Roots and Reflections - Exploring Ideas, Experiences and Wisdom

      (Photo of Famous Kashmiri Poet Arjan                                  Dev Majboor)  (Family Photograph of Kashmiri Poet Arjan                            Dev Majboor)  Arjan Dev Majboor was a scholar, teacher, humanist and above all a poet of repute. He was famous in literary and linguistic circles and with hard work and concentration as well as by his poetry, he created an exalted position in J&K’s literary circles. Majboor Saheb was a villager, simple, honest, punctual, hard-working and down-to-earth man. He was well educated and qualified. He was MA Hindi and BT and he wrote poetry in Hindi, Urdu and Kashmiri. Arjan Dev has also penned down several books. Pt. Arjan Dev Majboor was a well known poet and educationist and was born on 16th of August 1924 at Zanapora, district Pulwama Kashmir. For over ...

  The 24th of August 2026 was the fourth and the last Monday of the most Sacred Hindu Calendar month of Sawan or Shrawan which is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva also known by several names such as Shiv Shankar, Mahadev, Bole Nath, Nilkant and is the Lord of destruction and is also called Ashtoush because of his characteristic of being easily pleased on the devotees on little worship. So I choose that day for penning down few lines on the great divine personality Lt. Shree Mahadev Pandit and a household saint of the 20th century Kashmir. It is not so easy to write the profile of such a saint whose life and thinking are as broad as wide as a sea. However, I am trying to pen down few lines on the life of the saint, simple, straightforward man who was orthodox, conservative but still pragmatic. At the outset it can be said that his life, thoughts and other aspects of his spiritual and Yogic life cannot be penned down in few lines as it will be unfair with his divine and do...

                 (Image Courtesy: Internet) Kashmir is the land of saints, seers, faquirs, godly men and has been the place where there are shrines, mosques, temples and Gurudwras in plenitude. It has been a place where religion and spirituality flourished from time to time. The people of Kashmir are mostly of religious bent of mind and there have been the shrines housing saints and Faquirs. One of the reputed and famous shrines is Syed Simaan in Kulgam and it is said that the name Kulgam has been invented and given by Syed Simnan and before this name Kulgam was known as Shampora. Syed Simnani came from place known as Simnan in Iran and Syed Simnan came to Kashmir along with many Syeds who came with the arrival of world famous saint Shah Hamdan who is credited with the spread of Islam in Kashmir. Syed Simnan was an 6th century sufi saint who blended Islamic tenets with, sufi traditions and it was he who emphasized the unity of man and gave st...

Swami Laxman Joo was a great scholar of Shaivism and a mystic saint of imminence and repute. He was a household name in Jammu and Kashmir and even the late Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi used to visit this saint for seeking his blessings.Swami Laxman Joo was born on 9 May 1907 and his original name was Laxman Raina.His followers call him Lal Sahib. He was born in Srinagar. This saint of repute passed away on 27 September 1991 at the age of 84 years. His Ashrams are spreads at several places across the country and here at Jammu his Ashram is situated at Mohinder Nagar near Canal Road Jammu and his followers frequently visit his Ashram and on his birth anniversary and death anniversary Yagya is solemnised and a large number of people take part in the Yagya and partake prasad. The original Ashram of Swami Laxman Joo is situated at Ishber Nishat Srinagar Kashmir. He was born in a Kashmiri Hindu Brahmin family in Srinagar city in Kashmir. His mothers name was Arnymali Raina. It is said t...

Moti Lal Kemmu was born in Fateh Kadal, Srinagar, in 1933, and he started dancing at a very young age. He used to say, "Dancing came to me naturally." As a result of his love for dance, he was introduced to a stage very early on, where he first performed as a dancer and then eventually earned small acting roles. He cites Gopi Nath from Anantnag (also known as "Gopi Bache") as an inspirational figure for him during his childhood. At that time, Parsi Theatre was involved in the productions and performances of the local theatre. Kaziran drama (Folk Drama of Kashmir) beautiful traditional & cultural based genres of drama. Akanandan (Tarachand Bismil) produces the predominant performances of the Parsi Theatre. In 1953, there was a significant movement in Kashmir called the "Cultural Congress." Even though he was very interested in painting, many of the young people in Kashmir were also interested in Dance and Drama. Therefore, after completing his undergrad...

Maharaja Pratap Singh ruled the state of Jammu and Kashmir and belonged to the prominent Jamwal Rajput clan. Krishna Joo Razdan came from a very modest family in a small community of Kashmir, and grew up as a Kashmiri Brahmin. They were united only by their birth year of 1850, although Pratap Singh was born in Reasi and Razdan was born in Vanpoh. One of the points that connect them is that for both of them, 1948 is seen by some people as their "true birth." One was a wise and benevolent king who had a strong commitment to social reform and economic development in his state; the other was an ordinary villager whose poetry demonstrated his great intelligence and spirituality. The manner in which these two men were brought together in close collaboration and became instant admirers of each other can only be attributed to fortune. Krishna Joo Razdan, an eminent saint-poet hailing from Kashmir, entered into matrimony with the distinguished Kaul lineage of Vessu. Vessu is a hamlet ...

                        (Image Source: Internet)  Prem Nath Shastri Ji: Visionary Reformer and Pillar of the Kashmiri Pandit Community:  Prem Nath Shastri, commonly known as Shastri Ji never requires any sort of introduction as he has done extensive amounts of work for the KP community at large. He was short in stature, a positive person who was obviously very talented and skilled in many different areas, and had a very friendly and open face. Shastri Ji was born into a family that has been highly influential in the astrological field and he has made a significant difference in how people view Kashmiri Pandits and how they embrace a more practical approach to life and the rules associated with this way of living. Shastri Ji started out with little, but through hard work and his dedication to helping others, he developed a solid position among the many other great men in society today and has rightfully been labelled a...

Kashmir has produced a galaxy of sufi poets, iconic mystics and spiritual saints, who were very affectionate towards the society and  rendered a meritorious service to the Kashmiri language and literature. Kashmiri sufi poets voiced for brotherhood, peace and prosperity. One of such great sufi poet was Samad Mir. Sammad Mir was born at Narwara Srinagar in the year 1894 and he died in the year 1959.  Samad Mir is viewed as one of the most distinguished poets in Kashmir, and his poetry continues to resonate with the cultural and spiritual lineage of the valley. Born into poverty, he achieved public embrace and recognition through his connection to the masses and his command of traditional forms of Kashmiri poetry. His poetry combined themes of mysticism, folklore and human values, reflecting both the beauty of Kashmir's landscape and the suffering of its people. His philosophical and spiritual poetry continues to be celebrated for lyrical richness and depth, and he remains an in...

                          Photo Source: Internet  In an era where technology is advancing at unprecedented pace and materialism is growing increasingly prevalent, there is a hunger for voices that speak to the soul - voices that are transmitting ageless wisdom, but expressed in our contemporary language. Among such voices is Premanand Ji Maharaj who is emerging as a venerated saint, and spiritual guru; and who resonates with millions of people in India, and around the world. His teachings, which literature on Bhakti Yoga and the path of divine love, naturally resonate with seekers from all backgrounds, marking him as one of the significant spiritual figures of modernity. Born in a small Indian village, Premanand Ji Maharaj has been spiritual in nature from a young age. In fact, as a child, he had greater interest in devotional songs, stories of saints, and temple activities than on worldly distractions. Unlike several...

                                             I pay my homage and tribute to Sarvanand Koul Premi on his 35th death anniversary on 1st May 2025 (Thursday) and I am short of words to describe him and his contribution to secularism, pluralism, progressivism, social reform, Hindu-Muslim unity, mutual brotherhood and what not? Premi’s was a multifaceted personality and it cannot be penned down in a small space in paper. Sarwanand Koul Premi, Son of Gopi Nath Koul–the first matriculate in his village and Omarvati Koul, was born in a farming family of Anantnag district in the year 1924. Premi was a renowned freedom fighter, a philanthropist, literateur and what not? Premi had good knowledge and proficiency in Hindi, Urdu, Kashmiri, Sanskrit, Persian, English etc and wrote with ease in all these languages. Sarvanand was a great teacher, educationist, poet, reformer, doyen of Hindu-...

                      Today marks Magh Shukla Paksha Dashmi, the Janam Jayanti of Swami Boetoth ji Maharaj. Kashmir, known as the land of saints, is home to Mata Kheer Bhawani Tikker in Kupwara, a hub for numerous saints who dedicated their lives to Sadhana and attained Moksha. Swami Boetoth ji Maharaj was a revered saint who was born in 1906 on this auspicious day. It is said that Swami ji was a disciple of Swami Nand Lal ji Maharaj and a devoted follower of Maa RAGINYA Baghwati. The early life of Swami Boetoth ji Maharaj was closely linked with that of Swami Nand Lal ji Maharaj because they were both classmates as well as neighbors in Gurgari Mohalla, Srinagar. However, their paths took different directions when Swami Nand Lal ji Maharaj left school to pursue a life of Sainthood, while Swami Boetoth ji Maharaj experienced his spiritual awakening later, after completing his education and becoming a civil engineer during Maharaja Ha...

According to the ‘Neelmat-Purana’, the Kashmir valley, referred to as ‘Sharda Bhoomi’, represents ‘Poorn-Prakriti’ (whole Nature). This valley has been the birthplace of countless saints throughout history, including the notable Mirza Pandit, who emerged on the surface of ‘Sharda Bhoomi’ on the 1st lunar day of the month of ‘Posh’ in 1801 Bikrami, which corresponds to the year 1744 A.D. Born a Brahmin, Mirza Pandit was a follower of ‘Sanatan Dharma’. The term ‘Sanatan’ signifies ‘Anadi’ (without beginning) and ‘Anantha’ (endless), representing that which is eternal and everlasting. ‘Dharma’, as defined by the ‘Vedas’, refers to the principles of reality that are intrinsic to the nature and design of the universe. ‘Sanatan Dharma’ employs ‘yoga’ as a means to achieve ‘Moksha’ (Salvation). The Vedanta philosophy posits that appearances are illusory and that the only true reality is what lies beyond these illusions, known as ‘Brahman’. The existence of these illusions is attributed to ‘Ma...