When some sections of Kashmiri Pandits are demanding separate settlements in Kashmir valley, Pyarelal’s family at Inder village in south Kashmir’s militancy hotbed Pulwama district is showing that they can live harmoniously with Muslims at their native village.
Pyarelal’s family is the single Pandit family living with 350 Muslim families for the last 20 years. Pyarelal, who is living with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and a grandchild, never considered migration option that most of his community members opted for.
“When Pandits in Kashmir were leaving their native villages after the eruption of militancy in the state in 1989, my father along with six families of the community, out of 21 in the village, decided to stay,” said Amit Kumar, son of Pyarelal.
He said his mother sensing insecurity for her two minor children told his father to leave, but he decided to stay in the village.
Amit said he had slept after playing cricket with his friends on the day when Charar-e-Sharief was under siege. However, when he woke up in the morning, he found all other houses of his community locked and all his friends gone.
“I was startled at the scene and asked my father where all these people had gone. He did not reply, but said we too must leave. The same day we went to Srinagar and took an apartment on rent,” he said.
“After one year, we returned back to our house in our native village,” Amit said, adding that the administration also offered them security but his family rejected it on the grounds that they did not want to create hurdles for the locals in reaching them.
Amit, while recounting a haunting scene, said when militancy was at its peak, people from the village used to visit them frequently and some even spent nights at their place.
“Most of the Pandit families have sold their lands to the locals,” Amit said, adding that he shared a tube well with his Muslim neighbour.
He said he declined the offer from his relatives to perform his marriage ceremony in Jammu or Delhi.
“How could we celebrate the marriage ceremony in the absence of our neighbours who have been our guardians in the worst of times,” Amit said, adding that although he had invited more than 1,000 people for his marriage ceremony, only 250 attended the ceremony out of which 180 were his Muslim neighbours and friends.
Payrelal’s wife Vijayata said although she had insisted to move out in 1989, she too changed her mind after the locals assured them to be their guardians.
“Except some issues of performing religious rituals due to the absence of community members, we have been living a smooth life despite the absence of our community members,” said Vijayata. She said she was indebted to the locals for their benevolence.
Abdul Hamid Gojri, Pyarelal’s neighbour, said it was his duty to make efforts so that the family does not feel lonely.
Sole Pandit family in Pulwama village never considered migration
