Editorial
It gives me both pride and
pleasure to be associated with another issue of the Annual Vitasta.
KASHYAP BANDHU CENTENARY NUMBER
"KASHMIRI PANDIT REFORMATION AND GLOBAL
DIASPORA".
Kashmiri Pandits over the centuries have been often at
the receiving end of persecution and maltreatment at the hands of rulers and the
powers that be. This situation has given rise to a diaspora which besides
directly affecting the community through a change of location has also forced it
to adopt and adapt itself to different living conditions not only in India but
in different parts of the world as well.
Social reform is a continuous and ongoing process and
no society has been able to keep itself sheltered from external forces of
change. Throughout the world there are examples of societies facing
constant influences on their behavioural patterns. When faced with these
influences it is often a matter of time before societies have to make
re-adjustments in order to keep pace with the world outside. The changes
that result thereafter have impact on not only the social aspect but also
economic and political behaviour. As such social reforms have wide ranging
impacts on other facets of life, it is essential to make an assessment of social
changes that may have been brought about as a result of reform movements.
Pandit Kashyap Bandhu as is evident from the plethora of published material on
him as well as his own writings, was a star in the firmament of the Kashmiri
Pandit community. Besides being an exceptional journalist, he was a true
people's leader - a leader who understood the pulse of the people, diagnosed
their problems and offered simple yet effective means to their survival.
It is however left to us to continue his line of social reform in our own way
and in our own times. Social change is not the domain of one single entity
and is neither a process which has an end.
Whilst putting together this volume of the Vitasta
Annual Number, I have been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response received to
the request for sending in articles / published material on Kashyap Bandhu and
relevant to our theme. Though it has not been possible to publish all the
material received therein, owing to constraints of space, I wish to put on
record our appreciation for the efforts put in by all the contributors of
articles/published material on the relevant theme. For the purpose of
comprehension, I have segregated the English portion of this Annual Number into
six sections:
- Life and thoughts of Kashyap Bandhu
- Writings of Kashyap Bandhu
- Tributes to Kashyap Bandhu
- Kashmiri Pandit Movements
- Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora in India
- Kashmiri Pandit Overseas Diaspora
The first three sections give us an insight into the life,
thoughts, writings and social reforms initiated by Pandit Kashyap Bandhu.
The third section in particular contains tributes by various eminent
personalities of the Kashmiri Pandit community to Kashyap Bandhu. Section
IV highlights the general reform movement initiated by Kashmiri Pandits within
and outside Kashmir together with two important movements in Kashmir - the Rishi
movement and the Parameshwari movement. The fifth and sixth section deals
with Kashmiri Pandit diaspora in India and abroad. A special mention here
must be made of Sameer Munshi's four poems which deserve appreciation, as well
as a prize winning essay titled "Civil disobedience in Thoreau and
Gandhi" by Ashu Daftari. The tailpiece is an article titled 'Kashmir:
The roots of our culture" by Dr.K. N.Pandita which is essential to attain
an understanding of our origins.
I thank Dr. B. K. Moza, our Editor-in-Chief for once
again entrusting me with the responsibility of editing this Annual Number and
for being the prime mover behind this Issue. Dr. Moza has taken great
pains to collect and cull material relevant to this year's theme and develop the
same. I also thank the contributors support year after year, to our
printer Shri Sengupta who never fails and my family for giving me crucial
support while at work on this issue.
Namaskar
Rajiv Sapru
April 2000
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Preface
