Allahabad - The Kashmir Connection

Prabha Tankha, Calcutta

In the past the Pathan rulers of Kashmir, having seized power from the Moghuls, were instrumental in forcing a mass exodus from Kashmir.  In order to escape the tyranny of the ruling class, many of these migrants came to the plains of Northern India and settled down in places like Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad and Varanasi.

Once considered one of the leading cultural and academic centres of the country, Allahabad played host to a number of Kashmiri families, providing a safe haven where they could rehabilitate themselves.  The community gradually became an important and integral part of the life of the city.

The immigrants soon learnt to adjust and adopt themselves to the demands of the land of their adoption.  They began leaming Urdu and Persian, the languages of the elite at that time and became extremely proficient in these languages.  Within a short span of time they began to achieve success in different walks of life.  The one casualty in the process, however, was their own language.  But, despite this loss, they managed to retain their own individual identity as a community.

Allahabad was a city where many Kashmiris came for educational as well as professional reasons and the community produced eminent lawyers, judges, politicians, civil servants, scholars and academicians.  Of these many went on to attain national and international stature.  In fact, Allahabad had the distinction of being associated with some of the most important Kashmiri names in the country.

The one family which easily comes to mind as among the most prominent in the city was, of course, the Nehru family.  Little remains to be said about them that is not already common knowledge and any attempt at elaboration would be at the risk of repetition.  Right from Pt.  Motilal Nehru, a leading lawyer and political figure spearheading the independence movement, to his son, Pt.  Jawaharlal Nehru, a barrister and the first Prime Minister of Independen India, to Indira Gandhi, Pt.  Jawaharlal Nehru's daughter and India's first, and to date only woman Prime Minister, they all helped to put Allahabad on the world map.  Few can match their sacrifices and achievements.  Aristocratic and extremely westernised, the Nehru family, apart from having lawyers and politicians amongst them also included an ICS like Shri B.K. Nehru, a diplomat like Mrs. Vijaylakshmi Pandit former Indian High Commissioner to U.K., and a writer like Mrs. Pandit's daughter, Nayantara Sahgal.

The legal profession in Allahabad was a major source of attraction for a large number of people from the Kashmiri comunity, who distinguished themselves both in the Bar and on the Bench.  Amongst these Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, Dr. Kailash Nath Katju and Pt.  Tej Narain Mulla are but a few of the well known names.

Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru was bom at Aligarh in 1975.  He matriculated from Agra and went on to do his M.A. in English in 1900.  Then, after getting his law degree he started his legal practice at Moradabad, finally moving to Allahabad to join the Bar in 1898.  He became a Law member, was nominated to the Legislative Assembly in 1913 and appointed to the Viceroy's Executive Council in 1920.  He resigned from the Council in 1922.  In 1931, he went to attend the Round Table Conference.

Like the Nehrus Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru was also considerably influenced by western culture.  He was a prominent figure in the social cirde at Allahabad and a number of visitors were always to be found at his residence every evening.  His professional mantle fell on his sons and grandsons who followed him into the legal profession.

Dr. Kailash Nath Kaqu belonged to a family originally settled at javra in Rajasthan. he matriculated from Lahore and came to Allahabad as a student to study law.  After getting his law degree he went to Kanpur to start his legal practice, but a few years later in 1915, he decided to return to Allahabad to practice at the Allahabad High Court and finally decided to settle there permanently.  Members of his family continue to reside in the city even now.

Soon after Independance in 1947 Dr. Katju was appointed the Governor of Orissa.  Thereafter his career graph shows him holding one important position after another.  In 1948 he became Governor of West Bengal, in 1952 the Home Minister, in 1954 the Defence Minister and in 1956 the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Like him Dr. Katju's sons also took up law as their profession eaming a reputation both as lawyers as well as in the judiciary.  His grandson, Shri Markanday Katju, who is currently a judge of the Allahabad High Court, continues the family traditon.

From amongst the Kunzru family it was Pandit Ajudhianath who decided to come to Allahabad in 1869.  Although the family was well settled at Agra and had a flourishing business there Pt.  Ajudhinath decided to move to Allahabad after the establishment of the Allahabad High Court.  He was appointed the first President of the Allahabad Bar Association.  His move to Allahabad was also partly influenced by a friend of his, one Mr. Tandon, who persuaded him to extend his business prospects there.  Starting from scratch in a new business venture both he and his friend went on to become extremely successful businessmen acquiring much property in the city.

Pt. Ajudhianath's interests extended much beyond the sphere of his profession and his business.  He was deeply interested in social and political activities, in education as well as in journalism.  He founded the 'Indian Herald' to express his views on a number of current issues.

Pt. Ajudhinath's second son, Dr. Hridaynath Kunzru, was born at Allahabad.  The house in which he was bom was later acquired by the Servants of India Society with which he had been closely associated since 1909 and the society's Allahabad office was set up there.

After Pt.  Ajudhianath's death in 1892 the family moved back to Agra.  Their connection to Allahabad was once again revived by my father, Pt.  Gopinath Kunzru, Pt.  Ajudhianath's third son, who, after starting his legal practice at Agra, decided to shift to Allahabad and practice at the Aflahabad High Court.  T'hereafter Allahabad became his home for the rest of his life.  Apart from his professional interests and his keen interest in politics and education, was his deep rooted love for Urdu and Persian poetry.  He had a prodigious memory and could instantly quote innumerable lines from Urdu and Persian poetry to suit every occasion.

In addition to distinguishing themselves in the legal and political fields, Kashmiris from Allahabad also played a prominent part in the sphere of education.  Pt. Iqbal Narain Gurtu was the Vice Chancellor of the Allahabad University, Shri Ram Nath Kaul was Professor of Philosophy and Dr. Tej Narain Shivpuri, Professor in the Science Faculty.

In the area of medicine, two well known names from Allahabad were those of Dr. Jainath Kak, son Sri Sukhdeo Prasad Kak and Dr. Sarveshwar Nath Kaul, who retired from the army and settled in Allahabad.  Both Dr. Kak and Dr. Kaul treated the members of the community free of cost never charging them any fees.  It was gestures like these which created a feeling of kinship and brought the members of the community closer together.

Another factor which contributed towards making the Kashmiris of Allahabad a close knit group was the constant interaction amongst then, especialy at the time of marriages and other social and traditional occasions when an entire community gathered together.  On the occasion of marriages each and every member of the community was invited whether he was acquainted with the hosts or not.  Even a newcomer to the city belonging to the community was welcomed and expected to participate in the functions.

Social customs and traditions were tailored to keep the identity of the conununity intact.  Thus, marriages were strictly within the community and any alliance outside its fold was not only frowned upon but vehemently opposed.  As such, when Pt.  Jawaharlal Nehru's daughter, Indira, married Feroze Gandhi many'orthodox members of the community did not attend the ceremony despite the fact that it was one of most outstanding social events of the time.

On all social occasions including weddings, separate seating arrangements for Kashmiris and non-kashmiris were made at the time of serving meals and no intermingling was allowed for ease of servmg as per eating habits.

In the past this segregation had been one way of preserving the identity of the conununity so that it would not disintegrate and disappear in the broader spectrum of the society into which the migrant Kashmiris had been transplanted.  The conditions were no different in Allahabad.  With changing times, however, customs and traditions have also changed, while many have ceased to exist.  But whatever the conditions may be, for Allahabad, the Kashmiri connection will always be an important part of its history.

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