Major identities of J&K State

By Balraj Puri

After announcing third extension of unilateral cease fire in Jammu and Kashmir state, the government of India appointed talks with ''all sections of the peace loving people of the state, including those who are currently outside it'' for attaining peace. A number of exercises are also going on at track II or III levels between the dissident Kashmir leaders and the centre as also between India and Pakistan for peace and reconciliation on the disputed state. The issue is also reportedly being discussed through quiet diplomatic channels with some world powers.

There is no dearth of national and international experts offering their assessment of the situation and a possible solutions to the problem of what is called Kashmir problem. It is therefore time to remind all concerned parties some basic facts about the people of the state which they may take into account while forming their opinions whatever be their political interest or ideological angle.

Undoubtedly urge for identity, which has been recognised as one of the basic human urges by the post modern social scientists, is as strong a motivating force in the political behaviour of the people in J&K state as any where also. An elementary knowledge of their identities should therefore be indispensable for understanding the problems they are faced with. The most important fact in this context about the state is that it has far more kinds of diversities than any other state of India. For instance, followers of almost all major religions of the world live there. Its racial composition included. Aryans, pre-Aryans, Dardic and Tibeto-Mangolian races. Its constitution recognises eight regional languages while number of dialects spoken in the state is far larger.

If the interests and urges of these diverse identities could be reconciled, the diversities would have been its greatest source of strength. But failure to recognise and reconcile them became its greatest weakness. Firstly these diversities are not so widely known. Secondly there has been an over emphasis on only one kind of diversity that is based on religion. From former American president Clinton, who described Kashmir problem as that of Hindu-Muslim relations, to Indian nationalists who describe it as a symbol of Indian secularism, the people of the state are being constantly reminded that they need to change their self-image to exclusively in terms of religious identities. Left to them, they should have aspired to be a model of pluralism where plurality of religions, languages, races and tribes could live in harmony.

Nobody can deny the role of religion and religion based identities in shaping human behaviour. But no identity is monolithic and there are other identities which cut across religions identities and some times play a more decisive and healthier role in determining this behaviour.

The fact that out of the three regions of the state, Kashmir is inhabited by pre-Aryan and non-Aryan race, Jammu by an Aryan race and Ladakh by Tibetan, Mangolian and Dardic races and all the three have distinct geographical, historic, cultural backgrounds has also influenced the character and role of religion in each one of them.

Kashmir Valley has, for a variety of reasons, a pivotal place in the politics of the state. Not only because the rest of the world knows the state by this name and Kashmiri speaking leaders have represented it nationally and internationally, but also because they have led all the governments in the state since independence.

Though Kashmiris are now almost entirely Muslims, after the migration of Kashmiri Pandits, who constituted a barely 5% of the population of the Valley, they are proudly conscious of their uninterrupted record of 5000 years of history. No community in the subcontinent other than Kashmirs can make such a claim.

Originally inhabited by pre-Aryan tribes called Nagas and Pischachs, Kashmir accepted Vedic, Buddhist, Shaivite and Islamic faiths retaining essence of beliefs, rituals and practices of each of them and pride in its pre-Islamic achievements in the field of, say, philosophy, culture and politics. As GMD Sufi observes, in his celebrated work Kashir, ''cult of Buddha, the teaching of vedant and mysticism of Islam have one after another found a cogenial home in Kashmir.'' He finds close affinity between Kashmiri Shaivism and Islam in Kashmir.

According to Kashmir scholars and popular perception, Kashmir lost its independence for the first time in 1586 when Akbar annexed it to the Mughal empire. Before that it was ruled by the Muslim kings for only 200 years which Kashmiri Muslims own along with earlier over 4000 years as their own.

The Non-Kashmiri rule of 364 years, which includes rule by Muslim kings like Mughals and Afghans for about 250 years is disowned by them as period of slavery like the later rule of the non-Muslim non-Kashmiri kings.

Kashmir Valley of around 1900 square miles a enclosed by 10,000 to 18,000 feet high mountains. Thus geographical compactness and isolation renowned for its proverbial beauty, cultural homogeneity, historical continuity and political developments have created a very strong sense of Kashmiri identity which is Islamised as much as Islam in Kashmir is Kashmirised. Further uniqueness of Kashmir lies in the fact that its language called Kashir by the Kashmiris is not a part of Indo-Aryan family of languages spoken from Dhacca to Peshawar as according to Grierson, the pioneering authority of Indian languages, it is not of Sanskrit but of Dardic origin, Politically this unique identity was fractured with the migration of microscopic but a highly talented Kashmiri Pandit minority. Their contribution to Indian culture can hardely be ignored. Though neither Kashmiri Muslims nor Kashmiri Pandits can shed their common integral cultural and historical heritage, the recently created divergence in their political urges have to be taken note of.

