Kashmiri Pandits of Lahore, 1940

Shared by Rohit Mattoo from personal collection of his ‘in-laws’.

All India Kashmiri Pandit Mushaira
Held at Ratan Bagh, Lahore, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the K.P.A. Lahore.
29.12.40
Standing:- Pt. Dina Nath Raina [Grandfather of Rohit Mattoo’s wife]
Sitting:- Pt. Ratan Mohan Nath Zutshi  “Khar”, Pt. Rajindra Prashad Atal “Shaiq” Pt. Tribhuwan Nath Zutshi “Zar”, Dewan Pt. Radha Nath Kaul “Gulshan”, Raja Sir Daya Kishen Kaul (President), Raja Narindra Nath Raina, Pt. Amar Nath Madan “Sahir”, Pt. Sarup Narain Raina “Aiman”, Pt. Brijmohan Nath Wanchoo “Razwan”.
J.S. PUN & BROS,
Chowk Market, The Mall, Lahore

[Stories of quite a few of these Pandits of Lahore is given in ‘The Kashmiri Pandits: a study of cultural choice in North India’ (1988), check page 202]

A community photograph of the members of the Biradari assembled at Rattan Bagh, Lahore to celebrate the Nauroz and the Jubilee of Raja and Rani Narendra Nath Sahib’s wedding, 14th April, 1940.

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Notes:

Diwan Narendra Nath Raina, son of Ajodhia Prasad, son of Ganga Ram(1800-70), son of Kishen Das, “who walked down from Srinagar to Banaras following the establishment of Afghan regime in Kashmir”.

Kashmiri Pandit community formed in Lahore primarily because of Ganga Ram who in Ranjit Singh’s court, “As custodian of the official records[…] practically controlled the whole administrative machinery.”

Compared to the other Kashmirs Pandit circles, biradiris, that came up in other parts of India, the Lahoris seemed to be more on the progressive side:

“The rationality of the Lahore Pandits seemed to be further confirmed by the lack of controversy when Prithvi Nath Razdan set out from Lahore to pursue his studies in England. The community did bot oppose it and in fact encouraged it.'”

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8 Replies to “Kashmiri Pandits of Lahore, 1940”

  1. Those KPs whose ancestors had migrated 100-400 or more years back refer to Navreh as Nauroz or Navroz. This is due to the heavy influence of Persian language itself or even Persian words in Urdu. during those days of migration.

  2. Shantiveer Kaul:
    'Khaar' was the elder brother of well-known senior Urdu poet Anand Mohan Zutshi 'Gulzar' Dehalvi. 'Zaar' was his father.

