Eagle

I was taught: Do not look at the eagle flying overhead, it will pluck your eyes out clean.

I was taught: A Batta is one who can steal an eagle’s egg clean from underneath the bird of prey sitting high in its nest.

Happenings of 1951 as recalled by a Kashmiri Goat

Here’s an interesting image from LIFE magazine  photo archive.
According to the caption:
Taken in Kashmir on December 1951 by photographer Howard Sochurek.

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Somewhere in the State of Jammu and Kashmir, on a pleasantly warm and sunny December morning, while standing on a single wooden peg dug deep into the dusty soft ground, in total control of his four limbs and a head and a tail too, listening to the soul-stirring music emanating from the distant bagpipes of mighty military men, the Goat was deep in thought, contemplating the happenings of the year that was about to end. The happenings delighted him to no end.

“1951 turned out to be interesting…quite interesting, not too bad! ,” he thought and then in no particular sequence – in a very stream of consciousness manner – recalled some of the interesting News concerning the State that had reached his pair of attentive ears that year.

Tribal of Waziristan pledged to defend Pakistan. Good for them. Afridis pledged not to take part in any Jehad…if even there is need for one in Kashmir. What is Jehad? Is it good for the goats? They make it sound like some old form of warfare? Do they play bagpipes while fighting?  Do I get to listen to music all day? May be I will take part in it. Everyone is already taking sides. Sheikh Abdullah pledged support to Pakhtoons in their common struggle against Pakistan. Very smart Sheikh Sahib, very smart. I like Sheikh Sahib, I really do. Too bad for me, my misfortune that he is likely to jump his gun if he even as much overhears the word “Bakra‘. I am too ashamed of the fact that supporters of Sheikh Sahib call his enemies, those Jamaatis – Bakras. What can I say, these nasty people do go around carrying a beard like me. If you see one, and find yourself in doubt, try this sure short way to tell if he is a real bakra or not: Request him to bleat. And a real bakra will bleat better than a goat. And you will know that you are not supposed to eat him – Can’t Halaal or Jatka this bakra. But the lion is really keeping them busy these days, pardon my expression, but he is really milking those goats. I like Sheikh Sahib, he really is a lion, and I am not even supposed to like a lion, me being a goat and he being a lion, one can say it’s against nature. But in this State anything is possible, I have heard that an ancestor of the erstwhile Maharaja of the state, the one who was caught in a Paris hotel in bed with a gori mem ….BBBLLEEEAAAATTTTTT… once saw a goat and a lion drinking water from the same place together. What can I say? Jammu is a dry, dry place…can happen in majboori of summers. The current Yuvraj Prince is surprisingly a humble fellow! Almost too happy to loose the Crown. Siyapa Mukla for him ji. Yet somehow The Praja Parishad people there are always bleating (but no one dare call them bakras). I don’t think they are too glad about the end of Dogra rule. Now they don’t even want to be part of State election (no way can they win the entire State anyway. They don’t have my vote!). They also want India to come to Kashmir completely, full-time, nothing doing. Does that mean more Army and more music for me? I support that. And then there is this guy, a balding Bengali, who keeps telling Panditji to get back his one third of Kashmir from Pakistan. Panditji, a smart fellow (some say mistakenly think it’s in his genes…I suspect its the High company he keep), tells him basically something like this, “Hey Man! You have no idea how we are holding on to the rest of this land. What will you do with the rest?” I think this Bengali chap is not very happy with the situation, I think he is taking it all very personally. He needs to relax, slowdown and may be come down here and see the situation for himself. Enjoy some Kashmiri hospitality. If nothing else, this place will at least do his health some good. He may even find Swarag here. But it must be that the news from Jammu worried him. There were some tribal raids in some part of Jammu and some part of Kashmir. India lodged protest in Security Council. Hindu and Sikh refugees from Muzaffarabad are being settled in the State. Panditji is worried about Kazak influx into Kashmir. What the hell do Kazaks want with Kashmir? Panditji took certain steps to take care of it. Even opened a school for them. Good. Shiekh Sabib also helped.  