Bandipur: A Tale of Literary Nostalgia
It is now indeed difficult to imagine how life was in Bandipur before 1980s. By early 1960s, Bandipur had witnessed an emergence of well-educated middle class, mostly in Pandits and a substantial percentage amongst Muslims as well. Bandipur public schools and literary political awakening had a significant role in it. Bandipur, unlike other towns, of Kashmir was not an apple town, but education was perceived as an alternative capital. Pandits mostly were teachers, those who were not were high officials in Delhi, outside Kashmir, like Bhats of Ajar.
Kashmir was reeling between mystification of Great Abdullah’s politics and Bakshi sSahib’s National Conference governance. Between these hard choices, Bandipur represented a silent but powerful, well spread out, emerging structure of The National Congress party. Late Md. Anwar Khan sahib of Kalusa and Kh, Habibullah Bhat of Watapora and Kh, Lone Sahib of Kalusa, and Khazir Parrey sahib were its forerunners. While Bhats of Watapora clan were with Sheikh Sahib mostly, Kh. Kabir Khan, popularly known as Jail Baba, was an open supporter of Bakshi sahib and a running MLA from the town.
He had a delightful taste for poetry and invariably he would organize mushairas at his place, in private houses or at public places. He was known for it. This had posed a challenge for Md. Anwar Khan sahib. He would often ask my father, Raz sahib, not to back it. Raz sahib was an established and respected poet. Raz sahib would tell him that instead of opposing it, he should also create and cultivate literary public outlook. During early 1960s, he would quite often visit us in the evenings, usually for dinners.
He had normally with him two literary guests, Jia Lal Pandita and Ner Kak Kachru. Khan sahib, after the dinner, would invariably render some prayer in Arabic for the family and then literary discussions would start on any topic. The decade of 1960s was full with ‘Bazam-e-Adab’ activities in Bandipur, encouraged by all political parties, supported by N.M. Higher Secondary School Bandipur under the leadership of Mir Mohamad Kazmi Sahib and later on by the persuasions of Principal Muhammed Usman Fazli sahib. Our schools and homes were organically linked.
Many years later, when my father was in Banaras, I would take him to Mushairas but he would never be excited about it. While I would enjoy it, to my surprise, even Khumar Barabankvi would no more enthrall him. The loss of home in Bandipora had such an impact on him that gradually he shifted to spiritual mode completely. He would not talk about his lost prose or poetry. I knew he was missing his Bandipur immensely and would normally avoid speaking about it. Conversations after 1990s had been essentially about displacement, militancy, deaths and of segregated new literature. He was not happy about it. During one refreshing evening conversation, I asked him what were they discussing after dinners with Khan sahib and other friends in early 1960s. To my amazement he told me they would discuss all things, including politics and spirituality. He reminisced about an interesting evening when he would discuss with his friends about Quranic verses and Gita ji. Both J.L. Pandita and Ner Kak Kachru sahib were erudite, in-depth scholars of Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit. My father was also linguistically sound. Then he narrated me an incident of early 1960s.
Once Jail Baba, Muhammed Kabir Khan sahib, the powerful MLA of Bandipur had come to know that my father had hosted dinner for Muhammed Anwar Khan sahib, his rival. It had annoyed him a little. It took my father some days to regain him on a condition that they would organize a mushaira and render the verses which they had cited in that eventful evening and he would preside over. The fact was that that evening Ner Kak had initiated spiritual talk on Gita ji and the holy Quran. He enquired if there was something something akin to the shlok of Gita ji ‘Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana’, in holy Quran. Jia Lal Pandita responded that in holy Quran everything is God desired so it might not be the same, but interpretation is similar in quoting of Sura 11 and Sura 15 of holy Quran. Such was the ambiance after dinners and rich were the contents of the conversations in the micro settings of Bandipur. And when the Mushaira was held, Raz Sahib had recited the poem, which had a verse emerging from the evening discussions. The verse is:
‘Yeh sari mehrbaniya ik tere nazar ki hai
Suzan se kabhi mera kya chaak jigar silta’
This verse since then has remained with me. It means that ‘my accomplishments are because of my submission to God with subdued tears pleased my God, such as He produced that sanctified thread, which could stitch my wounds. I am nothing. My needle could have done nothing had that blessed contact with God not produced the yarn.’
The verse skilfully juxtaposes faith and karma (Amal) with submission and devotion to have worldly achievements as well. Faith with true submission could be substantiated with righteous karma to have desired results.
My father left us in 2010. Since then I have been discovering him each day afresh. How sad it has been that we could not assemble those cherished literary gems from Bazam-e-Adab of Bandipur. It got lost, unrecorded and mostly unpublished in the subsequent turmoil and wasted years of Kashmir. When afresh tried, in contested times, only segregated literature is being accrued. This is not the Bandipura we knew before 1990s. Bandipura may again witness literary discussions and mushairas, but segregated and in isolated mode would only be revealing the missing aromas more than accomplished apparition.
‘Suroore sehri, na nagma-e-shab, na absharu key ho tarane
Gulon kay dum se rahegi akhir Bahar ki abru kahan tak’
A fresh start means holistic line. Let us give our huge cultural spiritual blended capital a chance to grow in a holistic way and not in a separated mode.
Prof. Ashok Kaul, Retired Professor of Sociology at Banaras Hindu University