  3. PT AMAR NATH MADAN "SAHIR" was the brother of RAI BAHADUR Pt JankiNath Madan of SitaRam Bazar, DELHI and… CHACHA JI of Pt Dina Nath Madan " MOUJIS" . DINA NATH MADAN "MOUJIS " WAS FATHER OF PT Manmohan Nath Madan (ADVOCATE DELHI).. . . . . i Rama Neeldeepti , BEING THE YOUNGEST DAUGHTER OF PT Manmohan Nath Madan know all these authors so very well and know quite a lot about all these 3 Kashmiri Pnadit Authors ..Namely.. !st.. RAI BAHADUR Pt JANKI NATH MADAN , 2ND Pt AMAR NATH MADAN "SAHIR" , 3RD Pt DINA NATH MADAN "MOUJIS " Though i have already read the names of PT DINA NATH MADAN ( MY DADA JI) and PT JANKI NATH MADAN ( MY PARDADA JI) IN A KASHMIRI WEBSITE "PROJECT ZAAN" , BUT…. i was still in the search of the third name ie. OF Pt Amar Nath Madan "Sahir". And… to my great surprise here i have ffound got not only the reference of His name Amar Nath Madan "SAHIR" but…….. also finds his photograph in your web site.. So… Finally.. i have found that too just now … here in your web site VATASTA … KASHMIRI PANDITS OF LAHORE. Ohh……… NOT ONLY I FIND THE REFERENCE OF MY GREAT GRAND PARENT / PAR DADA JI.. and my DADA JI.., , BUT HERE IN THE SECOND PHOTOGRAPH OF YOUR WEB SITE… I AM OVER WHELMED TO FIND HIM SITTING 7th FROM LEFT SIDE. YESS.. I CAN RECOGNISE HIM IN THE PHOTO AS I HAVE SEEN HIS PICTURE IN ONE OF HIS BOOKS .."DEEWAN BY Amar Nath Madan"SAHIR" .He is with white beard and a turbon on his head… , as that was a fashion those days. among the poets/ shayars . . I THANK YOU ., ALL THE TEAM MEMBERS WORKING FOR THIS SITE AND ALL THE PEOPLE HELPING THE LOVERS OF LITERATURE AND thus helping KASHMIRI COMMUNITY. MY HEART FELT THANKS……………….. TO ALL OF YOU. AND WISH YOU CONTINUOUS SUCCESS IN THIS MISSION OF YOURS. I am grand daughter of PT DINA NATH MADAN "MOUJIS" WHO WAS THE VERY FIRST AND PERHAPS THE ONLY PERSON TO TRANSLATE "GITA"…. IN VERSES IN PERSIAN LANGUAGE.. I FEEL SO PROUD TO SAY THAT I BELONG TO THE SAME .. MADAN FAMILY OF SITARAM BAZAR, DELHI. YESS….. I TOO HAVE THESE VGENES …SO I TOOO WRITE… WITH THE NAMe.. Rama Neeldeepti. i go to kavya goshthees and have given program in A.I. R. ALSO. I HAVE WRITTEN MANY SONGS , GEET , GAZALS, BHAJANS AND SOME PATRIOTIC SONGS TOO. . I NOT ONLY WITE SONGS BUT I TUNE THEM TOO. I AM MAKING AN AUDIO CD OF MY GURU MA ANANDAMAYEE'S BHAJANS AND SONGS IN HINDI LANGUAGE. IT IS SO BECAUSE I FIND THAT IT IS THE REQUIREMENT ..THE NEED OF THE BHAKTAS / DEVOTEES OF MA ANANDAMAYEE.And . thus the devotees of MA ANANDAMAYEES CAN BE BENEFITED BY LISTENING TO MA'S SONGS AND TO FEEL MA… THROUGH THESE SONGS OF MINE WHICH DESCRIBES……… HOW MA ANANDAMAYEE LOOKED LIKE AND WHAT SHE PREACHED US THROUGH HER LIFE. It will be like a little offering to MA ANANDAMAYEE from my side. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WITH LOTS OF THANKS TO YOU.. ALL …………. I am ………..Rama Neeldeepti .. DELHI. Dated 20th FEBRUARY , 2016 ……………………………………………………………………… . . ……………………………………………………………………..

  4. I would like to make a amendment / correction in the above message.. where i refer to SAHIR saheb as brother of RaiBahadur Pt Janki Nath Madan " MOUJIS"
    P.S.— PLEASE NOTE———-

    ————————————————————————————–
    " Pt Amar Nath Madan "SAHIR" was Son of RAI BAHADUR Pt Janki Nath Madan…..
    and Brother of Pt Dina Nath Madan "MOUJIS" DEHALVI."
    —————————————————————————————

  5. From Rama Sharma:

    In this picture.. , THIRD from the right ( in white turban and long white beard ) is Pt AmarNathMadan " SAHIR"..
    SAHIR Saheb was my Grand Father's(Dada Ji's) brother.
    My grand Father Pt DinaNath Madan " MOUJIS " .. and PT Amar Nath Madan "SAHIR' .. both were sons of… RAI BAHADUR Pt JankiNath Madan DEHALVI( Resident of Delhi).
    All three were great authors who mainly wrote on Religious and Philosophical subjects only and they wrote mainly in Persian Language but… yes.. some books in Hindi too .
    They were residents of a hose called " LAL HAVELI" and was situated in Churi Garan ( Popularly known now as Churi Walan)… IN DELHI.
    This LalHaveli was consisted of two huge parts.. 1st a haveli called "Anaar Wali Haveli" …. and the 2nd one was called " Amrood Wali Haveli" which were inter connected with each other by a gate.
    After the partition of properties in the family.., my father chose the Amrood Wali Haveli The amrood / guava tree in the centre of it's courtyard was grown by my father , Pt Manmohan Nath Madan's father..ie . Pt Dina NathMadan "MOUJIS" . .
    And. it was in this very LAL HAVELI, MUSHAYARAS were held where shayars / Poets from all over India used to geather to recite their shayari. I was told by my father that the famous poet JIGAR MURADABADI used to visit here and was a very god friend of my Dada ji.Pt D.N. Madan "MOUJIS". Yes… here i would like to mention one interesting incident of a day.. when even after the mushayara was over and everyone had gone back to his home , Shayar Jigar Muradabadi still hanged around Dada ji who was a widower (who had lost his wife in an early age) and used to sleep in the big hall on the first floor of that Hveli .JIGAR SAHEB followed him up to his bed … and continued saying / recitinng his sheirs to MOUJIS SAHEB. …. All this went on for a long time…., even the mid night passed and it was dawn…. . . . . . . . . . and … then seeing the morning light.. JIGAR SAHEB started getting up to go.. But………. . . . . . . .
    Then MOUJIS SAHEB , my Dada Ji said.. , " QIBLAA AB AAP KAHAAN JAYENGEY.. ? CHALIYE AAP MERE BISTAR PAR SO JAIYE.. AUR MAI YAHEEN NEECHEY QALEEN PAR SO LOONGA. . CHALIYE AB HUM SO JATEY HAIN… " . . . . . .
    Aisa kah kar MOUJIS SAHEB ne apne bistar par JIGAR SAHEB KO SULA KAR KHUD NEECHEY R of RSO KAR APNE MEHMAAN KO IZZAT DEE. . Haan to aisa culture tha unn dinon mein YEH TAHZEEB ……….. SHAYARANA bhee tha aur KHAAS DELHI KA TAHZEEB BHEE THA.

