MY NEW BOOK: " THE BRIGHT STARS OF THE FOGGY NIGHTS"

                                         

                                          

THE BRIGHT  STARS OF THE  FOGGY NIGHTS....( Stories From Kashmir ) By AVTAR MOTA

Avtar Mota's New book is available on Amazon worldwide. Presently available for US dollars 15( fifteen )  or equivalent in the US , Canada, Australia, UK, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, Italy and many more countries at the following links:-

INDIA

(a)

https://notionpress.com/in/read/the-bright-stars-of-the-foggy-nights

(b)

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DXV9SRK5

 USA

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DWMJMWMJ

 UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DWMJMWMJ

CANADA

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DWMJMWMJ

AUSTRALIA

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DWMJMWMJ

FRANCE 

https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0DWMJMWMJ

NETHERLANDS

https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0DWMJMWMJ

Book Overview  by  Amazon 

The book has fascinating stories about many stalwarts from the fields of art, literature, theatre and social life who remained mostly unsung. The essays come as tributes and reveal the human side of these personalities apart from their immense contribution. People covered in this book include Sardar Santokh Singh ( pioneer of commercial art in Kashmir ), Vasudev Reh ( a visually handicapped poet ), Makhan Lal Mahav ( poet of humour and satire ), V R Khajuria ( stalwart sculptor ), Susham Sharma ( a dedicated theatre artist ), Farooq Nazki ( poet and broadcaster ), Vijay Suri ( writer , director and actor ), Bhushen Kaul ( Baroda trained artist ), Pandit T K Jalali ( composer and vocalist ), Som Nath Zutshi ( short story writer ), Chaman Lal Hakhoo ( writer and broadcaster ), Dr Girja Dhar , Akhtar Mohiuddin (writer ), Pran Nath Butt ( artist ), Saif ud din Kitchloo ( freedom fighter ), Hari Kashmiri ( cinema ), Prof Jay Lal Kaul ( scholar , translator and educationist ) , Dr Ved Kumari Ghai ( Sanskrit scholar ), T N Ganjoo ( scholar , astrologer and Indologist ), Noor Mohammad Kitab ( book publisher ) and Jagan Nath Saqi ( radio and theatre artist ).

The book gives the reader some interesting and engaging anecdotes about some highly creative personalities from Kashmir. The author has also included some artists from Jammu province in this compilation. The author succeeds in creating interest in every story with his unique style and gripping narrative, which makes his reader not only travel with him but also become a part of the happenings conveyed truthfully and passionately. The one-to-one interviews and many nostalgic memories of the author set the tone and flow for many stories. This tone and flow brings everything alive in a manner that is easily identifiable by his reader. This book is going to prove of immense utility to people who intend to research the "Social Life" of the Kashmir valley. Parvez Dewan (IAS ), author and former Tourism Secretary (Government of India ), 'calls Avtar Mota,’ ”The foremost chronicler of the social history of Kashmir’.

EXCERPT FROM THE ESSAY  "SUSHAM  SHARMA: A LIFE  DEDICATED  TO  THEATRE" .....

And Susham Sharma told me this:-

“ Yes, Avtar Ji I have many fond memories of the play based on Ved Rahi’s story “ AALEY “ OR “ CALLINGS “ that I performed in Lahore in 2005 before a mammoth audience. It was a solo performance. It was based on the tragedy of partition. The play was directed by Deepak Ji, a very talented director of our theatre group. Rangyug or my theatre group was there on an invitation from Madiha Gauhar’s Ajoka theatre. Noted theatre personality M K Raina, classical dancer Sonal Man Singh and Kewal Dhaliwal from Amritsar had also been invited. If I remember correctly, it was what they said, “PANJ PAANI THEATRE FESTIVAL“at Lahore. In fact, Madiha had come to Jammu with her troupe and performed a well-scripted play “BULLA“at Abhinav theatre. During that time, she had a detailed interaction with us at Rangyug. She also watched us perform some plays. That was the meeting point . For me, the Lahore trip remains unforgettable to this day. At the play venue in Lahore, I came to know that the audience included many Dogri speaking elders who had migrated to Pakistan from Mast Garh, Sarajaan Di Dakki and other localities of Jammu city.The nostalgia made many eyes moist. I could feel the sighs of the audience and the satisfying thunderous applause in between while I performed. And when the play was over, the doyen of theatre in this subcontinent, Late Uzra Butt walked up to the stage and hugged me. I vividly remember her words, “You did a great job Beta. It was electrifying.” Those words still reverberate in my ears. Liaqat Jafri Ji and Ravinder Kaul Ji also were in our troupe. Ravinder Kaul introduced us to the Pakistani audience in a very emotional style quoting Ali Sardar Jafri’s immortal lines:-

