My Reminiscences of the Martand

Shri A. N. Fotedar, Jammu

"How I wish I were to forget half the
things I remember; and remember
half the things that I have forgotten".

How and in what manner the name of the most important archaeological monument, the temple of Martand, situated at Mattan plateau about 1.6 Kms from the famous Mattan springs and dedicated to Vishnu-Surya, built during the reign of the most illustrious king of Kashmir, Lalitaditya Muktapida (8th- century AD) came to be given to the paper, was not known to me.  Only recently did the late Pt.  Kashyap Bandhu reveal that it was suggested to him by the Late Pt.  Gwasha Lal Koul, the veteran journalist of his time.  All the same it looks quite obvious that the name "Martand", in relation both to the magnificent edifice and its illustrious builder, Lalitaditya Muktapida, represented the noblest and the mightiest, respectively, that Kashmir has witnessed in its long history.  Figuratively too the word "Martand", meaning the Sun God, would also imply lighting up, so to say, the dark and bleak areas of social, cultural and political scenario then prevailing in Kashmir.  The latter state of affairs was a resultant of long years of chaos, rapine, social and religious persecution that the people generally and especially those who became a minority in the course of history, had suffered all these years.  It would be presumptuous on my part to dwell any further on this subject as I am not competent to do so. However, a number of books have come to be written on the subject; but quite a few of these have dealt with this crucial period in the history of Kashmir rather subjectively.  It has naturally made the task of assessment of the historical aftermath of the events preceding and following the events of the fateful year 1931 rather difficult for the younger and future generations to come.

Reverting back to the subject of the Martand, my impression of its birth and its heydays during 1930s and early 1940s, is both vague and vivid at the same time.  How and, in what manner, it took its birth is rather vague ; whatever I remember at this stage is based on what I came to learn second hand, from elders long after the fateful events.  But I have vivid recollection of what tremendous impact it had on socio-political scene and the people, especially the minority community, and the politics of the State, I recollect that when the late Pt.  Kashyap Bandhu, broke like a tornado on the then suspense-laiden desolate socio-political scene of Kashmir in 1931, it had an electrifying effect on the entire scene inasmuch as the leaderless minority Kashmiri Pandit community got a shot in the arm and it awoke from its long slumber of inaction and resignation to the whims and caprices of the oppressive and, even the so-called tolerant, rulers whose benevolence had only benefited a few families.

Watever be the causes of the minority community's backlash in 1931, besides the immediate happenings of July of the same year, the enthusiasm and the total involvement of the community was to be seen to be believed.  The few people whom I remember to be among the top leaders and organizers of the movement after the formation of the Sanatan Dharam Yuvak Sabha, besides Pt.  Kashyap Bandhu, were the late Pt.  Premnath Bazaz, late Pt.  Sheo Narian Fotidar, late Pt. Jia lal Killam, Pt.  Damodhar Bhatt Hanjoora was my contemporary at Lahore while he was doing his LL. B. in mid 1930s and I recall that the late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah spent a night or two with Pt.  Damodhar Bhatt and we all were hard put to find an extra long charpoy to enable him sleep comfortably.

While on this subject I recall that the late Sheikh was  donning Khaddar. It was an unusual phenomenon for a President of the J & K Muslim Conference, a body not identified with the Gandhian ideology or even going along the national mainstream to be so attired. It was for the first time that I saw him face to face. The conversation that he had during his stay with us
and his being attired in spotless white Khaddar, made a lasting impression on my immature and young but impressionable mind.  I could hardly believe all that I had learnt about him and his movement from responsible persons prior to this meeting. From an alleged rank communalist he became to me, an upright, secular and a person with a broad outlook on all matters, including religion.  I carried this impression for a long time.

Reverting back to the subject of this article, the leadership of the Sabha appeared to all of us young boys and youngmen to be above board in every respect and even above suspicion like Caesar's wife.  They drew large crowds wherever they were slated to speak, whether it be Shitalnath grounds or any place in the rural area.  I recollect that the main theme of the speeches was social reform, especially in marriages, widow remarriage, change in the shabby and cumbersome unbecoming dress of the Kashmiri Pandit ladies and emphasising the urgent, and even desperate need of welding the community into an united and effective minority.  In this process, the daily Martand started in the same year with the late Pt.  Kashyap Bandhu as its founder Editor played the most important and effective role.