    YEH SAB TO HUEE PURANI DILLEE MEIN LAL HAVELI MEIN HONE WALEY MUSHAYARON KI BAAT…. ………. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
    Chaliye phir kabhi kuchh aur topic par bhee hamaree baat cheet ho legee.
    . I am Rama , Rama Neeldeepti…….
    Great Grand Daughter of RaiBahadur Pt JankiNath Madan
    Grand Daughterof Pt Dina Nath Madan " MOUJIS"
    ( Moujis Ji was brother of Pt AmarNathMadanSAHIR)
    & i am a daughter of Pt Manmohan Nath Madan (Advocate).
    WITH BEST WISHES TO ALL MY BROTHERS & SISTERS ..
    ………… FROM …. Rama Neeldeepti LYRICIST , DELHI.
    Dated. 26thMarch , 2016
    ……………………………………………….

  6. MY NAME IS KISHEN KUMAR MADAN MY GRAND FATHER DIWAN MANMOHAN NATH MADAN AND MY PARDADA WAS PT.DINA NATH MADAN…….. WE HAVE THE PICTURES AND FAMILY TREE, WHICH WAS TAKEN OUT FROM THE KASMIR
    HISTORY BOOK CALLED PUNJAB CHIEFS. MY FATHER LATE DIWAN RATAN KUMAR MADAN BUT I NEVER HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT RAMA NEELDEEPTI NAME FROM MY ELDERS ??????

  7. Namaskar Kishan Kumar Madan ji, you might be right in saying so. True i do not know about any family tree so i can not register my name there .. BUT OFCOURSE…YOU WILL VERY WELL FIND THE NAME OF
    MY DADAJI ,Pt DINA NATH MADAN "MOUJIS" Dehalvi, Author of the book MAKHZANE ASRAAR
    This book was Translation of GITA ,
    ……….
    PLEASE CONFIRM IT FROM THE BOOK."BAHAR-E-GULSHAN(Publishe from Kashmir)
    This book contains life introduction and literary works of …
    Pt. DINA NATH MADAN "MOUJIS", DEHALVI
    Pt. AMAR NATH MADAN "SAHIR" DEHALVI
    and….
    RAI BAHADUR Pt. JANKI NATH MADAN Who was an author too.

    I am the Great Grand Daughter of RAI BAHADUR Pt JANKI NATH MADAN DEHALVI ,
    Grand Daughter of Pt, DINA NATH MADAN "MAUJIS"(BROTHER OF "SAHIR" Saheb)
    Daughter of Pt MANMOHAN NATH MADAN (ADVOCATE) , DELHI.
    This is my introduction Kishan Madan ji.
    HOW COULD YOUR ELDERS REFER ABOUT .. Rama Madan/Rama"Neeldeepti" ?
    I am living in the Present Times, and so how could they know me ?
    as… they were my elders too… You just talk about the REFERED
    3 MADAN PERSONALITIES… whose family i belong to.and besides we were
    shifted to Delhi. I have heard of some names from my father.. eg
    B.K.Madan Pratap Kishan Ji Madan etc… but i had not seen those people.
    Kishan Madan Ji , when i write some thing here then ofcourse i will
    have to mention my name too at the end of the message . And that's what
    i, Rama Neeldeepti simply did. In fact even i also do not know you .
    So we come to know about each other through COMPUTER ..Internet Web sites
    or through Face book.
    . . . . . . I HOPE Kishan ji now you understand what i have stated in my message.

    Dated :20thJULY, 2016 …………. . . . Rama Neeldeepti…
    ***************************************************************************
    P.S.:– "Neel Deepti" is MY PEN-NAME. I write GEET,BHAJANS,GAZALS in HINDI
    ——————————————————————— – – —

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