“Tum aao gulshan e Lahore se chaman bardosh, 

Hum aayein subah e Banaras ki roshini lekar, 

Himalya ki hawaaon ki taazigi lekar,

Aur oss ke baad yeh poochhein ki kaun dushamn hai? “ .

( Avtar Mota )

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

FAROOQ NAZKI'S POETRY ON FISH , FISHING NETS AND FISHERMEN

                                           

BELOW AND OVER  WATER'S  SURFACE  

Through the lines mentioned below, poet Farooq Nazki conveys something different. It is quite true,' whatever appears on the surface may not convey the reality below the surface '. It applies to any situation.   I quote the poet:-

"Me vuchh zaal gaadan karaan  raahnumai,

 Me vuchh zaal haanzan  karaan jaalsaazi ,

Me vuchh aab  tael aab peith kyaah chhu sapdaan"

( Farooq Nazki )

My English rendering would be like this:-

(I saw the fishing nets leading the fish  to freedom,

I saw the same fishing nets  misleading the  fishermen,

I saw what happens  below and over  water's surface )

( Avtar Mota )

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

JAGAN NATH SAQI : THE UNSUNG RADIO AND STAGE ARTIST FROM KASHMIR

                                       

UNFORGETTABLE  JAGAN NATH SAQI 

He was born and raised in Khankaah e Sokhta, a locality in downtown Srinagar. He lived close to the ancestral house of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad and accordingly, he was personally known to every member of the Bakshi family. Due to his varied interests and traits like acting, smoking, sitting in gossip shops, travelling by a full Tonga, putting on an English hat, spending money lavishly and keeping close association with some henchmen of Nawa Kadal, Pandits called him by nicknames like 'Jagir Gunda', 'Raasa-kath( dancing lamb) ' and 'Jaga Angrez'.

 This area in downtown Srinagar was the birthplace place Mata Roopa Bhawani, the great saint-poetess of Kashmir in the 17th century. Pandit. Birbal Dhar(who guided Sikhs to Kashmir), Pandit Bal Kak Dhar ( former Wazir-e-Wazarat), DP Dhar (well-known politician and former ambassador to the Soviet Union), Maj. General BN Dhar, Rai Bahadur Shyam Sunder Lal Dhar, Ratan Lal Dhar (former Director of Food and Supplies), Krishan Joo Dhar, (former Director Flood Control), Dina Nath Dhar( proprietor of Normal Press at Lal Chowk ), Ramchand Tickoo ( well- known cricket player ), Nand Lal 'Begarz'( writer),  Nilakanth Raina (writer and trained historian), Niranjan Nath Razdan ( proprietor of Mercantile Press, Kothi Bagh), Moulvi Abbas Ansari (politician and well-known  Shia cleric),  Arvind Gigoo( noted writer and college professor), A N Dhar ( former HOD English Department in Kashmir University ) and many more well-known persons  were from this area.

