Preface

Pandit Kasliyap Bandhu has been one of the greatest leaders Kashmiri Pandit community has produced in Kashmir.  The pages of this KASHYAP BANDHU CENTENARY NUMBER, will reveal his rare contributions, as an outstanding journalist, social reformer and political leader of Kashmir, which deserve to be recorded in the historv of Kashmir and Kashmirl Pandits in golden letters.  Since Social Reform movement in Kashmir was started by him, it was considered necessary to have a theme for this publication related to Kashmiri Pandit Reformation - a subject which was very dear to Bandhuji and for which he had thought till the last day, of his life.  For the last six hundred years Kashmiri Pandit community has been passing, peroidiocally, through great turmoils causing considerably their death, destruction, conversions and diaspora from their motherland. During the last decade things have become worse and traumatic with Kashmiri Pandits, resulting in their ethnic cleansing from Kashmir.Havnig suffered various diaspora, this community has got scattered almost through the length and breadth of India and also abroad.  With a view to making this Number Purposeful for Kashmiri Pandits scattered globally, it was considered desirable to bring out a KASHYAP BANDHU NUMBER which would discuss the Reformation movement as started by him in Kashmir relevant to all the members of this community scattered globally.  The purpose also being to present some models of movements and thought processes as were experienced by them at different global locations to preserve their identity and uphold the spirit of excellence.  Having been deprived of their mother land, there is a genuine concern in the community whether the Kashmiri culture and tradition will at all survive.  Therefore it was all the more reasonable and necessary to invite articles giving the models of cultural trends and practices followed by those who migrated from Kashmir centuries back and lived in far flung locations, quite isolated from Kashmir.  Such studies would enable us to draw lessons and give some optimism and hope as regards out identity preservation.  This, under present conditions, has otherwise raised a question mark and therefore, requires thoughtful and well conceived efforts and also direction for being safeguarded, As such, whilst offering our heartfelt homage to Kashyap Bandhu Ji, this publication is brought out with a befitting theme, "Kashmiri Pandit Reformation  and Global Diaspora" after a considerable thought.

Having decided on this theme for this proposed publication, all efforts were made to search for necessary information about Pt.Kashyap Bandhu's life and achievements, about Kashmiri Pandits who have settled in various parts of India and those who are presently settled abroad.  Though initially there was scanty response to our requests for desired information but with persistent efforts, it was possible to source and receive a treasure of information particularly related to Pt.Kashyap Bandhu and we have considered it necessary to include most of this information even at the risk of somes repetition and being "me too" or even contradictory.  With the sudden exodus from Kashmir most of the records have become unaccessible or destroyed and there is a great need for collecting and documenting all available information about our past and about the persons who have been instrumental for the preservation of our identity and excellence.  Kashmir Sabha Calcutta has made a beginning in this connection by documenting whatever information became available about the tallest amongst our community leaders in Kashmir, coincidentally on the occasion of his birth centenary.  This requires to be continued and also followed up by the other Kashmiri Pandit organizations in other places.  We have approached a broad spectrum of opinion makers, political analysts, journalists, academicians and leaders of our community having different political views and have searched most of the relevant details about Bandhu ji as available in such repositories of records as National Library and Asiatic Society of Calcutta etc.  We have tried to get different and diverse opinion from different sources so as to give a complete picture as transparently as possible.  In this connection it is necessary to mention that the responsibility for the exactness of the information lies with the authors only.

Pt. Kashyap Bandhu had a special admiration for Kashmir Sabha, Calcutta and records reveal that his last communication from his death bed some hours before his demise was to give a message to Calcutta Sabha, which now stands memorable as his last letter, communicated by him.  It was related to our Vitasta Annual 1985 - the Martand Number - which was consecrated to his memory at that time.  We have considered it necessary to reproduce from this Number this memorable letter also some articles related to "Martand" with which he was emotionally connected as its first editor.

Whilst we had a very good response from our brethren in various locations in India who have migrated from Kashmir centuries back as a result of earlier diaspora, we feel concerned regretfully that despite our best efforts the response from abroad was not up to our expectations.  However, we are thankful to Dr. Lalit Wanchoo, President KOA, USA for his valuable contribution drawing attention of our community members to changing scenario of information technology and communication and how they are making use of this for preserving our identity abroad.  We are thankful to former President of KOA, England, Dr. G.L. Bhan for giving his views related to the challenges of present diaspora.  It is gratifying and heartening that we had a great response from our students, some of them still brats in schools abroad, who sent us their contributions.  It was surprising that many of them are expressing their feelings, nostalgia and reactions to contemporary happenings in verse which is in agreement with the assumption that poetry is in Kashmiri Pandit genes and no matter wherever diaspora has taken them they are revealing inclination, aptitude and excellence in poetry.  We have taken pleasure in including whatever contributions we received from our children abroad.

It does not require to be emphasized that such publications involve a stupendous resource of efforts, ideas, time, specialised skills of professional nature and enormous finances.  We confess we are not professional journalists and are constrained on account of inadequate infrastructure.  As such we seek the indulgence of our readers for all the sins of omissions and commissions which, under such circumstances, are perhaps unavoidable.

We extend our heartfelt acknowledgements to the authors of papers presented in this publication, valuable cooperation provided at the preparatory stages by Dr. Rajiv Bhat, Mr. Vibavisu Kaul (son of Pt.  Kashyap Bandhu) who gave us photographs and a file of Desh together with various diaries for our perusal and future use, Dr. R.K. Taimiri, Mr. T.N. Khosa (President Of Kashmiri Pandit Sabha, Jammu) Col Sahni and Prof.  K.N. Pandita from Jammu and Dr. B.N. Sharga (Sr.  Vice President, AIKS) of Lucknow.  We are thankful to Kashmir Sabha, Calcutta for providing financial resource, to Jst.  Conveners, Shri M.K. Ogra and Shri P.L. Sapru for organising finances, to Kashmir Sabha President, Shri U.Kaul, and its Executive Committee members for their encouragement and help in bringing out this publication.  We are thankful to advertisers for their valuable support.

This publication is the outcome of team work carried out by our untiring editors, Shri Rajiv Sapru for English section without whose dedicated efforts this voluminous publication would not have seen, on time, the light of the day and Smt Niva Kaul, assisted by Smt Pratibha Moza for Devnagri section.  We hope our readers will find this publication purposeful and up to the efforts that have gone in bringing it out.  We will fell encouraged to receive the valuable comments.

Dr. B.K. Moza

April 2000
Calcutta

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