East Pakistanis pledged support to Kashmiris. Syrians and Malaysian also want resolution of Kashmir (read: better if it’s with Pakistan). Kashmiri Pandits – quite a tribe I tell you – pledged support to National Conference of Sheikh Sahib. Panditji, also one among that esteemed tribe, was very happy and congratulated them. Pakistan called Kashmir elections a fraud. They also believe India wants to stop the great rivers of the State. Reminds me…these military men always make me take dump near the river. I think it’s deliberate. I need to protest. It’s a clear provocation. Liaquat Ali, their PM, told Kashmiris, ‘Wait, we will free you!’  Sheikh Sahib told him that Kashmir was Baap ki jagir of forty Lakh Kashmiri Muslims. Poor Mr. Liaquat died the same year of an unknown assassin’s bullet. What a waste! Earlier this year he had also offered a five-point peace plan and asked Pandit Nehru to come down to Karachi for discussion. Fatima Jinnah told Kashmiris to fulfill her great brother’s last wish and join Pakistan. Achha ji, you get your ‘K’ and what do we get! “A moth-ridden Pakistan” – isn’t that what her Craven A smoking illustrious genius brother called Pakistan. I am a goat. I need grass. Moths can’t be good for me.  Do they really have that much moth? Why don’t they do something about it? There was also a strange report that Pakistanis want to kidnap Sheikh Abdullah and take him to the other side of the LOC. Of course, they denied these reports later as mere fabrications. I think the Pakistanis too are taking it all too personally. India offered non-aggression pact to Pakistan. No sound. Kashmir is now not a place, but an issue. The white goralog of UK and the USA, quite decent looking folks, but I am told they don’t bath often, and are often cunning, are really working hard on the issue. They are sending people, Generals, high officials and the good journalists. They keep coming up with solutions, plans and, India keeps rejecting the plans, finding faults and Pakistan rejects the plans, finding faults. Kashmir Kisan Mazdoor Conference, Jammu Kisan Confrence, Socialist Party and Democratic Union, all Communist sounding parties (according to whom – all goats own all grass unfailingly, I gather. Good. Too good to be true. I sometimes suspect I too am a communist.), want foreign troops out of the State, they predict a bleak future otherwise. Don’t they remember that Gen. Cariappa (what a melodious name! CariappaCariappaCariappaCariappa) promised that Indian Army would move out of the State the day Kashmiris want them to. In other news, General secretary of Communist Party of UK thinks Kashmir should be with India. Someone named Jayaprakash doesn’t want Sheikh Abdullah to campaign for Congress in India. Sheikh and his man-friday Bakshi, nevertheless, campaigned for Congress in Punjab. Congress believes J&K is setting the best example of Secularism. The Papers. Wah the Papers!  London Times wasn’t happy about the Kashmir Constituent Assembly elections. Observer’s New Delhi correspondent thought Kashmir dispute had reached a dangerous point. New Statesman and Nation are sure that a full-scale war will end up destroying Pakistan, they want Briton to take care more of the situation. Manchester Guardian believes The solution lies just around The corner. A case of molestation of Kashmiri women came to light. Shocking!  Dawn claims Congress is conspiring to eat up Kashmir. Syrian Al Shaah  supports Pakistan. London’s Truth thinks Kashmir is awaiting justice. Students in Lahore want solution to Kashmir problem, they demonstrate. Jammu Praja declared that the assembly does not represent them.  Washington Post thinks Sheikh Abdullah will win the plebiscite hands down. Pakistan banned a book ‘Kashmir and Conspiracy Against Peace’ written by one Mr. Vijay Kumar. Looting in Azad Kashmir, people shot dead.  Lot of changes in government there, I hear. People there also want land reforms.