In his youth, Jagan Nath Saqi would dress up like an Englishman with a stick in his hand and tell strangers that he was a Pashmina trader and his family had business interests in Yarkand and Lahore. Acting has been his forte since his younger days. He loved singing and music. He joined Radio Kashmir Srinagar due to the direct intervention of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad who also intervened in the allotment of a residential quarter to him inside the Emporium complex close to the radio station. He remained careless in paying the monthly rent of this government accommodation for many years and it was again Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad who waived these dues. Saqi had a comic side of his personality. One day, he attended the office wearing his old  Pheran. Upon being reprimanded by Mr Chawala (the then Station Director), Saqi is reported to have told him that since Pheran was the national dress of Kashmiris, he felt proud of it. I have been told by reliable sources that Saqi didn't hesitate to come to the office in Pheran thereafter. Once he went to Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad's residence on Eid day carrying a huge pumpkin that had grown in his quarters. Bakshi burst into laughter and asked him to tell him the truth as to what had brought him to his place carrying the free-grown pumpkin.   At this, Saqi smilingly put in his application for waiver of accumulated rent demanded by the PWD Department. His accommodation at the corner of the Emporium complex belonged to the PWD Department. 

A contemporary of Sudama Ji Kaul another talented radio artist, Saqi was a close friend of Pandit Ved Lal Dhar Vakil, a progressive and rebel personality of Kashmir who pioneered theatre and drama in the Kashmir valley. Ved Lal Dhar had learnt acting and theatre when he worked in Kolkata’s Alfred Theatre Company before 1947. The orthodox Kashmiri Pandit society looked with contempt towards all the young men who indulged in theatre, drama and music as late as the first quarter of the last century. A nickname ‘ Raas-Kath ‘ used to be given to young men who indulged in this activity They were taunted and discouraged by all means.  Most of the artists couldn't get married as no father was ready to marry his daughter to a "Raas-Kath" (dancing lamb).

Saqi was a National Conference activist and would be seen in many gatherings of the party in the early 1930s. He was also imprisoned several times during Maharaja’s rule for his radical views and association with the National Conference. He started his career as an actor in the early 1920s in various amateur groups like the Raghunath Mandir Natak Mandal and Kala Kendra. He also worked with much enthusiasm in the troupe founded in Kashmir by Master Rahmat Ullah of Kolkata. He played important roles in Agha Hashr Kashmiri`s Urdu plays staged in KashmirSaqi had a unique style of humorous conversation that won him instant friends. He would play pranks and convey many stories often light-heartedly.

Saqi proved himself a versatile radio artist. His voice conveyed a powerful pathos that touched a chord with his listeners. He was the greedy  Kaakh ( Machama's father ) of Pushkar Bhan's popular Machama series of Radio dramas. He was Rustom Chacha in another series of radio programmes. He was 'Jagger Pension' of Zoonadab, Wali Mot in the popular play Taent-k'or and Afreet of the dramatised version of the opera Gulrez  He would present' "Gaami Baayen  Haendi Kha'tra' from Radio Kashmir. He also had an unforgettable presence on stage. He had great quality, and never did he neglect his priority; theatre and radio drama even if he was unwell or down with critical illness. About him, Padama-shri Pran Kishore Kaul said this:-

 "Saqi had a flamboyant streak in everything he did. One could see it in his walk, his talk and his behaviour with his friends and colleagues. He was older than me. I knew him before joining the Radio. He enjoyed a somewhat notorious reputation in his youth. One day all of a sudden, he barged into Radio Kashmir Srinagar and demanded his chair to sit. We were surprised to know that Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad in his capacity as the Prime Minister of J&K  had telephoned PS Bhatia, the then Station  Director to appoint him. Saqi had commendable talent. I included him in the cast of the film," Shair e Kashmir Mehjoor ". He did full justice to the role of a poor peasant. He could have been a wonderful film actor but he had missed that bus. I had great admiration for Saqi's acting passion. As the protagonist, he did some beyond-expectation acting in Akhtar Mohiuddin's Kashmiri play " Aadam Chhu Ajab Zaat ". On my enquiry, Saqi told me that he had lived the role. The play was selected for the National Programme of plays by AIR and we were advised to do a Hindi version also. Saqi begged me to let him act in the Hindi version. I had my doubts about his accent. I took the chance as his acting skills were perfect for the role. In the meantime, he fell critically ill. He couldn't walk. I was suggested to replace him. We had to complete the recording in a time frame. Saqi was deteriorating. And then one day he suddenly dropped in and asked for the script. After reading it, he asked me to start his recording. We went inside the studio. We were there for a long time recording Saqi, the protagonist of the story. He was flawless. He did it all in one go. My joy knew no bounds. In the end, I embraced him. I could feel that he was running high temperature.  He was happy. We were equally delighted. After some days, we heard the news that Saqi was no more. That was Jagan Nath Saqi ."

