Roots and Reflections - Exploring Ideas, Experiences and Wisdom

              (Image source: Internet)  Background:   Kashmir had given birth to many great saints, seers, poets. poetesses who have excelled in their sainthood and poetic greatness respectively. One of such great poetess and ascetic was a kashmiri Muslim women known as Habba Khatoon also famous as the nightingale of Kashmir. She has got an important place in Kashmiri culture and language. She had and continues to mesmerise Kashmiris by her melodious and sweet voice and her poetry is even today on the tongue of the elders Kshmiris both Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims. Habba Khatoon has enriched Kashmiri language, poetry and culture by her poetic and mystic contributions. She was 16th century poetess and ascetic and has greatly influenced Kashmiri language and culture by her poetry and she has carved her name in the then culture fabric of Kashmir and her sweet voice and style of singing is a feast to human mind. Her poetry is based on th...

                    Samad Mir: The mystic voice of Kashmir:                            Samad Mir was a great sufi saint and poet of repute of Kashmir. He was the mystic and poet of Kashmir of the 19th century and his name figures a top among poets and sufi saints of Kashmir. His name is taken by the people of Kashmir with reverence and respect. He has written his poetry in the mother tongue Kashmiri despite the fact that Persian  was at its peak in those good olden days. His poetry being in Kashmiri was understood by the Kashmiris and this also made Samad Mir a very popular poet and saint. Samad Mir has an  important place in Kashmiri literature and language as one of the finest sufi poets to whose credit goes the depth and dignity of Sufi poetry in Kashmiri language and verses. He lived a very simple life and was deeply immersed in the spiritual traditions o...

Kandur: The Traditional Bread Maker of Kashmir A kashmiri Kandur is a conventional bread maker who bakes various variety of breads in a clay tandoor oven. There is an intrinsic connection between Kandur and Kashmiri culture. Kandurs are spread throughout the length and breadth of the valley. They make use  clay tandoor and burn fire of woods to bake variety of breads. The shops of Kandur are called Kandurwan. The kandurwans are not only just the shops which sell variety of breads but it is social place where people assemble and discuss current news and social issues. It can be said to be a social place for gossips and conversations as well as interactions. There is a great cultural significance of Kandru’s in kashmiri culture and identity. Kashmiris start their day by morning tea especially none chai with which they eat Lavas, Girda, Teelworu etc. With the militancy and migration of the Kashmiri Pandits to Jammu and other places, the Kashmiri Kandur-the bread makers have also set u...

Early Life of Riche Ded:  Riche Ded was born in Srinagar in 1880. She lived an disciplined life giving little importance to material things. The name Riche Ded means "Noble Lady" and Riche Ded lived as if this name was true. Riche Ded’s spirituality and poetry were compared to those of Lal Ded, a mystic from the century. Riche Ded had her own voice and her own special pain. While Lal Ded’s poems were passed down orally. Riche Ded’s poems stayed hidden for years. People saw Riche Ded as a devout woman. Many believed Riche Ded had healing powers. Yet what made Riche Ded special was her kindness. Riche Ded helped people of all religions and backgrounds. She did not make and see any difference. Riche Ded showed a way of peace and tolerance. Riche Ded never used anger or fights. Riche Ded’s life was about service and harmony. Riche Ded’s Life After Loss and the Spinning Wheel Riche Ded’s life had moments. Her husband, Janardhan Kaul "Sagar" was a learned man. He spoke Ur...

                  (Image Source: Internet)  Dina Nath Koul Nadim: A Pioneer of Modern Kashmiri Poetry Kashmir has no dearth of men and poets of fame. Dina Nath Koul Nadim was one of the great poets of 20th century. His name stands written in the history of progressive poets as he was an outstanding poet of progressive movement and was immensely influenced by the life,poetry and works of greatest poet Mahjoor. Nadim was born on 18th March 1916 in Srinagar city. It is no exaggeration to state that with him began an era of modern poetry. He was a famous poet of Kashmir and all Kashmiris' regarded and respected him & his poetry reverberates even today in Kashmir. Nadim Saheb led the progressive writers movement in Kashmir and his name is etched in the memory of Kashmiris progressive fraternity and he was famous in the literary circles of Kashmir. Being a down-to-earth man he initially began writing poetry in Urdu and Hindi language but l...

      (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 ...

Pt. Prem Nath Dogra is a famous political and social leader of Jammu and Kashmir. Dogra Shaib was a true nationalist and a great patriot and his contribution in founding and launching the agitation under the banner of Prja Parshad cannot be exaggerated. This movement was the apt reply to the forces inimical to the countries unity, integrity and above all nationalism. Prem Nath Dogra had a humble beginning and he was born in a humble family of Brahmins in village Smailpur some twenty kms from Jammu. He was born on 24th October 1884. Panditjee completed his basic education in his village and passed matriculation in 1904 from Lahore. He also did graduation and was appointed as Tehsildar at Akhnoor by the then British government. In 1910 Pt. Jee was posted at Udhampur as Assistant settlement officer. Later on he was deputed to Jammu with the powers of Munsiff. In 1931 Pandit jee was appointed as Wazir Wazar-e-Wazarat at Muzafarabad, where he became very popular among the people. Due to the...

  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...