Panun Kashmir – Kashmiri Pandit Holocaust day : ‛‛Nishkasan Ka Dard – 2021: Online community night vigil’’
New Delhi : In continuation of Panun Kashmir’s month long Holocaust month campaign, Youth 4 Panun Kashmir (Y4PK), along with Roots In Kashmir (RIK), Kashmiri Samiti Delhi (KSD), Panun Kashmir ReHinGe, Kashmiri Pandit Cultural Society UK (KPCS-UK), and Kashmiri Overseas Association,Canada (KOAC), organized a ‘Community night vigil: Nishkasan Ka Dard’, on the intervening night of 19th and 20th Jan 2021 on the occasion of 30th Kashmiri Pandit Holocaust Day.
The community night vigil was organized over a Zoom call on account of ensuring social distancing and health safety of all in the current pandemic times. Across the globe, Community members set up a night vigil outside their homes – some in their balconies, while some were on the terraces of their homes, and some others in their backyards.
Over 350 community members connected over the Zoom call with over 18 thousand online views ,they spent the night together sharing their real anecdotes and experiences from their time in Kashmir valley, and also reflecting back on the last 31 years of exile and their resolve for their return to their homeland!
This was a very unique and special way for them to re-live the pain of their exodus, celebrate their resilience while in exile, and reaffirm their resolve to return to their homeland as per their own conditions that ensure reversal of the genocide and ensures the community doesn’t suffer again.
Lot of heart wrenching anecdotes were shared that brought to light the life of a second-grade citizen that the community experienced in an Independent democratic India from 1947 to 1989/90. Prominent members who shared their expression included,, Kamal Hak ,Pran Raina, Suraj Raina, Hira Fotedar, Mukesh Peshin, Chandji Pandita and was summarized by noted writer Dr. Amarnath Malmohi.
Debunking the myth that it was on insistence of Governor Jagmohan that the community left their homes in 1990, Sumeer Chrangoo ,Satish Sher, B L Bhat, Shadi Lal Bakshi, Shivani Razdan Chowdhary, Rohit Ravi Bhat, Digambar Raina, Rupesh Pandita, Kuldeep Raina expressed various incidents related to the struggle in last 30 yrs faced by the community and was summarized by Dr Agnishekhar that left everyone in tears in the session that highlighted Struggle in exile.
The community not only reflected on the genocide and the extreme pain they have gone through, but they also celebrated their resilience of last three decades. They narrated many stories of people having picked up from extreme conditions of poverty and loss to educating their children who at present excel in almost all fields.
Pooja Ganju from Canada, Lakshmi Kaul from UK, Shailendra Aima, Bihari Lal Koul, Amit Raina,Sanjay Raina, Rahul Kaul and was summarized by Sushil Pandit highlighting the resilience shown by the community in their struggle in exile.
The event started at 10pm at night and continued well into the dawn till 5 am with people energetically venting out their hearts and passionately talking about their demands and their resolve to ensure justice is served and the community returns to their homeland on their terms while ensuring complete non-refoulement.
Kuldeep Raina passionately brought out the determination of the community, “The stories shared thus far make it amply clear that the community has endured upon them a well-planned genocide on religious grounds. The only way to ensure justice is to punish the culprits and provide constitutional guarantees of return of the community to their homeland ensuring they can lead their lives with honor and dignity, and they never have to face another exodus from their homeland. Margdarshan resolution of 1991 is the only solution and we will stop at nothing less!”
Tito Ganju explained the criticality of the Panun Kashmir Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Bill. Concluding the session, Dr Ajay Chrungoo stressed upon the resolve and conviction that each and every community member needs to maintain to achieve their most cherished dream.
Complete Recorded Video Link –
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=370816344257779&id=1018174951549354