 And Bansi Raina writes this on my Facebook post:-

 “Among some others -there were two most senior veteran theatre artists in Radio Kashmir Srinagar in the sixties and early seventies of the last century.Jagan Nath Saqi and Ved Lal Vakil.Both were institutions in their own right and storytellers. One would find Saqi eating Tandoori Roti and Kharoda( sheep foot )  soup inside Prem Dabba at Court Road, Srinagar. The next day he would be smoking Hashish with hippies at his shack near Linz Cafeteria close to the Emporium complex. In one of his last stage appearances, a huge board was hidden in wings with his dialogues as he could not otherwise remember them. But his antics aside, he was a great voice and actor; fearless and naughty."

Saqi was a bachelor.  It was Dr Ali Jan who treated him last and informed his colleagues at Radio Kashmir that Saqi had some fatal lung disease. He was shifted from Emporium accommodation to his sister's house. His nephew O N Pajnoo looked after him with total care and dedication. Saqi breathed his last in 1973.  

 

( Avtar Mota) 

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

UNFORGETTABLE BRIJ KISHORI NAKHASI ZUTSHI (1947-2025)

                                            

UNFORGETTABLE  BRIJ KISHORI NAKHASI ZUTSHI  (1947-2025 )

I had seen her many times in Rainawari. She lived a little away from  our house across the Jogilanker Bridge in Rainawari  . Her uncle ,Dr DN Nakhasi was our family doctor . I had  heard her voice  many times in plays broadcast from Radio Kashmir ,Srinagar. I had seen her act on stage. She was flawless and made her presence felt . She had the dash and ability to carry herself with dignity ,  conviction and courage. Once we were told that in her capacity as the leader of the AG Employees Association, she led a gathering of employees demonstrating at  Amirkadal in Srinagar city. I met her in 2022 . She had come to India International Centre ,New Delhi to  attend Padamashri Pran Kishore Kaul's book release function presided over jointly  by  N N Vora and Ghulam Nabi Azad. In that function, Prof Shafi Shauq and I read the critical review of the book. After the function was over , she told me this in presence of  Shantiveer Kaul:-

" I have come only to listen to you  and see you in person.  I am a great admirer of your  write-ups . It gives me happiness to know that you are  from Rainawari and thus my "maleun boiy"  ( brother from my parental home ) . Pran Ji is versatile. I know him and have worked under his direction in many plays. I know his calibre . But believe me , I was telling Shantiveer also that  'I came here to see Avtar Ji' .

And in his book ,"Radio Kashmir And My Days in Broadcasting " , Padamashri Pran Kishore Kaul has written this about  Brij Kishori :-

" A tigress of an actor, Brij Kishori was an officer in the AG's Office . She was a versatile actor who could carry off the most difficult role with adorable ease . She was as effective on radio  as on the stage and later on in television productions too. Self made, Brij Kishori had the confidence and the spirit to fight for a cause which very few women of her age and her time could have ." 

Sadgati And Moksha to her noble soul . Brij Kishori  will be missed by her  admirers . 