What can I say! I eat akhbaar as a digestive after breakfast, lunch and dinner of plain grass. I am tired now! The vibes here do sometimes turn morose. Yes I can pick up ‘vibes’. I can do so all the time. I can feel things. Sometimes I feel it’s all touch and go. Big war and then the end. Jatka and then Halaal too. At moments like these Foreign journalist start hovering in the valley. But I don’t think much about these things. I can’t. It’s just too much. I am just a goat what am I supposed to do. I was told to stand on this peg and I did so dutifully. You ask me to climb Apharwat mountain just on my hind legs and I will go twice, twice up and twice down and not once complain. I am a simple goat ( okay a beautiful Kashmiri goat one no less, and you should see my eyes, so round, perfect marbles I say. So innocent.). I try to live in the present. And yes, I almost forgot, a Swedish firm agreed to set up a wood mill in our state. Mill should be good. Not for the trees though! Haha! Bleat! Bleat! But we have too much trees here in any case. Should last us a thousand years.  Ah yes…where was  I…Yes…I try to live in the moment – the present. Like this moment right now. Here I am at peace standing on this bloody peg…the band is now almost here. I can hear the wonderful pipes clearly now, here they come. I would love to give them a salute. Let me try. Steady. Okay see this funny looking gora with his camera. On his knees, he is. You want me to hold still. No movement. Okay. You don’t want  me to look into the camera. You want me to look straight ahead. Why? Don’t like my eyes! Ok! Here you go. Is this fine? What you want is a Yogi pose! I will give you a Yogi. How’s this? Oi! my tail is standing out, rigid, upright, too instinctive, it’s trying to help me hold the posture. It must not be looking good. Have to bring it down. Damn tail. get down. I must be looking like a wild animal. Me a well trained cultured goat. Caaan’t brrring it down…think Yogi…Stand still…BBBLLEEEAAAATTTTTT…be a Yogi…this moment….right here…hold….

Click.

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“Kashmir has been wrongly looked upon a prize for India or Pakistan. People seem to forget that Kashmir is not a commodity for sale or to be bartered. It has an individual existence and its people must be the final arbiters of their future. It is here today that a struggle is being fought, not in the battlefield but in the minds of men.”

– Jawaharlal Nehru in New Delhi on June 11, 1951.

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The events, bizarre as they sound, are all true and are taken from a chronology presented at the end of the book ‘Bonfire of Kashmiriyat’ written by Sandeep Bamzai.

Bhagwaan Gopinath Ji Ashram, Kharyar, Srinagar

The centenary postal stamp released on July 3, 1998 by Government of India in honor of Kashmiri saint Bub ‘father’ Bhagwaan ‘God’ Jadadguru ‘World Teacher’ Gopinath Ji (3rd July, 1898 – 28th May 1968).

[Official web site: bhagavaangopinathji.org ]

Photographs of Bhagwaan Gopinath Ji Ashram situated at Kharyar near Habba Kadal, Srinagar, Kashmir. (Dated June, 2008)

A recently re-built ashram of Bhagwaan Gopinath Ji in the premises of the Durga Mandir at Kharyar.

A Kashmiri Pandit family has donated its house to be used as an ashram.

I was told that a Haenz Bai, a Muslim fisher woman, started to take care of the ashram when the situation was really bad in Kashmir.

An old desolate looking house to the left on entering the ashram.The house right in front of it is used as a guest house for pandits families who might want to stay at the ashram for a couple of days.

View of the opposite bank of Jhelum as seen from the ashram.

Habba Kadal as seen from the ashram.

Boats on river Jhelum near the ghat next to the ashram.

Houses (mostly pandit) right next to the ghat.

The central hall on the first floor of the ashram housing the statue of Bhagwaan Gopinath Ji.

The original marble statue of saint was installed in June, 1972. Similar statues are now placed in the ashrams located at Jammu (Udaiwala Road, Bohri) and Delhi (Opp. D-43, Pamposh Enclave, G.K-I).

View in front of the statue

View from the left window of the hall on the first floor of the ashram.

The house is used as a living quarter for the security men guarding the ashram. Interestingly the presence of security men here is not overbearing as against the situation at the nearby Ganesh temple of Ganpatyaar

View to the right and from the top floor of the ashram.

Kashmiri Muslim house to the right.

Passage that links the ashram to the main road.

a rope of untwisted thread, home, Lal Ded

Ami pana so’dras nAvi ches lamAn
Kati bozi Day myon meyti diyi tAr
Ameyn tAkeyn poniy zan shemAn
Zuv chum bramAn gara gatshaha.

