Omkar Dattatray
The RK Bharati Foundation observed the death anniversary of R.K. Bharati on January 12, 2025, paying tribute to the renowned journalist and literary genius. Born on January 19, 1937, in Kakran village (Kulgam), then part of Anantnag district, Bharati received his early education at High School, Kulgam. While his parents, Nath Ram Pandit and Rajrani Pandit, envisioned him taking over the family business, their inquisitive and sensitive son, a voracious reader, felt drawn to a different path. Against his family’s wishes, he secured a position as a teacher in the education department.
Bharati’s passion for education deepened. While working as a school teacher, he earned his BA, BT, and postgraduate degrees in Hindi and English. In 1972, he pursued M.Ed. as a regular student at the Government College of Education, Srinagar, where he formed a close bond with the principal, Syed Agha Ashraf, a renowned educationist. Though initially a student-teacher relationship, their connection blossomed into a lasting friendship. Bharati’s career in the education department saw him rise through the ranks, from Master to Headmaster and finally to Senior High School Headmaster. Even from his school days, he displayed a flair for writing, contributing letters and articles to local newspapers in Urdu, Hindi, English, and even Gojri. He served for many years as the headmaster of the Teachers Training School, Shopian.
Bharati played a crucial role in safeguarding the land rights of small landowners. He campaigned against the draconian, discriminatory, and unjust land reform Act passed by the Congress Government under Syed Mir Qasim. He vehemently opposed the government’s seizure of land, primarily from Kashmiri Pandit landowners, and its transfer to Muslim tenants without compensation. Bharati filed two writ petitions against the Act in the Supreme Court of India, enlisting the services of renowned revenue lawyer, Nani Palkhivala. Though a stay was initially granted, it was later vacated. Undeterred, Bharati, leading a delegation of landowners, engaged in a heated exchange with Chief Minister Qasim at the secretariat. Intervention by Congress Minister Abdul Gani Lone led to talks between the delegation and the Chief Minister. Bharati also appealed directly to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and prominent opposition leaders, including A.B. Vajpayee and L.K. Advani, highlighting the discriminatory nature of the Act. He even questioned communist leader Harkrishan Singh Surjeet about similar land reforms in the Soviet Union. Bharati tirelessly wrote against the Act in various newspapers and voiced his concerns through radio broadcasts. He championed the cause of Kashmiri Pandits and Dogri-speaking Kashmiri Rajputs, who were rendered destitute by the land reforms. A visionary, Bharati foresaw the difficult times ahead for Kashmiri Pandits. He published a cartoon depicting their precarious situation as “Na Ghar Ke Na Ghat Ke” (neither here nor there), accompanied by the Urdu couplet: “Na Khuda He Mila Na Vasale Sanam, Na Idhar Ke Rahe Na Udhar Ke Rahe” (Found neither God nor the Beloved, belong neither here nor there). He eventually left Kashmir with his family and settled in Jammu.
In the 1960s, R.K. Bharati became the first to publish an article advocating for a separate Hindu homeland for Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir. His foresight regarding the Kashmiri Pandit exodus was evident even then. He moved his family to Jammu in 1978, predicting that Kashmiri Pandits would be forced out of Kashmir within twenty years, a prediction that tragically came true.
In Jammu, Bharati served as the District Project Officer for Adult Education, District Planning Officer (DPO) in Rajouri, and later returned to his role as Senior Headmaster in Pragwal, where he retired after 34 years of service. It’s said he was transferred nearly as many times as he served years, attributed to his honesty, forthrightness, and fearless nature, which made him a thorn in the side of the administration.
Beyond his articles and satires, Bharati contributed to various newspapers. He worked with Excelsior for several years, where he penned a popular column, “All Your Answers,” in the Sunday magazine, and maintained a strong relationship with the founding editor S. D. Rohmetra. He later worked with the State Times, Northlines, and the bilingual Dehat Sandesh. He also briefly served the Gujjar Desh Charitable Trust and Political Editor of The Shadow. Before these publications, he worked with Hind Samachar, a regional Urdu daily in Jalandhar.
Following his retirement, Bharati taught Professional Urdu Journalism to graduate and postgraduate students in the Urdu Department of Jammu University. His profound knowledge and command of Urdu, despite having studied it only up to the 10th grade, made his teaching a remarkable feat. While he never formally became a professor, his dream of teaching higher classes was realized through this role. He developed friendships with Vice Chancellor Amitabh Mattoo and Dr. Farooq Abdullah, the latter frequently visiting Bharati’s Talab Tillo residence, as he had also done in his village Kakran. In Jammu, Bharati cultivated a wide circle of friends among journalists, writers, poets, and literary figures, actively participating in events at the Cultural Academy, Abhinav Theatre, Press Club Jammu, and Jammu University.
Throughout his life, Bharati remained dedicated to reading, writing, and managing his household responsibilities. He was known for his punctuality, both during his service and after retirement, whether working for newspapers or the Urdu Department. He attended numerous conferences in Delhi, Patiala, and elsewhere. At Jammu University, he forged friendships with Jagan Nath Azad, Professor Zahoor Ahamed, and Professor Shoib Inayat Mallik. Popular in literary circles, he associated closely with Amin Banjara, Aseer Kishtwari (the DGAT of J&K), and Shyam Talib, the founder of Adbi Kunj Jammu, who recently passed away.
R.K. Bharati was a multifaceted personality: academician, educationist, doyen of journalism, picture designer, cartoonist, palmist, and futurist. Always ahead of his time, he remained a simple and honest man. A leading light in journalism, he authored thousands of articles published in national, regional, and local newspapers, fearlessly addressing socio-economic, cultural, and Kashmiri Pandit issues. His writings appeared in the RSS mouthpiece, Organizer, and national Urdu and English newspapers. A skilled critic, analyst, and translator, he translated books by notable authors, including Professor Jagan Nath Azad’s Alien in a Native Land and Dr. Karan Singh’s Heir Apparent.
His death was mourned by then-Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Cultural Academy, and people from all walks of life. Many attended his cremation and visited his residence to offer condolences, including Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Amitabh Mattoo, DGP Kuldeep Khoda, M.Y. Teng, Professor Zahoor Ahamad, and prominent members of the journalistic community.
RK Bharati’s passing created a void in literary and journalistic circles. The best tribute to this multifaceted personality is to embrace his qualities of simplicity, honesty, hard work, and punctuality.
(The author is a columnist, social activist, and freelance writer.)
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