( Avtar Mota )

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

GOA BEYOND BEACH TOURISM : THE MANGESHI SHIVA TEMPLE

                                         

    ( Deepstambha of Mangeshi Shiva Temple )

       ( The blogger  at  Mangeshi Shiva Temple )

      ( Art installation " Boat With Hindu Gods" of Subodh Kerkar in Museum of Goa )

                                          

          ( "Boat with Hindu Gods "   Art installation of  Subodh Kerkar has these details ) 

                    ( Surla Mahadeva Temple ) 

THE MANGESHI  SHIVA TEMPLE , GOA, LATA MANGESHKAR   AND PANDIT JITENDRA ABHISHEKI

We were told that more than  300 ancient temples were demolished and raised to the ground by the Portuguese in Goa right from the 16th   century. A few like the ancient Surla Mahadeva Temple survived this destruction. However, some new temples also came up in the 19th and 20th centuries mostly by Maratha warrior Kings. Presently some highly venerated temples thronged by Hindus of Goa are;  Shantdurga Temple,  Nageshi Maharudra Temple and the Mangeshi Shiva Temple. The Mangeshi Shiva Temple falls in Mangeshi village, Ponda about 21 km from the capital city of Panjim. I liked the magnificent Deepstambha of Mangeshi  Shiva Temple ."Deepstambha" (Lamp Towers) also called as Deepa Jyoti is a common site in temples in and around Maharashtra. Lighted during the pooja and special occasions, this element of temple architecture was used in temples built by  "Yadavas of Devagiri" and later adopted by Maratha rulers adding to the temples across the Maratha Empire. 

We saw the painful history of Goa in its art, literature and inside its museums. We find broken idols of Hindu deities retrieved from demolished temple  sites  inside the ASI  Museum, Goa.Further ,  as you enter Museum of Goa ( MOG)  , there is a huge art installation done by  Sudhir Kerkar ,the well known  Goan artist showing Hindus fleeing in a boat along with their deities removed from temples destroyed by Portugese Inquisition squads.  

 

                                          

      ( A broken Idol inside ASI Museum, Goa)

We were also informed that the Portuguese destroyed the original Shantdurga temple in 1566. Later, Maratha warriors under the leadership of  Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj, the grandson of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built a new temple that looked like a church from the outside to avoid further persecution. More so, the Office of the Goan  Inquisition had put a total ban on the construction of new temples. Shantdurga was the holiest amongst some holy Hindu temples in Goa for which even converted Christians felt sad. One must read Goa Inquisition to know the truth.  I came to know that the well-known artist Mario Miranda's ancestors were  Sardesai Saraswats before their forcible conversion by the Portuguese. They were attached to Shantdurga as their Kuldevi or family deity. I came to know that Mario's family continued to give annual groceries for the Temple fair even though being Christians. And Mario had wished that after his death, he should be cremated.

The Surla Mahadeva is the only old or ancient stone temple that survived destruction and demolition at the hands of Portuguese Christian missionaries. The temple is small, peaceful, and active.  It is a 12th-century-old, Kadamba-style structure that sits calmly in the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary.  It is close to the Karnataka border.

The Nageshi Maharudra Temple was built in 1413 when the region was under the rule of King Veer Pratap Devaraya of the mighty Vijayanagara Empire. The temple underwent an extensive renovation process in the days of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj the Maratha ruler of Satara. The Shree Nageshi Maharudra Temple, home to the Swayambhu shrine of Lord Shankar, is known to citizens all across India.

Inside the Mangeshi Shiva Temple, a  local person  told us this:

" The original ancient temple has faced plunder after the 14th century when the Muslim invasions started in  Goa. From the early 16th century, when the Portuguese arrived and constituted the infamous 'Office of Inquisition' to aggressively convert Hindus to  Christianity,  they raised to ground all the ancient temples to build Churches at these sites. The original site of the Shiva Mangeshi Temple was near the banks of the Zuari River in the village of Kushasthali. The Portuguese destroyed that Temple and changed the name of the village to Cortalim.   However,  the deity of this Temple was always hidden and kept safe by the people of the village. The  Maratha rulers renovated the Temple in 1763. It was again renovated by Marathas in 1890.  The Marathas also built a 7-storey Deepstambha in the temple compound. You can see this lamp tower or Deepstambha done in typical Maratha-style temple architecture. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj gave tough resistance to the Portuguese in Goa. 

