Shashi Koul
Name of the Book: Silent Cries
Author: Kuldeep Kashmiri
Year of Publication: 2024
According to Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, a renowned American Socialite, philanthropist, and an author, “It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone….”
The fresh arrival of Kuldeep Kashmiri’s book Silent Cries does not allow anyone to forget any sphere pertaining to historical puns and fumes, black thunder of Mass Exodus burst on a minuscule community of Kashmiri Pandits and existential experiences of Kashmiri Pandits in alien areas and under hostile conditions. It does not allow us to forget about the difficulties Pandits went through in torn out tents and in one-room tenements that were like pigeonholes. It reminds us about the privacy problems, the difficulties of bringing portable water for the domestic use, standing in long queues, making ration cards, the misinterpretation of migrant word, health hazardous of the old, losing of playground of the children, and the tortuous efforts of survival for the young. The approach and changing mood of the majority community of Kashmir pre and post exodus stands honestly written. Ceasing popularity of exile leadership coupled with treachery of political leadership is inscribed in bold letters.
The book is not plying on the negative track only though this has become our shadow. Kuldeep Kashmiri in this maiden book has also highlighted the positive side of majority community on that side of the tunnel and excelling of Kashmiri Pandit youth in this side of the tunnel. Unfolding of some bitter truths goes as a plus point in the author’s bag. There might be some repetitive parroting in this book as we have been reading now in the exile period for more than three decades but the right post-mortem of the things along with finding the solutions goes to the credit of Kudeep Kashmiri and his intentions are evinced by reading the last paragraph of the book:
Let this book be a catalyst for a change, a testament to our resilience, and a reminder that the path to healing and progress lies within our own hands. May it inspire us all to come together, embrace our shared humanity, and create a better tomorrow for the people of Kashmir.
Kashmir, since 1990, has become like fish market for various authors. Numerous books have been written and are being written with the main points of exodus, terrorism, and life after exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and thus almost all the books are similar in nature. But the book Silent Cries is the bulk of existential experiences starting from 1986 and is continuing unabated. The difficulties in living in torn out tents or in one room tenements facing the privacy problems is the pain sometimes bigger than the pain of leaving the homes. Then the survival for the young to support their parents and make the future of the exile children was an uphill task but Kuldeep gives instances how the new progeny faced the odds to make their elders proud and showed light to the displaced communities all over. The approach of Muslims prior to migration, their changing mood, the existence of true secularism, and then the axing of the theory of coexistence are a few blows among other titanic wounds. The difficulties in seeking the admission of displaced students in the preliminary phase of exodus, the rising up and falling down of Kashmiri Pandit leadership, hope and disappointment, the security and insecurity scenarios, the changing tactics of state and central governments under different rules, the level of support of political leadership, the unity and the disunity amongst the community brethren, the miserable approach of relief authorities, the over-aging of the youth, employment problems and meeting the day-to-day needs with meagre amount of relief are plainly and painfully painted.
The socio-cultural legacy coupled with religious aroma pre and post displacement has been dissected and comparisons and parallels drawn. The author has mentioned about the great saints, seers, and sufis of the valley that made the air of the valley serene but this serene atmosphere was put to an end in 1990. The name of Maqbool Bhat became the new icon The author reminds about the tribal attack in 1947 and the role of Maqbool Sherwani . But alas! The name of Maqbool Bhatt demanding secessionism was boosted instead already neglected Maqbool Sherwani. The political games clouded the valley.
The role of all Indian prime ministers from time to time has been appreciated who did not compromise with the security of the country. The help of respective governments to the displaced Pandits though very little has been incorporated with a big complaint that Kashmiri Pandits being the nationalists by heart and soul stand ignored unabated.
Terming the shift in the ideology from the Sufi teachings to the Wahabi ideology in recent times a complex phenomenon, the author describes various factors with historical developments. The extreme adherents of Wahabi ideology have targeted Sufi shrines, which are considered important spiritual and cultural landmarks. The author post-mortems the condition of Kashmiri women living in conflict-ridden situations due to this changing ideology and they are reportedly highly susceptible to suicidal tendencies quoting a survey conducted in 2012 revealing that over the past two decades, approximately 17,000 individuals, predominantly women, had taken their own lives in the Valley. The Medecins Sans Frontieres study further highlights the immense suffering endured by Kashmiri women since the onset of violent separatist struggles in 1989-90. Additionally, the conflicts produced by this ideology subscribed to a rise in psychological issues such as stress, anxiety, mood disorders, and post-traumatic disorders, with the valley’s sole mental hospital witnessing an increase in patients, reaching 1,200 at the start of the insurgency.
Giving a brief account of historical pricks the author also divulges that the Kashmiri Pandits have endured numerous atrocities throughout history, with some of the most horrifying incidents occurring during the reign of cruel Mughal emperors like Aurangzeb. During that time, sacred threads known as JANUES (sacred thread), worn by Kashmiri Pandits, were burnt, their temples and religious sites were demolished, and they were forcibly converted to Islam. Kuldeep Kashmiri discerns that the exploitation of the Kashmiri Pandits’ suffering for political gain is a stark reminder of the ways in which vulnerable communities can be used as pawns in the pursuit of power. He stresses that their demand for justice is heard and addressed, allowing them the opportunity to return to their ancestral homeland.
‘(Oh my son, we have been deprived of the flames of the pyre of our ancestors.)’ This lament encapsulates the deep sense of loss and longing felt by the Kashmiri Pandits for their ancestral heritage, writes Kuldeep Kashmiri.
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