In recent times Kashmir is discussed, debated in television, newspapers and in drawing room conversations. This is also a topic that engages my nonagenarian father.
My father was posted to Srinagar in the mid-seventies. His friends and relatives jokingly said that he was heading to Si Naraka (hell). However, my dad maintains that it was one of his best postings. I would like to add a caveat that he escaped the harsh winters as the government shifted to Jammu.
He still has vivid memories of the enthusiasm and expectation of the locals when Sheikh Abdullah was sworn in as the chief minister. Locals revered him as Sher-e-Kashmir. My dad tends to share vignettes of his meetings with this towering personality.
My father recalls that when he made his first courtesy call on Sheikh Sahib, he enquired why his office had more Kashmiri Pundits than Muslims. My dad replied that the Kashmiri Muslims were talented craftsmen while historically the pundits were inclined to administrative work. Apparently, it struck a chord with Sheikh sahib and he never referred to the issue again.
In the seventies, the spirit of kashmirayat swept the valley state. There was lot of camaraderie amongst the Muslims and Pundits. The local politicians went out of the way to make my father comfortable by conversing in English while dealing with him officially. Forget Urdu! My father’s knowledge of Hindi was rudimentary having studied in then Madras. He has lot of anecdotes about his staff who went the extra mile to make his posting comfortable.
During my dad’s stint, the Governor of J&K was Mr L K Jha. His wife was a devotee of Ramakrishna ashram and had invited the well-known Monk Swami Ranganathandaji to deliver a series of lectures.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Sheikh Abdullah and begum Abdullah attended a couple of the lectures. In today’s scenario, I can’t imagine any of the politicians of Kashmir doing the same.
All good things come to an end. So when my father was transferred out of Kashmir he took leave of Sheikh Sahib and informed him that his successor is a Hyderabadi Muslim who in his spare time is an Urdu poet.
My father cherishes the words of Sheikh Sahib, who said 'lack of Urdu knowledge never came in the way of our relationship’. In his twilight years my father looks at the state of Kashmir today and wonders what went so drastically wrong.