We hold a Rath Yatra on Magh Purnima when the Mangeshi festival is celebrated here. The main deity is Lord Mangesha or Shiva. There are shrines on the back side dedicated to Mulakeshwsar, Virbhadra, Saanteri, Lakshminarayana, Suryanarayana, Garuda and Kaal Bhirava. Every Monday before the evening Aarti, the idol of Lord Mangesh is taken out in a procession in a Palki with devotional music being played by singers. There is a dress code instituted by the temple management.  

The  Mangeshkar family is from this village. Lata Ji's grandfather was Ganeshbhat Bhikaji Abhisheki. They write Mangeshkar to remain connected to their roots.  The Brahmins of this village have ancestry that is linked to this temple. They have been devotional singers of Shiva Mangesha, the deity. Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki the renowned classical singer is from our village. An event called Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki Mahotsav, which is named after him is celebrated in Goa every year, around September or October. He was a vocalist, music composer, and music teacher who made a massive impact on the history of classical music and the Marathi music industry.  "

( Avtar Mota )

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

RUSSIANS IN GOA ..JANUARY 2025

                                        

RUSSIANS IN GOA ..JANUARY 2025

 Russians and Ukrainians are seen everywhere Goa. You can see them in hotels,on  beaches, on roads, inside shops , in stores and in residential  apartments. War ravaged countries are making people run to peaceful locations .I met a Russian couple at Inferno restaurant in Candolim market  . I was told this :-

" I am teacher in higher education in Moscow school. I earn about 1.15 lakh Indian rupees per month as my salary. My wife is a nurse.  She earns about  92000 rupees per month. We came here for 2 months after saving about 4 lakh . A  two way ticket per person is 42000 approx in economy class from Moscow to New Delhi. We booked Airbnb one room apartment  set in Candolim;  which is  bed room with attached bath , dining cum sitting room and  kitchen@ 2200 per day. One can also book  private one room set  through brokers also @ 25000 to 30000 per month . Many people do it like that.   We cook our food and buy all eatables from Newton's Arcade  Mall.We will spend about 250000 in total for 2 months. Some shopping   will add another 50000 . We will end up saving about  100000  from 400000. We could have saved more had we booked apartment room privately through property agent  .That is how most of the people from our country live here. It is peaceful and good place . The cultural contrast interests us. "

( Avtar Mota)

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

BOOK REVIEW : KASHMIR EK PREM KATHA BY MAHARAJ KRISHEN SANTOSHI

                                                             

KASHMIR: EK PREM KATHA

(A Collection of Short Stories in Hindi)

by Maharaj Krishen Santoshi

Published by Antika Prakashan,Ghaziabad

Price Rs300/= ( Available on Amazon India )

Year of Publication 2024

 

 Presently living in exile, Maharaj Krishen Santoshi is a noted Hindi writer from Kashmir. He has published more than eight books, be they poetic collections or short stories centred on Kashmir that he has lived, loved, and missed. His books have been translated into English, Punjabi, Telugu, Gujarati, Kashmiri, and Dogri. He has been honoured and awarded by the Central Hindi Directorate (GOI), J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, and the UP Hindi Society.

 It requires the skill of Anton Chekhov to talk about something that gives nothing but pain yet remains unforgettable and is intensely missed . Santoshi comes close to this art in stories covered in the book under review. At places in some stories, one finds him close to Manto’s style that leaves nothing unsaid while exploring themes of loss, displacement, and the dehumanizing effects of violence. In the stories covered in the book the reader also comes across vivid imagery, some dark humour, and a good understanding of human psychology.

 In this compilation, 15 short stories and a write-up based on pages from the diary of the author are spread over 96 pages.The short stories have been titled as Darashikoh Ki maut  ,Pandit Kashi Nath MA ( History ),Mitti Ki Gawahi ,Chinar ,Teen Kisse ,Kashmir:Eik Prem Katha, Saanp Aur Boodi Aurat, Antaratma, Bhaand Aur Bhagwan, Pahalwan Ki Moonchh,Poshmaal Ka Bageecha,Vrishabh, Jannat Ki Sair, Rinn-mukt,  Eik Tha Comrade and Hum Kahin Bhool Na Jaayein ( pages from the diary of a displaced Kashmiri ).

