Kashmir Aur Kashmiri Pandit: Basne Aur Bikharne Ke 1500 Saal by Ashok Kumar Pandey

 Kashmir Aur Kashmiri Pandit: Basne Aur Bikharne Ke 1500 Saal by Ashok Kumar Pandey

"Kashmir Aur Kashmiri Pandit: Basne Aur Bikharne Ke 1500 Saal" or "Kashmir and the Kashmiri Pandits: 1500 Years of Settlement and Dispersal", as Google translates it, is a Hindi book by well-known Marxist poet and historian Ashok Kumar Pandey. This is Pandey's second book on Kashmiri history and specifically focuses on the Pandit community's place in it. It covers the entire history of Kashmir from origin to Article 370 abrogation, and focuses on how the KPs have fared in different periods of history. The book is a scholarly enquiry into the sociological reasons for this terrible tragedy, not a list of reasons to blame Pandits for the exodus.

The History Before History

Most people are only familiar with the Hindu myth(s) about the origins of Kashmir, so the author begins by also sharing the myths created by the Buddhists and Muslims of the land. Not only that, he tries to build narratives out of these myths and archaeological findings to try to determine what Kashmir's true prehistory might have been. Of course, in the absence of any records, he can only speculate.

The Mythical Golden Age (? - 1320 CE)

Pop history portrays the pre-Islamic age as a golden period for the KPs, the good old days before the so-called 'Islamic barbarians' turned everything to shit. We get a speed run of the the pre-Islamic political history and socio-economic conditions of Kashmir. We through all the recorded incidents of note where the Pandits found themselves at odds with the king. The monarchs would often ransack temples when required and exile the Brahmin population when it stopped maintaining its ritual purity. The Kashmiri Brahmins in turn would assassinate the kings whenever they felt that their interests were threatened. By the time Mongols swept over these lands, the Hindu kings had become incompetent, short-sighted and cruel.

The Barbaric Islamic Era: Shah Mir & Chak (1320 - 1586 CE)

The pre-Mughal Islamic period of Kashmir was a mixed bag for the Pandit community, just like the period that came before. Sanskrit remained the language of the royal court, which was dominated by Brahmins. There were also episodes where the temples were looted and the KPs were forced to run, like in the reign of the maharajas. We focuses especially on Sikandar Shah aka Sikandar Butshikan ("the Iconoclast"). Pandey discusses the economic reasons for why Sikander melted gold and silver in the temples (to pay indemnity demanded by Timur's opportunistic officials).

By the mid 16th century, Hindu influence in the courts and role of the Brahmins had declined as Muslim missionaries immigrated into Kashmir from Central Asia and Persia, and Persian replaced Sanskrit as the official language. After the end of the Shah Mir dyasty, Kashmir became the first region of northern India to be ruled by a Shi'ite dynasty. The Chak sultans were native Kashmiris and they played a significant role in the spread of Shi'ism.

The Mughal Empire (1586 - 1752 CE)

It was with Akbar's conquest that Kashmir began to be ruled by outsiders and not by Kashmiri kings. After the conquest, the Mughals needed local support to rule Kashmir. They chose to trust the Kashmiri Brahmins over their fellow Muslims because it was from the Kashmiri Muslims that they had taken the reins of power.

The Age of Abdalis (1752 - 1819 CE)

This was the age of anarchy and lawlessness. Unlike the story told by pop history, both Hindus and Muslims suffered at the hands of the different Afghan governors sent by the Durrani Empire. These governors were replaced very frequently by new favourites sent from court and so they focused on extracting as much wealth as possible, instead of developing their province.

Sikh and Dogra (1824 - 1924 CE)

While the Mughals had merely been distant with the Kashmiri Muslims, the Sikh Empire and Dogras were outright discriminatory. The mosques were now the targets of iconoclasm and the azaan was banned in a bid to reduce Muslims to second class citizens. By the time that Dogra rule came, KMs were reduced to a marginalised community, the lowest rung in the class hierarchy. Persian, which was known by all Muslims, was replaced by Urdu.

There were no real learning opportunities available to Muslims as Kashmir was the most backward state in terms of education. This gave the Pandits another advantage over their Muslim brethren. They could only find employment in agriculture and the crafts industry, which were destroyed by over taxation. While this tyranny and misrule were the doing of Dogras, it was the Kashmiri Pandit who served as its representative since he was the one doing the actual business of government (e.g. tax collection) for the Dogra elite which was mostly illiterate.

Conclusion

This is as far as I've gotten in the book. The next chapters cover the events from 1931 to present day. But you can already see how long before 1987 elections, before the Kashmir Wars and even before Independence, the image of the KP minority as stooges of occupiers had solidified in the minds of the majority. This was the real reason why some people turned against their own so easily and why Pandits (and even 50K Muslims) had to flee their own homes like thieves.

As a reminder, the purpose of the book isn't to blame the Pandit community for its exodus. The book is a scholarly enquiry into the sociological reasons for this terrible tragedy.