With a rope of untwisted thread am I towing a boat upon the ocean.
Where will my God hear? Will He carry even me over?
Like water in goblets of unbaked clay, do I slowly wast away.
My souls is in a dizzy whirl. Fain would I reach my home.

Lalla-Vakyani Or the Wise Sayings of Lal-Ded – A Mystic Poetess of Ancient …  By Sir George Grierson  (1920)

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I was told Kashmiri Muslims attribute this saying to Lal Ded’s contemporary Nund Reshi – the founder of Reshi cult of Kashmir.

Kashmiri Proverbs borne of Chinar Tree

These proverbs and their meaning have been  taken from the remarkable book ‘A Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs and Sayings’ by James Hinton Knowles (1885).

1.

Kentsan rani chhai shihij buni, nerav nebar shukul [Shuhul] karav.
kentsan rani chhai bar peth huni, nerav nebar tah zang kheyiwo.
kentsan rani chhai adal tah wadal; kentsan rani chhai zadal tshai.

Some have wives like a shady chinar, let us go under it and cool ourselves.
Some have wives like the bitch at the door, let us go and get our legs bitten.
Some have wives always in confusion, and some have wives like bad thatch upon the roof.

– Lal Ded

Salman Rushdie used the first line from this proverb in Salimar the Clown but didn’t trace the line’s orgin to Lal Ded.*

2.

Panah san kheyih buni tah jits san kheyih huni

He will eat the chinar tree- leaves and all, and he will eat the dog with the skin.

A regular cannibal, not satisfied with enough.

3.

Preyaghuch buni nah thadan nah lokan nah badan.

The chinar of preyag neither become taller, nor shorter, nor bigger.

A poor sickly child, who does not grow or become fat.

An explanation about the Chinar tree of prayag that can be found in the book:

This chinar tree is in the middle of a little island just big enough to pitch your tent on, in the midst of the Jhelum river by the village Shadipur. The Hindus have consecrated the place, and a Brahman is to be seen twice every day paddling himself along in a little boat to the spot, to worship and to make his offerings.

This chinar tree at Shadipur  is believed to be the (sangam) confluence of rivers Indus (Sind) and Jhelum (Vitasta) and is called `Prayag’ by Kashmiri pandits – alluding to Prayag that is Allahabad where Yamuna and Ganga meet up. Kashmiri Pandits used to immerse the ashes and remains of their dead at this spot.

[More about Chinar and Kashmir here ]
[Image on left: The Chinar tree at Shadipore in a photograph by Fred Bremner. 1905 ]
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*The poets wrote that a good wife was like a shady boonyi tree, a beautiful chinar – kenchen renye chai shihiji boonyi – but in the comman parlance the imagery was different. The word for the entrance to a house was braand; stone was kany. for comical reasons the two words were sometimes used, joined together, to refer to one’s beloved bride: braand-kany, “the gate of stone.” Let’s just hope, Shalimar the clown thought but did not say, that the stones don’t come smashig down on our heads.

 – Salman Rushdie trying to work linguistic acrobatics in Shalimar the Clown. Although a deft performer of the art, his text here seems to stay flat on trampoline, or so it may seem to a Kashmiri reader. The jump from ‘Boonyi’ to ‘Braand’ to “the gate of stone” seems disjoint.

A newly wed women was often referred to as Braand-kany. The imagery it is supposed to invoke is that the woman is the base of the house and the family. A Braand-Kany actually consists of a small stone stairway that leads to the entrance of the house. If the stones in this stairway were too loose, ill-fitted or just too slippers, often, passage to the inside of the house could become quite hazardous for the visitors. And the visitors were to remeber this house for its bad Braand-kany, a bad reflection on its inmates.

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Batt’e rovmut/ Pandit Lost. Again

Got off the phone. It was all this and that. Yes. No. Weather, Summer, Sun, Temperature and all. And then I heard it has happened again. Again. An old Kashmiri Pandit reported missing in Jammu. The elderly man went out in the morning and didn’t return home for lunch. Everyone is convinced old man probably lost his way. Happens all the time. It happens every odd year. Mostly in summer. It has been so since last many years.

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