Kashmiri speaking community does not constitue majoirty of the state. Before 1947, Jammu was the post populous region of the state. The Line of Control that was deliberately so designed as to keep Kashmiri speaking region in fact, divides Jammu region. For people across the LoC do not speak Kashmiri but share a common ethnic stock with Jammu. According to the last census in 1981 (as there was no census in 1991), Kashmir region has a population of 52 percent, out of which 10 percent on the periphery are non-Kashmiri communities like Gujjars and Paharis, which are linguistically and ethnically closer to people in Jammu region. If non-Muslim population of 5 percent is abstracted, Kashmiri Muslims population is 37 percent. Even if sectarian groups like Shias and other small ethnic pockets are not discounted, there is need for knowing more about the rest which is at least 63 percent of the population of the state including around 44 percent Muslims. As attention of the national and international media as also Indian or foreign governments is almost entirely forcussed on Kashmiri Muslims, they are tending to be isolated from the rest of the population of the state. In the process, they have suffered the most. In order to resolve their own problems as also of the state as a whole and in the interest of maintaining and developing Kashmiri identity, they need more knowledge about the nature and aspirations of the rest of 63 percent of the population.

According to the last census Jammu's population is 45 percent of the state which lives in an area of 26,000 square miles. Starting from almost sea level on the right side of the river Ravi it gradually rises to 10 to 11 thousand feet high Pir Panchal range with Shivalik range in between. On the South and West it borders Indian and Pakistani Punjab. Unlike Kashmir, most part of it are mountainous and sub-mountainous. Its plural society almost entirely of Aryan stock includes 66 percent Hindus, 30 percent Muslims and four percent Sikhs. Three out of six districts adjoining Kashmir region have Muslim majority. Scheduled Castes who constitutes 18.3 percent population of the region comprise 31 percent of the Hindu population. Scheduled castes who were the main beneficiaries of the radical land reforms of early fifties are economically, socially and politically a more viable distinct entity in the region than in many other parts of the country. Though languages of the region belong to single family of languages, Dogri is spoken by the single largest community which constitute 53.8 (around 54) percent population of the region and culturally and politically is a dominant community within the region. Gojri, Pahari, Punjabi and number of other dialects are spoken by the rest. They are spoken by all the religious communities except Gojri, the language of the Gujjars all of whom are Muslims. But as a community they have at least as much if not more emotional and ethnic affinity with the Gujjars- Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs- of the neighbouring states of the HP, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and the UP than they could possibly have with their co-religionists in the state. They trace their ancestry to Prithvi Raj Chauhan, Kanishka and other Kushan and Hun dunasties whon ruled over North India as also to the community of Nanda & Yashoda, who brought up lord Krishna. They are one of the earliest settlers in Jammu but are scattered in most parts of the state. A part of them are normads. Even though scattered in the state and in the neighbouring states, they have retained a remarkably distinct and broadly a homogenous entity.

Pahari community lives on both sides of the LoC. On Indian sides, it includes people are concentrated in Kupwara and Uri parts of the Kashmir region and Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu region. It includes people living in Poonch, Muzzafrabad, and Mirpur which despite slight differences in their dialects, speak the same language. The people in Pakistan part of the state also belong to the Pahari stock. Historically it was on the route through which most of the cultural currents from the rest of the country to Kashmir valley of which it stil has proud records which includes tales of warriors, religious leades---Buddhists monks, Hindu Saints and Muslims Sufis-- and eminent literary personalities. Alongwith Dogras, the Pahari community comprised the army of the Maharajas of the state. Till recently Poonch was a separate estate ruled by a local ruler. This district provided the largest number of recruits to the British army during second world war as a percentage of the population of its youth in the whole of British India, Pahari community on both of the Pir Panchal and LoC is predominantly Muslim. The Hindu and Sikh parts of its, who had to migrate from Pak held area of the state, are mostly living in Jammu district.

Gujjars and Paharis, which had a rich tradition of folk literature, have in the last few decades also developed written literature in poetry and prose.

Jammu developed consciousness of regional identity more sharply after 1947 when political power shifted from Jammu based Maharaja to Kashmir based leadership and when the political and cultural influence of Punjab on it declined as the border with Pakistani Punjab has since been sealed and political and cultural central of Indian Punjab is far away. Phenomenal growth of Dogri as a written language and its recognition as a literary language by the Sahitya Akademy and its literature and outstanding writers among the literature and writers of other national languages of Jammu region. The literary movements in all regional languages have grown in perfect harmony. In fact they cut across communal barriers and tend to undermine them. Regional renaissance have revied and projected many common Sufi-Bhakti saints, Kisan martyrs, artists and political heroes of the past Pahari art and Music are valuable contributions of the region to the Indian culture. The valour of warriors of the region, whoc extended national boundaries, has been recognised, in the military histories.