 Set in Kashmir, the stories narrated by Santoshi are full of nostalgia, human displacement, longing, and issues of exile. A reader of these stories gets the feeling of a phoney life that the characters of these stories lived in Kashmir. This is visible through their conduct and behaviour and Santoshi's art of presentation. These stories also open a window to look at the historical perspective of the tragic displacement of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley in the 1990s after the arrival of Pakistan-supported terrorism.

 In the story Dara Shikoh Ki Maut, Santoshi uses the technique of contrasts by knitting his story on two opposing beliefs; religious bigotism and humanism represented by Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh respectively. The tragic death of ‘Kashi Nath MA (History )’  in Jammu camp after his displacement from Kashmir moves the reader. Kashi Nath had planned to live a peaceful retired life when terrorism uprooted him and his family from their native place. In the story Chinar, a Kashmiri Pandit family tries to plant a Chinar tree in their compound to remain mentally close to their roots. The tree doesn't grow as magnificent as a Chinar tree seen in Kashmir and it starts silently extending its roots to the foundation of their small newly built house in Jammu. The tree had to be cut and uprooted painfully. The story ‘Bhaand Aur Bhagwan’ is woven around the practice of performing Puja of their Devi by the Muslim Bhaands in the Kashmir Valley. This practice comes into clash with religious fanaticism brought into the peaceful valley by Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Rinn-mukt ( free from the )loan is a story about the life of a  Kashmiri Pandit cut off from his roots and living a lonely life after settling his children in places within or outside the country.  Through the story Poshmaal ka Bagicha, Santoshi conveys how deeply the Kashmiri Pandits were attached to Jaffur or marigold flowers. This flower was put to use daily in the morning Puja, apart from being used in other events and rituals like Homa, marriage, Yagneopavit (sacred thread ceremony ), death, and birthdays. Poshmaal, a Kashmiri Pandit woman grows these flowers in pots in her tented accommodation in Jammu and breathes her last looking at these growing flowers.

 Some stories reveal sharp observations of Santoshi and an equally engrossing style to present crisp and brief stories on issues other than displacement from the Kashmir valley. These stories are based on mixed themes like corruption, selfishness, struggle for existence and other topics with a sprinkling of humour. In this category, one can include stories like Pahalwan Ki Moonchh,, Saanp Aur Boodi Aurat, Jannat Ji Sair, Vrishabh and  Mitti Ki Gawaahi.

 Eik Tha Comrade is another story that paints a picture of communism as it was practised in the Kashmir valley. On Friday, the communist party meeting has been rescheduled as comrades have to attend Friday prayers.

In the chapter ‘Hum Kahin Bhool Na Jaayein’( lest we forget), the author truthfully presents the events that unfolded in the valley after the arrival of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism that brought nothing but pain and suffering to innocents in general and Kashmiri Pandits in particular. Tearing apart the centuries-old spirit of tolerance and composite culture, it made religious minorities leave Kashmir to save their lives and honour after a campaign of hate and killings was unleashed upon them. The events and incidents reported in this chapter are from the author's diary. Every incident is a truthful depiction of the pain and misery that Pandits faced in their day-to-day life; both while living in Kashmir during those dark and agonising days and then in the heat and dust of the plains to establish themselves once again.

This book is history. It is a compilation of varied perspectives on pain and suffering. It is a documentation of what befell the exiles. Call it anything, it is worth possessing, reading and discussing. A note of optimism comes through many stories that make the reader believe Jalaluddin din Rumi's lines;

 ‘hamchoo sabzeh bar baarha roedha-em’

(Like green turf, we shall appear again and again in every spring)

 

( Avtar Mota)

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.