘pushmina pheran’,
snow-white turban, snow-white overall cotton cover, snow-white ‘chudidhar’ pajama.
He and his eldest son aged mid sixties were petition writers. Lalea as we the
youngsters used to call Pundit Kanthea Kak had mastered Shariat law, IPC and
RPC. He was capable of quoting and referring the act meticulously at verbatim.
His calligraphy was like a print. Impressed by his calligraphy and methodology,
I once asked him about his academic qualification. I was surprised to know that
he was a third primary school drop out.
Lalea a brilliant
student in his class was in third standard when the English alphabet was
introduced in the valley schools. The Pundit purohits and Maulvis declared that
anybody writing or learning the English alphabet will get distanced from their
respective religions. Lalea preferred to skip his schooling rather than to get
distanced from his religion.
M Dass Public School
Kanikadal started on 5th March 1973. It was a period of ‘Aes-Senghea’ when no Kashmiri Pundit would admit his
ward in a school, when marriages don’t take place, when no auspicious function
is performed. Er.Chaman Lal Hashia requested me to reserve admission for three
children from his family. I assured him admission after the
inauspicious period was over. One day in the midst of inauspicious period
Chaman Lal entered into my office hurriedly, filled in three admission forms
and admitted his wards in the class with all the fervour needed for fresh
entrants for school education.
I said to Er.Hashia:
“Why did you admit them in the midst of the inauspicious period of
‘aes-senghea’?”
He said: “I saw the
children of the priest who cautioned me of the aes-senghea period already
admitted in the school. When I asked him the reason for not observing
auspicious and inauspicious period, he told me that there is no inauspicious
period for acquiring education. It was a hurdle to overtake others who kept
them backward in all walks of life.”
The fatwa against
female education pronounced by Mufti Bashir-ul-Din Sahib reminded me of the
episode concerning Gaffar Sabh and Shaban Sabh.
Gaffar Sabh and
Shabhan Sabh were colleagues in a High School. Daughters of both Rozy and Daizy
respectively (Names changed) passed 8th class. Daizy the daughter of
Shaban Sabh stood first in the district. Shahban Sabh consulted his colleague
for the subjects his daughter should opt in IX class. His friend cum colleague
convinced his friend that higher education was not advisable for girls. It was
better to marry them and be free from responsibility. So Daizy despite her
meritorious academic record was married to her mediocre cousin. Gaffar Sabh and
Shaban Sabh soon parted on account of their new postings. During a gap of seven
years one moved from school to school in the north and the other in the south
of the valley. Both lost contact with each other. In the meantime Shahban Sabh
became grandfather of a number of grand children.
One day, Shaban Sabh
called at his friend Gaffar Sabh. Soon his daughter Rozy returned from her
college with a white apron on her arm. She wished aslam ve alaikum to her high
school teacher Shaban Sahibthe the colleague cum friend of her father. Shahban
Sahib reciprocated. It was a big shock to Shaban Sab to know that Rozy was a
third-year student at Medical College Srinagar and his brilliant daughter Daizy
a shattered children producing machine. It was too late to mend.
Gaffar Sab was a
controversial character. He usually used to give sermons on do’s and
donot’s. One of the sermons was for using ‘burqa’ and covering of head by Muslim girls
with sari. One day he was on the road and his daughter without burqa and naked head was coming from the opposite direction.
One Muslim boy nearby pretended and said with all obnoxious words: “Know not
which devil’s daughter this brazen faced Muslim girl with naked head is
marching like a man?”
In villages, rustic
villagers go to their Peer Sahib for giving name to their new born baby. He
names them as Sulea; Gulea; Nurea; Zunea ….etc. while he names his own as
Peerzada Ishtiaq Ahmmad; Peerzada Shafaqat Ahmmad, Peerzada Amin Shah Sahib…. I
have seen people in the village calling their family members as ‘ Oh Sulea kharev
ho’ and in response he says “Ho zuntea kunee ho” Though neither is ‘khoer or
koen’.
Professor Shahmiri,
once as Director Women Education held a mass meeting of female teachers
at Sheri Kashmir Park. She almost beat her forehead with remorse
and cried: “Kashmiri Pundit lady if enters into department as middle pass
acquires post-graduation qualification while in service and retires from a
gazetted cadre and you Muslim lady teachers if enter Middle pass, you retire as
middle pass.
If the advice to keep
women at home and not to give them education is adhered to, it will be a
colossal loss to the community. It will push them towards backwardness and a
miserable life of poverty. Educated mother is a great divine gift to the whole
family. Dr.Sir Syed Khan owes his stature to his mother.
Brijdass chu venan
lasiv te basiv.
Brij Krishan