Dr Sanjay Dhar: New Kashmir status must amplify its people's voices

Dr Sanjay Dhar near Gulmarg, Kashmir in January 1989

The reaction to Monday's developments can fall broadly into three categories - cheers, jeers and some fear. "That is the sentiment Kashmir usually evokes, and when there is a decision as momentous as this, it is hard to remain indifferent," said Dr Sanjay Dhar, president, Kashmiri Pandits Association of Mumbai, and orthopaedic surgeon. Dhar was born and brought up in Srinagar till his family had to flee to Jammu because of militancy in 1990. Like everybody, Dhar hopes for more attention to Jammu and Ladakh now. "The voices of the people need to be amplified," he said. "With Srinagar simmering most of the time, it meant little attention has been paid to Jammu or Ladakh, whose people need and want development." With fears of large-scale violence and, in fact, an immediate spike in tension putting the region on edge, celebrations have erupted in some sections but for the Pandits, it is a moment of sober reflection, painful memories and a still uncertain future.

Threats of the past

"Today, my home in Srinagar seems to be cutting through the political firestorm and calling out to me," said Dhar. "We lived there till 1989. My home was large and we had a lot of land around it. Our years were idyllic till we started feeling the drumbeats of the call for separation. My father, who was a popular figure and electronics professor in Srinagar, got threats. In the streets, we heard chants of 'azaadi, azaadi' and I remember shouts of 'Pandits leave Kashmir. Leave your women behind' ringing out. I recall how difficult it was to openly support India during India-Pakistan cricket matches. The days turned dark towards the end of 1989. I was in a Jammu hostel. One day, my parents and sister were confined to a room in our Srinagar home, curtains drawn, so that nobody knew they were there. We decided it was too dangerous to live there any longer. My family came to my hostel room. Finally, we got a small home in Jammu and a few years later, moved to Mumbai, where I got a job at Sion Hospital."

Dr Sanjay Dhar

The promise of return

Dhar said, it will now be about whether the Valley will be steeped in violence or will see an eventual calm. "Pandits and others are already talking about whether the current political dispensation will make good on its promise to enable Pandits to go back," he said. "We need to be assured of our safety. I remember three years ago, I went to Srinagar and visited the spot where my home stood. A big commercial complex had come up there. I felt like an alien. Some of my old Muslim neighbours did welcome me, but the younger generation was a bit hostile. So, while the revoking of Article 370 is a change, I fear a second displacement, if we are not assured of safety. Why should we risk being displaced again? We have always felt one with India and are a part of this country. Our youngsters could have become militants but did not. In fact, the scattered Kashmiris have made a mark in different streams of Indian society." Dhar agrees that he now dares to dream. "Tonight and the days after I will dream of the swaying of Chinar trees, the crunch of the Kashmir walnut and the scent of rosy apples. Srinagar, which seemed so far away all these years, seems to have moved a little closer than before."

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