I recall that there was hardly a Kashmiri Pandit house where this paper could not be found.  It was printed and published from the Shitalnath headquarters of the Sabha.  I remember that a spastic young village boy was the runner who delivered this paper to our house.  I believe that as Urdu was the most commonly understood language even in the villages, the policy makers of the Sabha had rightly adopted it as the language for this paper.  The choice of the late Kashyap Bandhu as its Editor was the best, as he not only had wide journalistic experience by having been a regular contributor to the Pratap and Akhbari Aam of Lahore, but he had also worked as the Editor of the prestigious "Arya Gazette".  He wielded a facile and a powerful pen : the editorials and other features by him in the Martand were not easily understood by we youngsters as they were written in high-flown language and were usually sarcastic and satirical in dealing with the social.and political matters of the day.

Most of these were discussed in family and other groups when even youngsters got opportunity to understand and appreciate, their message and import.  Apart from the editorials and a round-up of news, the two features which I vividly remember were -Pagal ki Diary and Chalant.

After some years, the editorship was taken over by Shri P.N. Kanna, who also wielded a facile and powerful pen.  In the same period the paper carried daily important national news which it received through wire-services from some News Agency.  Thus it no longer remained confined to carry local news only, but it also embarked on the process of becoming a national daily.  I believe that the Martand was perhaps the first daily newspaper to have been started in the State.

When I left home in 1935 for higher studies the paper continued to be well-circulated and liked for its contents and the variety of reading material that it provided.  I do, however, recollect that palpable cracks and fissures had started appearing in the erstwhile well-knit organisation and some of the leaders had started drifting away.  I am not competent even to attempt an analysis of the causes for this phenomenon nor is the present occasion an appropriate one to dilate on this subject.  My view at best would be those of an individual, but an impartial and a keen observer at that.  In conformity with the views of many such persons, these would show, how, unseemly actions of some men, having come to occupy responsible positions due to the trust and faith reposed in them by the people, could destroy even such organisations as S. D. Y. Sabha, which was well-founded and did remarkable work in its initial phases.

For whatever reasons the leadership of the Sabha fell out, it adversely affected the Martand in as much as both its quality, content and circulation dropped considerably.  Its management and finances were in shambles.  With regards to the latter, there were scandals galore, especially after the exit of most of the top leadership from the parent organisation.  In the course of subsequent years especially during the two decades after 1947, it almost became a one-man paper with hardly any literary content and only limited itself to project one or the other personality, who happened to be at the helm of affairs in the Sabha, which by then, was existing only in name.  Most of the intelligentsia had scrupulously kept aloof from this set up.

The later story of its ignominious end and cessation of publication and the clandestine disposal of its assets including the machinery, are too fresh and distasteful even to recollect.  It rebirth as an English weekly under the same name is too recent to write about.  I have followed this newspaper right from its birth a few years ago.  But after getting thoroughly disillusioned with its content and politics.  I regretfully had to discontinue being a subscriber.  From its very inception this reborn Martand has suffered from the same ills and lack of proper, dedicated, united and disciplined leadership and the cadres.  These very things had been the bane of its illustrious predecessor.  I am second to none, and with whom it is almost an article, of faith, in holding that we need a strong and well-knit, organisation of dedicated people with a broad outlook on matters affecting the wellbeing of the Kashmiris generally.  Its organ, appropriately named Martand should and must bring out in modem idiom, the greatness and the glory that is our common heritage, irrespective of our present-day caste, colour and creed.  This does not, by any manner or means, preclude the paper to ventilate the just and legitimate grievances of any people, especially the minority.  I strongly believe and hope that such an organization and its official organ Martand would surely have the support and backing of all the right thinking men, especially the Kashmiris, all over the country and even abroad.  However, change is inherent in all things and matters and organisations and their organs, are no exception.  Those, have to be adapted to meet the demands and challenges not only of the present day, but also those of the future.  The only unchanging and everlasting values are the integrity and selfless service of the men and women who come to be at the helm of affairs.  It has been proved, time and again, that men make and destroy organisations.  It is only the persons, with whom integrity and selfless service are a creed rather than  a matter of convenience, who build up time-tested and everlasting traditions for any organisation, be it religious, social or political or any combination of these.  I am confident that there is no dearth of such people in our society.

It would, I believe, be appropriate to conclude this short article with the following stanza from "The passing of Arthur" by Tennyson:

"The old order changeth, yielding place to new sAnd God fulfils himself in many ways, Lest one good custom should corrupt the world".

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