Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 1: Former MLC and a well known scholar and academician M Y Teng extended full support to the Kashmiri Pandits demand for passage of the Hindu Shrines and Religious Places Bill.
Addressing a function organized by J&K Academy of Art and Culture here today in connection with 24th Martyrdom Day of veteran writer, poet and philosopher Sarwanand Kaul Premi who along with his son Verinder were martyred on this day in 1990, Mr Teng said the religious shrines of KPs in Valley are age old heritage centers which represent the rich ancient culture of Kashmir.
Mr Teng said that formation of Shrine Board was the need of the hour and those who are creating the impediments in the passage of the Bill should know how much development has been made and revenue generated after the formation of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in late eighties.
Mr Teng said that there are many shrines in Kashmir where pooja is not being performed at present after turmoil but this does not mean that they have lost their religious significance as they continue to be the heritage centres.
He said Matan and Wangat in Kashmir have ancient Hindu shrines which reflect that Kashmir was one of the ancient Indian civilization. He said the Pandits should not feel alone in their struggle for shrines Bill and many Muslims support them in this regard.
On the script issue for Kashmiri language he urged the people of both communities to give a thought to adoption of a new script for writing Kashmiri which is universally applicable. In the present world only language can survive which has a strong literature, he added.
“As the present scripts Nastaliq and Devnagri are outdated and have no link with internet so I had suggested last year that Roman script be adopted for Kashmiri language’’, he said.
He said this script is linked with internet and you can have contact with any part of the globe with this script. Roman script will be in larger interests of Kashmiri language, he added.
Earlier Mr Teng paid rich tributes to Premi Ji and highlighted his contribution to Kashmiri language and literature. He said Premi Ji was a progressive scholar who was more popular among the Muslim brethren of his area.
On the occasion paper was read on the life of Mr Premi by Soom Nath Veer a well known poet and writer. While Prof R L Shant and Dr R L Bhat also gave lectures on the late writer and highlighted his contributions.
The welcome address was read by Rajinder Premi’s son of late writer while stage was managed by P N Pandita.
On the occasion Dr A N Pandita chairman Pt Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust, K K Khosa, president K P Sabha, Jammu and Pran Nath Pandita president Prem Sangeet Niketan were felicitated. Iqbal Kaul and his party sung a Leela of Late poet on the occasion.
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