The Difference

Excerpted from emails of Pt B.K Dass,

Mohammad Aslam Khan from Jammu is surprised to know as to why despite sufferings of the Muslims in the Gujarat communal riots, they preferred not to migrate unlike Kashmiri Pundits with relatively a little sufferings.

Kashmiri Pundits are not Guajarati Muslims and Gujarati Hindus are not Kashmiri Muslims is the main reason why the two like riots with unlike results.
Most of the communal riots occur on Durga Pooja or Tazia the procession of Shia Muslims. Minor trifle over the height of the mast of the flag or music of the band played on Durga Pooja gives the reason for the cause.

On the contrary, my neighbour across the road, Peerzada Ali Shah a separatist, (served number of jail terms) son of Lassa Peer, Acting President of Political Conference at Zaindar Mohalla used to hold one end of the rope, tie it with the sill of his window to be used for the arch to welcome the Janam Ashtami procession from Sheetal Nath via Narparistan-Fateh kadal-Karfali Mohalla-Zaindar mohalla-Tanki pora-----and finally culminate back at Sheetal Nath. One of the contingents was the horse riders who incidentally used to be the Muslim tonga wallas.
Action was replayed on the Deshera procession that used to start from Dharm Sabha Lal Chowk and culminate at Iqbal Park. On both these days, the city wore a festive look. My Muslim friends were equally enthusiastic.
Last year Muzaffar Shah (Totea) son of Peerzadad Ali Shah came from the USA for the treatment of throat cancer of his father Pirzada Ali Shah. His father had an intermittent halt for one month for the chemo therapy. To avail the one month recess fruitfully, his father deputed his son to Jammu to visit all of us at different areas. By 1 AM he concluded his welfare and curtsey calls. Is it possible elsewhere in the world?
Atiqa ji my sister used to have verbal war with militants who hurled slang on me in 1990. Rafiq and his wife treat me as their father and two of their infant daughters as their grandfather. Right from April each family member gives me ring to avail summer months at their dwelling. The family has reserved a set of two rooms for my stay.


No music in the valley was repugnant enough to flash communal riots. On different days ‘bajan mandlis’ were held at different kashmiri Pundit households. I remember one such mandli was held in the house of dyeing master Sham lal Labroo. The house was in the close proximity of the Zaindar Sabun Astan. The two were separated by a four feet wide lane. Music played by the Mandli and the Nimaz offered by the Muslims had no repugnance for each other. Some Muslims after they offered Nimaz attended the mandli to enjoy its music and praise for god. This type of harmony is not found anywhere in the world and not to speak of Gujarat.
1957, at 18 +, me, on way to Lal Mandi Park was teased by some street urchins. They were all Muslim boys quite elder to me. I did not retaliate until we reached the park. Abruptly my hormones activated and in my own style, I took one of them by surprise and hit him hard with my head strike (Thoal). Taken aback, he fell down on to the ground. Before others would pounce at me, Ghulam Ahmmad from Tankipora (known as Amea Ledrie, because of his pale face) warned and set rule one-to-one. No two will attack him. Soon the street quarrel came to an end without any revenge in the near future. Amea Ledrie retired as peon attached to the late Dr. Puran Raina and I still give him lot of respect for his scruples.
Kashmiri Pundit is rare specie unlike Gujarati Muslims. Our life to us is more precious than any treasure in the world. My wife died in 2000 and since then I am a singleton. The situation is not the same for a Gujarati Muslim. Either can get married as many times as he or she likes. There is no child labour amongst Kashmiri Pundits. One of the causes of mass migration is that the education of our wards was at stake under abnormal conditions.

Had we been used to the 1990 treatment, we would have not been aghast and not migrated. We never expected Bita karatay killing his bosom friend Sunil Tikoo. I never expected my erstwhile friend Professor Ali Bhat to swear falsely by Prophet Mohammad (PBUHS) against me. I never expected Liaqat Ali Khan junior lecturer and committed to Allah Walay group to falsely swear by the Prophet that I was a Police officer in the garb of a teacher. I even today challenge them to prove their misgivings.