80 years of Freedom & 37 Yeas of KP Exile

                                                               

India’s Independence turned into 80th year and Kashmiri Pandits entered into 37th year of their exile, displacement and uprooted life from their ancestral native soil of Kashmir. India and Indian’s are proudly celebrating the 80th  year of independence. These 80 years are eventful and full of progress and achievements in various walks of life but at the same time one has on hesitation in saying and it is hundred percent true that all these 79 plus years were not free from shortcoming and pitfall. Radicalism, indoctrination, extremism, separatism, militancy, terrorism, adulteration, unemployment, rising prices of goods and services of daily use, reservations, several other problems and above all displacement of Kashmiri Pandits are the black spots on the face of free India and we must jointly fight to free our country from these and other vices and taste freedom in real sense. Exodes, displacement, uprooted life, dispossessed life and exiled life is the greatest tragedy of India. Mind displacement happened in independent India and not under British rule and foreign yoke. It is very unfortunate and disturbing that a highly patriotic, nationalistic ,disciplined and highly qualified KP community was rendered homeless and hearth -less in their own independent, democratic and secular country. Despite their displacement which entered in the 37th years ,their spirit, enthusiasm, fervour and fire of patriotism did not decline or diminish but assumed strength. It is no hearsay that KP’s became displaced because of their unconditional and total faith in India and for their nationalistic outlook which was and is eyesore for the enemies of the nation and so they were thrown out from their beloved and ancestral place leaving behind their movable and immovable properties and symbols and signs of their faith and religion-their temples, shrines and few educational institutions and their properties were burnt and usurped by anti-social elements. Gandhi, Nehru and hundreds of our freedom fighters will be uneasy in heaven on seeing a community  rendered homeless and propertyless in free Bharat and also on the vices afflicting India during these 79 plus years of self-rule and freedom. People of Jammu need to be commended and praised as they accommodate, gave shelter as well as stood with KP’s through thick and thin during all these years of displacement. Mind, 37 years is not a short time but a long time in the life of a community. In 37 years a community produces children. Educates, trains them, gets them married and the sons and daughters given birth to children and so 37 years matter much in the life of any community and so in the life of KP’s.

The title of this writeup "80 years of freedom & 37 years of KP’s exile’’ captures one of the deepest contradictions in the story of Independent India. India will complete 80 years of independence a August 2027, while mass displacement of Kashmiri Pandits began in 1989-90, meaning that by 2027 their exile will have lasted roughly 37 years and their displacement in their own independent country is the greatest tragedy of 21st century India. The two histories cannot be understood separately –one celebrates freedom from  colonial rule, while the other reminds us  that freedom and security have not been experienced equally by every Indian community.

1. 80 years of freedom but an unfinished promise for displaced citizens. India’s Independence in 1947 represented the triumph of freedom, democracy, and constitutional citizenship. The constitution subsequently promised equality, liberty, dignity, justice and fundamental rights to every citizen. Yet, the experience of the Kashmiri Pandits raises an uncomfortable question. Can a nation regard its freedom as complete when a community of its own citizens has spent decades away from its ancestral homeland? For the KP community, the idea of freedom is therefore accompanied by loss –loss of homes, neighbourhoods, temples, livelihoods, cultural spaces and above all, the security of belonging.

2. 37 years of exile: The exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s was driven by an atmosphere of terrorism, militancy, targeted killings, threats, intimidation, and fear. Large numbers left their homes under extraordinary difficult circumstances. What, began as an expectation of temporary displacement gradually became a prolonged exile. Three decades later, exile has acquired a new meaning. For the first generation ,it is remembered  through direct experience. For the second generation, it is remembered through parents and grandparents. For many younger, members of the community, Kashmir is simultaneously a real homeland and remembered homeland. That perhaps is tragedy of prolonged displacement -eventually, geography becomes memory.

3. Exile was not merely a change of address: The KP tragedy in free India should not be reduced simply to migration from one place to another. Home is much more than a building. It, includes ancestral property, neighbourhood relationships, temples and religious traditions, local language and customs, family histories, community institutions, memories of childhood, graves and sacred places, and emotional connection with the landscape. When community is separated  from this ecosystem  for decades ,the damage becomes social, cultural, and psychological  as well as economic.

4. The second tragedy -normalisation of exile: Perhaps the greatest danger today is normalisation. Thirty-seven years is an extraordinary long period. A child who left Kashmir in 1990 could now be approaching middle age. A person born in exile may have children of their own. This, creates a disturbing possibility-that temporary displacement gradually becomes as a permanent settlement. That, must not happen. A democratic society should never allow the passage of time to convert injustice into normalcy.

5. The question of return: Return cannot be simply telling displaced families to ‘’go back.’’ A meaningful return requires security, dignity, livelihood, housing, education, healthcare, connectivity, and social confidence and above all the feasible and conducive atmosphere that those who return will not have to again migrate. KP’s should have guarantee of non-happening of future displacement and for this reconciliation between KP’s and KM’s is a must requirement. The objective therefore should be safe, dignified and sustainable return and rehabilitation, wherever individual families choose to return. At the same time, those who have built lives elsewhere must not be made to feel that their identity depends upon physically returning to the valley.

6. The younger generation: The greatest challenge may actually concern the younger generation A young KP born outside Kashmir may know the valley through photographs, family stories, religious traditions and occasional visits. His, or her relationship with Kashmir can therefore become increasingly cultural rather than geographical. This, makes preservation of kashmiri language, literature, traditions, temples, festivals, cuisines, oral history and collective memory extremely important. The community’s heritage must survive regardless  of where its members live.

7. Justice & reconciliation: Return without justice can remain incomplete, justice without reconciliation can remain sterile. There must be a balanced approach: truth+ accountability+ security+ rehabilitation + reconciliation. The, suffering of KP’s must be acknowledged without turning the community’s pain into a permanent instrument of political hostility nor should their plight be marketed by the political parties. At the same time, reconciliation cannot mean forgetting. Reconciliation is not amnesia. A society heals by remembering honestly ,recognising suffering  and ensuring that history  does not repeat itself.

8. Kashmir’s pluralistic heritage:Kashmir had been syncretic and it had pluralistic culture. Communal harmony was the chief feature of this land and it is incumbent upon all Kashmiri’s to revive kashmiriyat and uphold composite culture and heritage of Kashmir and in this lies the good of all the communities. It should be recognised and appreciated that KP’s is an inseparable part and parcel of the composite cultural heritage of Kashmir. Therefore, the displacement of the community is not merely a KP issue .t is a question about Kashmir’s pluralistic identity.

9. What 80 years of Independence should mean: As India approaches its 80th year of independence, the KP experience offers a larger national lesson. Freedom must mean more than freedom from foreign rule. It must mean freedom from fear, want, forced displacement, discrimination, violence, and insecurity. The real test of constitutional democracy is not only how it celebrates its victories, but how it remembers and addresses the sufferings of its citizens.

10. From exile to empowerment: The story of the KP’s should not remain permanently confined to victimhood. The, community has demonstrated remarkable resilience. Despite displacement, it preserved education, professional achievement, cultural traditions and community institutions. The, next chapter should therefore move from exile to empowerment-from relief to rehabilitation, from displacement to dignity, and from memories of loss to a confident future.

The larger message - Eighty years of India’s freedom and 37 years of KP exile should not be placed in opposition, they should be brought together as a reminder of the unfinished work of freedom. India’s independence story is a story of enormous achievements, but KP experience reminds the nation that citizenship becomes meaningful only when every citizen can live with security, dignity, and sense of belonging. The ultimate goal should not be physical return of families. It should be restoration of confidence, dignity, cultural continuity, and equal citizenship. After 37 years, the Kashmiri Pandits question deserves neither political exploitation nor historical amnesia. It deserves serious national attention, humane rehabilitation, preservation of memory, and a credible  pathway towards a secure and dignified future. In short, passage of 37 years should make the wound older but it must never make the wound invisible.