Prof. A. N. Sadhu
In the recent years there have been attempts made to establish that Kashmir has been a separate country and it has had no link with the mainland India. Efforts have been made to distort historical accounts by giving wrong and subjective interpretations to historical facts. The recent addition made to these distortions appeared some days back- in the some newspaper and a copy of the same was sent to me by a friend – quotes UN, showing Kashmir as a separate country. This itself is erroneous. It is one of the research units who have referred to Kashmir for its study relating to society.
The author has vainly tried to prove it by resorting to unscientific interpretations of Greek, Chinese and Arabic historical accounts. He has also very improperly referred to rich Sanskrit literature for not having covered the geographic expanse of Kashmir.The author should know that the whole subcontinent was India right from ancient times and Kashmir has always been a part of this sub-continent. Describing Kashmir as separate country is not only illogical but also a vain exercise to prove something that never existed.
However , the credit should be given to the author for having accepted that Kashmir was 100% hindu right from ancient times and it is only muslim invaders who converted 98% of hindu population into muslims by coercive methods. That ‘shaiva’ philosophy is different from several other Hindu religious philosophy does not amount to saying that it does not belong to hindu religion which has been followed in mainland India. Hindu religion is a rich philosophy with very wide scope and different variants of this philosophy have developed over time and all these are linked with philosophy of Vedanta. Infact it should reinforce the historical fact of Kashmir being a part of the hindu mainland called Bharat or Hindustan. Reading between the lines to suit a particular design or a frame of mind does not lend any authentic inter- pretation to history. History will always be viewed objectively even when some historians intentionally add subjective records to it for ulterior motives.
The UN research unit showing Kashmir distinctly in the world map can not by any stretch of imagination be taken as indicative of being a separate country. Research wings follow the studies for their set objectives not necessarily geopolitical or UN- defined geographic territories. There have been small independently administered geographic territories all over the world and depending upon the evolution of the world societies some adjustments either on administrative or on political grounds have been taking place. That does not change either the geography or cultural heritage of a place or people. The Indian subcontinent always constituted a single independent country including Afghanistan and some parts of central Asia and Kashmir has always been in it which is amply borne out by the history of the region
I am not a historian and cannot claim any authority to interpret or re-interpret the historical facts or records but I can very humbly claim my independence to view history and its recording in a rational manner. Geography can not be used as a synonymous expression of a political map. Ptolemy’s geography showing Kashmir as a much bigger territory than what it is now or the references made to Bassarika, Alburuni, Herodotus do not, in any way indicate that Kashmir was not a part of India. A vast country like India is a home of people with diverse features even now and it cannot, in any way, be interpreted that all these heterogeneous territories constitute independent countries. Similar references to Huentsang,Greeks and others do not point out to Kashmir as a separate country even when they distinctly record its unique environment and the physical and biological features of its people .
Sanskrit literature is full of rich accounts of religious and social philosophy of Kashmir with ample references to the administrative and political acumen of its administrators and politicians. Sanskrit litterateurs never had any doubts on geographic identifications of Kashmir as a part of mainland India and therefore they must not have found it necessary to talk of its geography. Lamenting on their not talking of Kashmir geography is improper. Alluding the inference of UN in support of the author’s personal view is equally improper and out stretching.
Kashmir is an integral part of India., it has always been like that and it will remain like that. The history of Kashmir is 5000 years old. The need of the hour is that the concerned group of citizens comprising of the rational thinkers from all walks of life should join hands to revive the grandeur of Kashmir and let it march forward on path of growth and peace.
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