The third region of Ladakh beyond the Himalaya 96,701 and population of 2 lakhs with an area of 45,762 square miles is more than half of the area of undivided state as it existed before 1947. It has 800 miles of common border with China---350 miles with Tibet and 450 miles with Sinkiang. Separated from the rest of the country, and the world by Zojila Pass, 11,530 feet above sea level, the region is further sub-divided by Fatu La, 13,400 feet above sea level, into two districts of Leh and Kargil. Buddhists are a little more than half of the population of the region (52 percent) and mainly concentrated in Leh district while Muslims, the rest (48 percent) mostly are Shias and live in Kargil. Ladakhi, also called Bodhi, Balti, Dadi and Shina are the main languages spoken in the region. Speakers of one language can understand other languages easily.

Ladakh was on the celebrated Silk route. As an entrepol of the trade between India, central Asia, and Tibet for centuries, it was confluence of diverse cultures. But geographical position has helped it to preserve its ancient culture and ways of life almost intact.

Mahayan Buddhism born in Kashmiri spread to Tibet, China and Japan via Ladakh. The Buddhists owe their allegiance to Lamas who have their own discipline and hierarchical order. They used to go to Tibet for religious training which was called their spiritual home. But after the communist take over of Tibet and flight of Dalai Lama along with his many followers from there, Lhasa has lost its status as a source of their religious and spiritual inspiration and a centre of their emotional affinity.

Ulemas have their hold on Shias who constitute overwhelming majority of Muslims of Kargil. Some of them had their theological training in Iran and are followers of Khomeini. There is a small pocket of Shina speaking Sunni Muslims in Drass who are distinct from Kashmiri speaking Muslims and Balti speaking Shias in the rest of Kargil. Most of the Shina speaking population lives across the LoC. Some affinity between the same language groups on its two sides cannot be ruled out.

It would be seen that the way different types of identities which cut across and overlap one another, cannot be easily separated, nor can their urges be satisfied in the present set up. In fact a centralised set up and unitary form of the constitution of the state is singularly unsuitable to accommodate its diversities. A democratic, federal, plural and non-centralised system alone can ensure unity and harmony among them. Without attempting to evolve such a system, any moves to alter the status of the state would merely generate communal and regional tensions and go on adding further problems to the complex Kashmir problem.

Open Choice: Some questions, suggestions

By Krishan Lal

For the past many days appeals are being issued by the Principals of colleges, senior citizen etc. to the students to resume their studies with no favourable results. Instead, the office of Principal G.G.M Science college was ransacked and furniture broken. Some politically inclined sympathisers of the students instead of condemning the vandalism let loose by these agitating students, condemned lathi charge by police on "peace loving innocent students".

The basis for the present strike is that some students demand open choice in exams. Earlier, the college students took to streets on the issue of irregular admission of some students of an unrecognised college in Kashmir to Jammu Medical College.

The Jammu university authorities have been emphatically warning that granting of "Open Choice" for the fourth consecutive year might lead to degrading the university by University Grants Commission, non-recognition of its degrees by Institutions outside the J&K State and even cancellation of session due to non-delivering of requisite number of lecturers as per norms. But these arguments also have not made the erring students to see reasons.

The whole matter needs to be studied in depth. First, the irregular admission case of Kashmir student. Why did the politicians fighting for the betterment of Jammu (at least in their respective manifestos) did not handle the issue themselves?

Why were students of colleges not even remotedly connected with the issue plunged into the issue? Why did the intellectuals, the prominent citizen not take up the issue themselves? Why are students of colleges always pushed into strikes ? Obviously, each one in Jammu is busy in following one's own programme - rather single point programmes i.e. to get licenses, liquour vends, commercial plots, etc. etc. It is these selfish motives which has made Jammu politicians to keep students busy with strikes and grind their own axes.

The Plans for seeking "Open Choice" are made well in advance and filmsy ground are looked for and taken as basis for starting the agitation. The present irregular admission strike by unconnected college students was a prelude to the actual strike which these students had in mind for "Open Choice". The Jammu students need to understand that the strike may bring results to wards of business men, politicians, it will ruin the future of intelligent, hardworking students. They need to take a clue from Kashmir students, who despite all odds, keep their colleges open.

The politicians, well wishers of Jammu whose hearts bleed for betterment of Jammu need to leave students to the care of Academicians, Educationalists alone and stop interfering in atleast academic issue. Enough damage has been done to Jammu, it is better we mend ourselves before we end. Economic progress at the cost of ethics, morality, culture education, will lead us no where and is an indication of political imaturity.

The parents of students have also to contribute. Let us be responsible for the actions and betterment of our children, or negligence will prove counter productive and deterimental to our future.