[Reader-list] 'Don't speak in my name' - letter from a Kashmiri Pandit

[Shivam Vij शिवम् विज्]

From "Greater Kashmir"
http://greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=14_8_2008&ItemID=50&cat=14

Dear Editor,

Present circumstances have forced me to clarify certain
misunderstandings about my community. Kashmiri Pandit (KP) is a peace
loving and law abiding person who is more interested in the welfare of
his family, education of his kids and least concerned about politics.
It is by compulsion he is asked to join some political rallies. We are
victims of politics and every party has used us for their own hidden
agenda. One particular party collected millions of dollars in our name
all over world and distributed plastic buckets to our people living in
Camps only for media coverage. We do not want to be labeled as
communal because our friends are Muslims, our closest ties are with
Muslims and we welcome them in our homes even today as we know we are
from one race, one place and one ethnicity.

Some people give statements on our behalf and we get a reputation
which we do not belong to. Recently one gentleman talked all nonsense
on T.V. using all vulgar language which is not in our nature or blood.
How can we be represented by insane people like Mr. XYZ? K.P. has no
leader and everybody wants to come in lime light for personal gains.

I belong to a community of pseudo-intellectuals who are able to
lecture on everything in the world, who can dethrone everyone in
Coffee house discussions and can issue "Bata Gazette" while sitting in
the four walls of their A.C. rooms. Every K.P. is a born leader. He
hardly realizes the repercussions of his irresponsible statements. He
is safe in Delhi, Bombay or Chennai but what about others who get
misnomer due to his utterances. Let me make it clear to all Muslim
brothers and sisters that:

 - We have all love & respect for you people because you are our own
people. Our culture, our history, our traditions, our tastes, our
language is same. Outside Kashmir wherever we meet fellow Kashmiri
Muslim we bring him to our place, prepare sheer chai with best 'Malai'
on top – Why? Is he our relative – No! So why we cook Kashmiri dishes
and eat together – Why? Is it appeasement – No! It is love for
motherland, we get psychological satisfaction.

 We do not want anybody to give statements on our behalf. Please leave
us alone. Amaranth is here since many centuries so why make it a
political issue. It was Mr. Malik who discovered it and we have been
paying our respects to lord Shiva jointly. This Yatra is a source of
income to people living in and around Pahalgam – Why snatch their
bread. Let Yatra be managed by people of J & K State only without
outside interference. Yatra should commence only after 'Chadi Mubarak'
leads the procession as was our tradition in the past. Why change the
tradition. If required it may be allowed for another 15 days i.e. for
one month only. It is religious Yatra do not make it Picnic. No
artificial snow should be used and no stone shivling should be allowed
to be installed there. It will hurt our sentiments. Huge traffic has
already destroyed the glacier which is the primary source of water for
Lidder Valley.

 - Please restrict the number of Yatri's for the sake of nature and
ecology. We are not against any community; let us co-exist for the
betterment of our people. Regionalism is not the Solution. We live in
a global village where we can not live in isolation. We are
interdependent so separation is not the Solution.

Europe is United, Berlin wall has fallen, world is coming closer; by
another fifty years there will be no boundaries between nations. Unite
people for the sake of future generation. Stop hate Campaigns, live
and let people live in peace. Every community has 2% hard liners let
98% show their strength.

May God bring Peace and Prosperity to my beloved Kashmir. Tathastoo! Ameen!

Vikram Dhar
Andheri West, Mumbai.
Working with Microsoft