Among Pandits of Kashmir, No Consensus on Separate Colony

Kashmiri Pandits who still live in the Kashmir Valley express mixed feelings on the subject of a separate colony.

In recent days, the proposed resettlement of Kashmiri pandits has drawn emotional and volatile reactions in the Kashmir valley. We’ve heard voices from every community in the state and also from the outspoken Kashmiri pandit community outside Kashmir. But what about those pandits who still live in the valley? What do they think? We at The Quint found out.

47-year-old Bablooji Bhat returned to Kashmir in 2007, a decade after he was forced to flee. He now lives in a temple at Habba Kadal, an area in Srinagar that was once home to many Kashmiri Pandits. Bhat had sold all his property back in the 90s. He now wishes to live in his village in Budgam like he used to along with the Kashmiri Muslim neighbours.

Chaman Lal Garoo, 80, has been living with his daughter in Haal Pulwama, a colony established for the returning pandits five years ago. Garoo feels that there is a gap between their children and the young Kashmiri Muslims. A separate colony for the pandits would be a better option, he feels.

Rakesh Bachloo, 45 has been living in Ganpatyar in Srinagar for the past one year. Bachloo’s and his family left Kashmir in the 90s after selling their property. Bachloo wants to live in Kashmir, be it in a separate colony or wherever the government can find a space for him.

54-year-old Surender Kumar Jatoo stayed back in Kashmir, partly due to his father’s opposition to the idea of migrating and partly due to the assurances of safety given to his family by their neighbours. He manages a pharmacy in Srinagar’s Pantha Chowk area.
Jatoo never faced any difficulties from his Muslim neighbours. He says the government is not sincere and is making a fool of them. He finds the idea of a separate colony vulnerable to “mischievousness”.

Clearly Kashmiri pandits are a divided lot on the subject of resettlement. Some of them want to go back to the times when they lived cheek-by-jowl with their Muslim neighbours. Others prefer separate colonies.

Anil Bhat 45 (second from left) with his family at their home in Zewan on the outskirts of Srinagar. This area was once home to many pandits. He says, “Pandits have their own rituals and customs which they can follow only by being together. Hence, they should be given a separate place...”.

One of the big concerns for elderly Kashmiri pandits is the fact that many of their children were raised away from Kashmir in cultural alienation. They fear that many pandits want to live in separate colonies because they are not familiar with the essence of being Kashmiri, or ‘Kashmiriyat’. 

There are many families who have returned and are living in pundit colonies developed by the government at different locations. They fear that they cannot go to their respective villages as 90% of them have sold their property.

Many pandits feel that their resettlement hinges on getting the security of the Kashmiri people. It is not realistic to rely on government-provided security, they argue.

And then there’s the issue of abandoned property. Many homes, like the ones pictured above, were left behind years age. Many pandits would like to return to them.