EVER SINCE MILITANCY forced Kashmiri Pandits to leave the state in the late 1980s, they have found themselves at the centre of debates in places big and small, from tea stalls to newsrooms to Parliament.
The latest debate stemmed from the film The Kashmir Files, which its makers and some politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, described as the correct portrayal of atrocities the militants committed against Kashmiri Pandits. Social media burned for weeks with users lobbing allegations from both sides. There were calls to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Pandits and punish those who hurt them.
While the film’s success and the impending elections in Jammu and Kashmir could speed up the Pandits’ return to Kashmir, several of them have already, quietly, been making their way back. Satish Mahaldar, for one, believes it is time to shun the bitterness and move on. He heads the Jammu and Kashmir Peace Forum (JKPF), which works for the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits. The organisation wants the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government to take steps for the return of the Pandits without delay. Mahaldar has been visiting Kashmir regularly and claims that even separatists are on board with his plans. In 2019, separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told a JKPF delegation that Kashmiri Muslims were incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits, and that the Hurriyat would do everything for their safe return.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI