Jigree-My Kinship Carer Mother

 

    One mother gave me birth, and the other brought me up. I am more indebted to the latter, who looked after me from the age of twelve onwards. In fact, she was my father's sister, a kinship carer, who had been a victim of child marriage and was widowed at a very young age. Her name was Mandhodari Budki, which changed to Pranashuri Chowdhury after marriage. We fondly called her Jigree. I learnt that her husband was handsome and intelligent but didn't live long. She spent her days with her parents and later on with her sister, but her greatness was that she loved her in-laws' family, which was joint and comprised more than twenty individuals at one time. Consequently, they adored and respected her throughout her life, so much so that, under divine intervention, she went to Jammu to visit her in-laws in 1988 and breathed her last there. Though she had adopted her brother-in-law as her son, the relationship was more formal than emotional. After my mother's death in 1962, when I was just twelve, she joined our family and looked after her brother and four naughty children, three girls and one boy. 

    Jigree was quiet, unassuming and pragmatic. She didn't like extravagance and showing off. She was frugal, and her eating habits were minimal, just a few morsels and that was all. No snacks, no tasty foods, and no temptations. She was an epitome of contentedness, always wary of the evil eye of the people. I remember once a distant Muslim neighbour asked her which class I was studying in. She replied, "I am uneducated and don't know much about it. It is something after matriculation, most probably."  Surprisingly, I was in M.Sc. Botany; her son was a professor of Botany, and I often consulted him. Jigree never scolded anyone or talked loudly to show her disapproval. Despite being uneducated, she was very intelligent, and even elderly ladies, particularly from her in-laws, would consult her to solve domestic problems and even seek guidance on living a better life. I once noticed her advising a young, newly married lady to peel the bark from firewood, put it in her mouth, and hold it tightly with her teeth whenever she anticipated her mother-in-law's wrath. When I asked, she told me that since she couldn't reply to her mother-in-law, the latter would get exhausted and stop frowning at her. In most cases, it worked.

    Many misfortunes visited our family. My father had three accidents one after the other during winter. First, he fell from his bicycle and broke his hip joint and femur bone. We consulted a doctor, but the matter worsened. One of our relatives advised us to see someone who was a sock-maker for a living but was also a bonesetter. He mostly used local herbs after resetting the affected bones. He came, removed the doctor's plaster, pulled the leg a few times, and then prescribed several herbs to be boiled, ground, and applied over the entire area. Then he bandaged it for two days. The process of boiling herbs was repeated and applied to the hip repeatedly till the leg recovered and started moving. After about a month, my father could move but couldn't ride a bicycle. So he walked to his office, a distance of 4-5 kms, every day.  One day, while returning from the office, his shoelaces got loose; he raised his leg and placed it on the wooden ledge of a shop to tighten them. No sooner had he kept his foot on the ledge than a big signboard of the shop fell on his foot due to the heavily accumulated snow behind it. My father writhed in pain; his foot was swollen due to a fracture of the ankle bones, and the foot resembled a foot having elephantiasis. Somehow, a few people managed to carry him home. Again, the bone setter worked a miracle, and by March my father had recovered. Because of his meagre salary and heavy expenditure, he couldn't afford to take auto-rickshaws every day. So he tried riding the bicycle again and, after a few days, had yet another fall, but the injury was minor compared to the earlier one, and he recovered soon. That whole winter was a nightmare not only for him but for his sister, Jigree, as well, who left no stone unturned to nurse him, prepare the herbs, paste them on the injured area and bandage the affected part heavily and securely. She had to stay awake for many nights when her brother would cry due to unbearable pain. Jigree managed it all single-handedly and ensured her brother was back to normal. Mother Teresa would have been no match for her. 

    I faced turmoil when I had to appear for my M. Sc. (Previous) examination. Frustrated, I decided to give up my studies and seek a job. She was startled. One day, as she served me breakfast, she asked, "Why don't you want to appear in your examination?" In reply, I gave her my reasons. She was as cool as a cucumber and said, "Do you know why I have joined this family after your mother's death?" Without waiting for my answer, she continued, "It is for you and you alone. Your sisters will get married and go their way, but you are the scion and pride of my brother's family and carry further the mantle of his name. You need to save my grey hair from disgrace, failure and dishonour." She didn't say anything more, but it moved me, and I reassembled my life, appeared for my examination, and was successful. As a result, my one year was not wasted. 

    Even regarding my marriage, she warned me that I was making the wrong choice. She gave her reasons, but I didn't appreciate them then. Her prophecy proved correct. The marriage proved a total failure, and looking back, I think my obstinacy proved me wrong.  

    Her only regret in her life was that she was not educated. Had she been a matriculate, she could have got a decent job and lived her life independently and much more gracefully. But that was not to be. A song she often hummed: "Awaz de kahan hai, duniya meri jawan hai; Abaad mere dil mein umeed ka jahan hai, duniya meri jawan hai; Barbad main yahan hun, Abaad tu kahan hai, Bedard aasman hai, duniya meri jawan hai." The song portrayed her life more than her autobiography could.

Apart from being indebted to her for whatever she did for me, I love her intensely and remember her at every moment of my life. 

*****

Rishton Ke Maheen Reshe: Ashma Kaul – Deepak Budki

 

       Rishton Ke Maheen Reshe: Ashma Kaul

                           – Deepak Budki

A collection of Hindi short stories titled ‘Rishton Ke Maheen Reshe’ authored by Ms Ashma Kaul has been published recently in the year 2025 by India Netbooks Private Limited, Noida-201301.

Asthma Kaul was born in Srinagar, Kashmir and educated at Delhi University. She retired as a Gazetted Officer from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India. She has to her credit ten collections of poems and a collection of Mini short stories, besides the present book. Her book, ‘Jannat-e-Kashmir’, has been translated into English. Moreover, she has edited a collection of poems titled ‘Inder Danush Kavita Ka’ and has received many awards for her publications. Ashma Kaul grew up in a joint family where relationships were valued, and due emphasis was placed on maintaining their sacredness, as opposed to the fragility of relationships in modern nuclear families. For her, the intimacy of blood relations matters greatly in human life, and he who is blessed with the love of a father, mother, and siblings is very fortunate. 

The present collection contains 24 short stories, most of which are centred on family life and the value of interrelationships. The very first story, Aankhen, reveals the central character's attachment to her mother’s watchful blue eyes, the loss of which leaves her despondent. ‘Yatra’ reminds me of Urdu poet Zafar’s couplet, “Umre daraz mang kar laye the char din; do arzoo mein cut gaye, do intezar mein.” The central character of this story yearns to travel with her husband, but her wish remains unfulfilled. At last, her son decides to take her to the USA, but unfortunately, she leaves for her eternal journey before going with her son. In the short story ‘Grahasti’, a mirror is held up to society, which brags of providing security to the women of India. It also reflects the fragile relations between life partners as the husband disowns his beloved for no fault of hers. ‘Adrishya Dewar’ is a sad reminder of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley. A Pandit family visits their ancestral home in the valley after 30 years, and, to their surprise, is received with love and affection by the people there, who also show remorse for what happened in 1990. Another story reflecting the present-day social crisis is ‘Doodh Ka Qarz’, where the parents are abandoned by their children due to incompatibility. Abandoning elderly parents has been a dominant theme in many of the author's short stories. ‘Niyat’ and ‘Pyari Ki Ardas’ also have a similar theme.

‘Amma Ka Roothna’ revolves around longing and expression of love; ‘Badi Bahu Kamla’ paints the train of misfortunes faced by a woman in her life; the cycle of Karma is shown in ‘Samay Ka Khel’ where during youth, the father has no time for his children and later when he grows old, children have no time for him, and ‘Maan Ki Chita Ke Phool’ depicts altruism and selfless love of a mother. Atonement by an alcoholic gambler, who mortgages his son for inability to pay his debt, is portrayed in ‘Prayshchit’; ‘Waham’ is a story based on superstition; ‘Faisla’ proves the adage that blood is thicker than water, and ‘Yadon Ke Anmol Dastavez’ throws light on a steel trunk which contains many old, priceless letters. Furthermore, ‘Maan Ki Aakhri Khwahish’ highlights the reaction of elder son at the death of his mother as he carries a grudge against her that she loved her younger son more than him; in ‘Garbpaat’ communal riots cause abortion of a pregnant woman; ‘Dhal’ is a story based on inferiority complex and incompatibility; while in the story ‘God Bharai’ the wish of an infertile woman is fulfilled and surprisingly, she is duly supported by her in-laws. The story ‘Pareeksha’ sheds light on the cost a woman pays for pursuing her studies after marriage, to the point where her children feel completely neglected, and the family is disrupted. 

Ashma Kaul's stories feature a variety of themes and characters.  Her diction and style are simple, direct and vivid. She weaves the story with finesse and chooses her characters to support her thoughts and ideas. Her stories are didactic, conveying a hidden message to the reader without overburdening them. I feel that she has a bright future ahead in her endeavours, and if she persists, she will make a name for herself.

*****   

   

   

U-Turn: A Saga of Agony & Ecstasy: Dr Gauri Shankar Raina – Deepak Budki

 

           U-Turn: A Saga of Agony & Ecstasy 

           – Deepak Budki

Kashmir has, of late, produced many fiction writers both within and outside the Valley. The latter were forced to settle outside Kashmir due to the rise of militancy in the early nineties. Nevertheless, the writings of both groups are like two sides of the same coin: one depicts the suffering of people living in the Valley, and the other portrays the nightmare migrants endured during and after the exodus. Many of them are vitriolic in their outpourings, depicting the pain and tribulation their community has endured over the last thirty-five years. 

Gauri Shankar Raina's collection of short stories titled 'U-Turn and Other Stories', published by Niyogi Books, New Delhi, in 2025, is a valuable addition to this series. He has penned these short stories in Kashmiri. At the same time, Pankaj Bhan, an English academic and editor of the journal 'Meeras', published by Kasheer Foundation, has eloquently and comprehensively translated them into English. 

Born in Srinagar in 1955, Dr Gauri Shankar holds a doctorate from JLN University and is a well-known writer, playwright, translator and filmmaker. He started writing during his school days and adopted the pen name 'Mast'. He is proficient in Kashmiri, Hindi and English with around two dozen publications in Hindi and Kashmiri to his credit. Professionally, he remained associated with Doordarshan Srinagar. 

The book 'U-Turn' contains twelve short stories, predominantly set in Kashmir and focusing on its culture before and after militancy. He has consciously refrained from hyperbole and evaded narrating horrifying events of the militancy era to maintain a secular undercurrent and continue the thread of togetherness of Kashmiris called Kashmiryat.  

The first and a significant short story 'U-Turn' deals with the most topical subject, environmental degradation, especially of Dal Lake, besides the apathy of the State Government and bureaucracy towards tackling this grave problem, which frustrates a sincere, honest and internationally acclaimed environmentalist, A R Bhat, who undergoes a bout of depression and ultimately seeks an escape route.

As a Botanist, I have witnessed this phenomenon with a heavy heart during my long stay in Srinagar. I have watched the silting of Dal Lake, quarrying in the foothills of Shankracharya, and encroachments in Pahalgam, Gulmarg, and Sonmarg right under the noses of politicians who were expected to protect them. Even the mountains of Amarnath and Vaishnodevi have been disfigured under the pretext of temple tourism.

'A Journey by Bus' is a story of love at first sight between two young co-passengers on a day-long bus journey from Jammu to Srinagar that, unfortunately, ends in a fiasco, thereby highlighting the disadvantages of stratification in Hindu society. The writer also presents a panoramic view of the picturesque hill stations en route.

Another story is titled 'Babuji's Miracle', which deals with a social evil prevalent in our country called land and property grabbing by gangsters who have political clout, and therefore, the police and judiciary are ineffective against them. A person whose property is under siege cleverly tricks the usurper by clandestinely circulating a rumour that the earmarked property is haunted, as ghosts are said to inhabit it. This forces the grabber to give up its claim on it. 

The short story 'Boarding Card' again reflects the orthodox and conservative nature of Kashmiri Pandit society, as in 'A Journey by Bus'. A handsome young Kashmiri man working at the Airport falls in love with Lora, a model from Berlin seeking a break in Bollywood. He wants to marry her, but his family disagrees. Later on, he learns that she is suffering from Mesothelioma, a rare lung cancer and may not live long. He, in turn, informs his parents, and the same conservative parents advise him not to ditch her and instead marry her. She, however, decides to go and join her mother in Berlin.

'He and She' is a story set in modern life, with fragile bonds shadowed by material gain. It narrates a love affair that bears no fruit; the two get separated, the girl becomes an event manager, while the boy remains a poor artist. After a long time, he is commissioned to present a programme in Mumbai, where he meets the same girl in the garb of the event manager, but she refuses to recognise him. This prompts him to reconsider the relationship and accept a colleague's pending proposal.

'Interlude' is a story about a thanatophobic person, Shibanji, who undergoes a surrealistic experience that opens the door to his subconscious and unconscious mind. He confides in his close friend, who, too, is greatly worried, yet reassures him. While preparing for his inevitable death, he tries to expedite the nominations on his bank accounts and pension papers. Surprisingly, after some time, he recuperates, and his friend feels happy to see him again in good spirits.

'Mannequins' is an impressive, thought-provoking and symbolic story. It is a story of an uprooted Kashmiri migrant, Vinod, who is forced to move along with his ailing wife from Jammu to Chandigarh and finally to Delhi in search of shelter and employment, besides the availability of AIIMS, where he wants his wife with a terminal illness to get proper medical attention. Being skilled in draping mannequins, his employer once ordered him to get a mannequin from a distant market. He thinks about the mannequins, which to him are inanimate idols, yet when draped and beautified, they attract customers. He is led to a store where he faints, and later, after recovery, he carries the mannequin to his shop. On reaching the shop, he receives a message that his wife, Prabha, is in serious condition. He rushes to his house, takes his wife to AIIMS, tries to console her, but all along he thinks of Death and His justice and prays that his wife should be relieved from the unbearable pain.

In the story 'Home Coming', the writer recounts the journey of Kashi Nath, who visits Kheer Bhawani (Abode of Goddess Ragñya) along with other Kashmiri Pandit devotees. He is seen by his Muslim neighbour, who insists that he should stay with them for a few days. He and his son enjoy the neighbour's hospitality. While he visits his old house in the neighbourhood, his neighbour returns to him all the precious things he had recovered from his house and preserved, and his son goes on an errand with the neighbour's son. He does not return in the evening or the following day, which makes his father anxious. Fortunately, he returns the day after, accompanied by a policeman who informs the parents that he was rounded up by the police, suspecting him to be one of the miscreants, and only after verification has he been released and brought here for handing over to his parents. This relieves Kashi Nath, who wastes no time in leaving the Valley the next morning.

'Reverie' reflects a person's emotions as he remembers his partner, who departed from this mortal world long ago.  

The next story in the book is 'The Shroud Maker', a poignant tale of a master craftsman who earns his livelihood as a tailor and focuses on educating his children. A known, respectable social worker persuades him to sew some shrouds for the disposal of the dead. He accepts the gratuitous work but loses his clientele as a result. People get angry about him doing that kind of job. He is ostracised and forced to leave the place for good. After a long time, the equation changes when his daughter returns to the same place as the District Magistrate.

'The Umbrella Man' is yet another touching story in which a starving man, abandoned by his employer and friends, takes up a low-grade occupation repairing umbrellas against the wishes of his acquaintances. Later, due to militancy, his family is uprooted, but his daughter pursues her goals and gets a job in a foreign bank, which totally changes their status. She carries her father with her to the astonishment of all who looked down upon them earlier. The woes of Kashmiri Pandits, refugees in their own land, are very effectively narrated in this story by the author.

The last story in the book is 'Cave', in which a group of archaeologists is on an expedition to unearth the secrets of a cave in Kashmir, but heavy rains prevent them from doing so. As one of them, a Kashmiri Pandit, walks down the hill, which is brimming with water, he is overwhelmed by the scenery as he visualises how the Valley must have looked when it was Satisar lake, thus mentally exploring his own past.     

  

Shankar's short stories mostly revolve around human travesties and the endeavours of their protagonists to overcome adversity. His characters are strong, analytical, and often spiritual, and they exude a 'never give up' attitude. In Mannequins, he has highlighted the fact that Kashmiri Migrants concentrated on the education of their children at the expense of their own health and comfort.

The writer remains optimistic about the future of Kashmir and its syncretic culture. He often experiences nostalgia for life in Kashmir and reminisces about his past. Most of his recollections find mention in his stories like description of an abandoned house in 'Boarding Card', the view of Vitasta (River Jhelum) in the evening with floating lighted earthen lamps, crossing the river by shikaras (boats), a bird's eye view of Habbakadal (A bridge in Srinagar bubbling with life) in 'The umbrella Man', visit to abandoned house, sudden public demonstrations and police excesses in 'Home Coming',  life in the refugee camp in Delhi in 'He and She', life in one-room Barsati given to him as refugee in Delhi, and purchase of Himachal apples in 'Mannequins'. 

The writing style is very smooth and captivating, further underscoring the dexterity and artistry of the original Kashmiri language. The author remains a passive narrator, neither imposing himself on the text nor using melodramatic expressions to describe situations that otherwise could have led him to do so. In the end, I congratulate both the author for such excellent fiction and the translator for a beautiful translation. 

*****   

Shabnam’s Parting Gift to Kashmiri Literature — Deepak Budki

 

 Shabnam’s Parting Gift to Kashmiri Literature

— Deepak Budki

Two books written by Omkar Nath ‘Shabnam’, a known Kashmiri humorist and satirist, have been published posthumously by his wife, Anjali Bhat, in 2024, titled ‘Myein Kath-Wachi Pyatha Vaishali Taam’ (Autobiography) and ‘Harf Katstam Rudim Toti Baqi’ (Collection of Poems). Before these, his poetry collection ‘Tyoth Modur’ was published in 1988. All his life, he enthralled listeners with his humorous poetry in Mushaiaras and on the radio. 

Born on 12 January 1945 in Wachi, Shopian, Kashmir, Omkar Nath Bhat (Pen name ‘Shabnam’) was adopted by his widowed grandmother’s sister and grew up in Zainapora until her death, after which he rejoined his parents. He lost his siblings, except his younger brother, who is also a poet. In his short autobiography, Omkar Nath nostalgically recounts the ups and downs of his life and describes the relatives who mattered to him. He also relates important anecdotes that added spice to his life’s journey. Shabnam has narrated an interesting account of how Som Nath Sadhu, Agha Sahib of ‘Zoone Dab’, visited his house to fulfil his father's wishes, and, after a warm welcome, lost his prized pen, which was found after his departure and sent to him the next morning. He has also given glimpses of the said programme, which was very popular in those days. Other anecdotes concern the reactions of various poets to his poetry, etc. He recalls that at his primary school in Wachi, the medium of instruction was Kashmiri. He joined the middle school at Zainapora and stayed with his adopted mother, but unfortunately lost his actual mother in 1959. 

He was introduced to writing by the famous Kashmiri writer Arjan Dev Majboor, who taught at his school. He accompanied Majboor Sahib to Mushairas and met well-known poets such as Dina Nath Nadim, etc. Other influencers were his maternal uncle Daya Ram Kastoor and Radhey Nath Masarat. After passing the 8th standard examination, he joined the high school in Bijbehara, from where he completed his matriculation. Moreover, he obtained a degree in Basic Education Course and joined the teaching profession as a primary school teacher. 

Shabnam started writing poetry in 1965 with a Tarhi Nazm in the daily Khadmat, a couplet from which is reproduced hereunder: 

Myeti Zoal chael chael danus zyun,

Tohe keth paeth baele tchapan naar

Afterwards, he continued to write for all the prominent Urdu and Kashmiri journals and newspapers, as well as for Yuva Vani and Radio Kashmir. He was transferred from place to place during his career. At Saraf Kadal, Srinagar, he was fortunate to meet Ghulam Nabi Firaq and Hasrat Gadda, the former of whom became his Ustad and taught him the nuances of poetic diction. Later, he was shifted to Kapran, where he met poets, viz. Naji Munawwar and Shafi Shauq. At this juncture, he had to leave his ill mother alone in the house. His pain and helplessness are portrayed in his poem, ‘Maej’. Three couplets: 

Ye chu maje pyomut thane suy baluk,

Maeng maeng yus taem hyut astanun;

Hu chaey motus saet dabe dabe karwen,

Ye che nazrav nishe tus waryah door…….

Yem shure kut taam tchepi tchor gindan,

Mae che aalav aalav Maej divaan

It was during his stay at Kaparan that he responded to an invitation from Radio Kashmir for young poets to submit their poems, and his poem was selected. Thereafter, he became a regular on Yuva Vani and AIR programmes. It is here that he got another guide, Autar Krishen Rehbar, who taught him to focus on his strengths, i.e. humour and satire, instead of trying his hand at every genre. As a result, Shabnam became very popular and was always cheered on in Mushaiaras. After about five months, his Officer was impressed by his recitation of poetry at a Mushaira, which prompted his transfer to Zainapora, near his home, where he stayed for almost 15 years. As per his assertion, he was thus convinced that “Pen is mightier than the sword.” While in service, he completed his graduation in 1973, post-graduation in Persian in 1976, in Kashmiri in 1983, and B.Ed. in 1978.

In May 1990, he had to migrate from the valley along with his community members due to militancy. He initially stayed in Jammu for some time, but in view of employment opportunities for his children, he shifted to Delhi-NCR and ultimately settled in Vaishali, Ghaziabad. In Delhi, he himself was employed as a translator and later as a newsreader in Kashmiri at the AIR. Here, too, he remained associated with Kashmiri literary associations and contributed to magazines. Various organisations awarded him many prizes.

As regards ‘Shabnam’s latest collection of poems titled ‘Harf Katstam Rudim Toti Baqi’, it has 32 poems, including 4 ghazals, apart from introductory essays by Moti Lal Kaul ‘Naaz’, Roop Krishen Bhat and Ms Anjali Bhat, wife of Late Omkar Nath ‘Shabnam’. The poems are mostly humorous and portray human behaviour in the contemporary age, his personal experiences, and the evil practices prevalent in our modern society. As per Richard G. Scott, “ A good sense of humour is an escape valve for the pressures of Life.” Suffice it to say that humour is a gift from God to Shabnam, and it is subtle and thought-provoking. He often uses satire to poke at the dying embers of the unresponsive society's fire. The poem ‘Zang’, and quatrains like ‘Tukh’ and ‘Parody’ are the best examples. 

1. Ratus dohus vaze chaie, kus kheye te kus kare zaye;

Gushtabe maran graye, Ristan andar sarmaye, 

Tchaman te palak draye, aeke tyoth te aek mung myooth,

Kastam chu sapdan looth, kastam chu sapdan looth.           (Looth)

2. Demand vemand ti ma kaerev; Kore maelis panun hub,

Chequey hargah ditchin, ratav; tath kya karav su gaye zang.(Zang)

3. Manz Wandus akh sheene maharaze wuchum khandar karan,

Salarav maend rub te dub lug yazmanus manz aangnus (Parody)

His humorous poems are interspersed with some serious ones, which are a direct result of the pain and agony he suffered in early life due to separation from his biological mother and migration in old age, which made him extra-sensitive. Examples are ‘Maej’, ‘Yaad’ and ‘Sarfaene’. In his poem ‘Okus Bokus’, he seeks to realise himself. In ‘Shamat’, he portrays the nightmare he underwent due to the militant uprising in Kashmir, while in ‘Raete Koul’, he describes the pain and suffering he faced after migrating out of the valley. In ‘Praznath’, he questions why people nurture hate. The poem ‘Ghush’ reminds us of Aesop's tale of a woodcutter and a goddess.

1. Kanh zan deyi kadlus naar tchallav kut,

Vyethe vaenis mileve su khak wanav kus.

    2) Yeli reshtis watte lug dugnyaruk,

Gaye nazre te napaak wanav kus

    3) Gharan qulaf te waanan falav dith naerav,

Saeriy gatchav jamah, yas nish yus hethyar chu,

Su heth naerav jehadus,

Tethuy ditch bronthe kanek hamsaye kaet aek,

Lut lut kraekh, mukhbirus ditchekh goel

Kaefir morukh, Kaem? Koche gale manze pritchus kore ake…

Even on his deathbed, he never lost his sense of humour while interacting with his doctors and nurses. He wrote:

Mae chu door tchallun, tchyen dith rishtan

Kenh praevith, path kun travun az.  

After going through the above books, I felt that if Shabnam Sahab had also concentrated on prose writing, he would have greatly enriched Kashmiri literature. His style is unique and precise; he uses similes and metaphors frequently to adorn his prose.

*****

DEHATI-A SYMBOL OF PASSION AND PATRIOTISM – Deepak Budki

 

DEHATI-A SYMBOL OF PASSION AND PATRIOTISM

                               – Deepak Budki

There are many unsung poets and writers in Kashmiri literature; Gangadhar Bhat ‘Dehati’ is one of them. He contributed to both Urdu and Kashmiri, though Kashmiri was his mainstay. During his lifetime, he was not able to publish his writings, which, however, were done posthumously by his worthy son Kuldeep Kumar Bhat by compiling, editing and publishing his combined collection of poems in Kashmiri and Urdu titled ‘Sontuk Partav’ in 2024.

   Gangadhar Bhat was born in Murran, Pulwama, on 7th February 1917. After completing his Post-graduation (Hon’s) in Urdu and B.Ed., he took to teaching in the State Department of Education in 1943, with a short stint on deputation as editor of Dehati Duniya from 1951 to 1954. He also obtained a Prabhakar degree in Hindi. Gangadhar started writing when he was just 14 years old and a student in the 9th class; his first short story was titled ‘Khooni Tamanna’, which was published in the Daily Martand, Srinagar. He adopted the pen name of ‘Dilkash Kashmiri’ but soon changed it to ‘Dehati’. From 1938 onwards, he remained associated with the Weekly Desh owned by the great social reformer and freedom fighter, Kashyap Bandhu. 

Dehati wrote Urdu and Kashmiri short stories, poems (ghazals, nazms and Qata’at), dramas, and essays on social and political topics. His ghazals are mostly continuous and, like his nazms, deal with his favourite subjects such as existence, struggle, equality, justice and patriotism. A few couplets are reproduced here:

1) Gahe chum qatre bapat tamblawan,

        Gahe baer baer thawan paymane myonuy

2) Wachus peth yemen zindagi khaetch kadith dub,

        Paekh shrakh seenus, buthyan zan peyekh rub.

3) Athe khur yem waey Taemsey daulath gaye qurban,

             Matche khash Yem dyut Taemsey ade tothev Bhagwan.

4) Pritchyomus me wantum chu kya zindagi mul,

             Awezan dopun che akis aami dawe.

In the poem ‘Myaen Shaeyri’, he writes about what drove him to write poetry:

        Hyatechi talkhyev dup ban tche shaeyir,

  Dukhav daadev dopum zev tche metchrav. 

Dehati’s literary endeavours came to fruition at a time when the Progressive Movement was at its zenith. Hence, he was deeply influenced by it, and even though he continued writing beyond the 60’s when Modernism replaced Progressivism, he remained insulated from the latter. His writings depict the patriotic fervour prevalent at his time (Watan Son, Myon Yaar, Hum Dushman ka Munh Toden ge), as well as the pain and pestilence, poverty, and helplessness of the peasants and labourers, and their exploitation by the zamindars and the capitalists (Shael Tarakh, Jande te Dyaar). He also focused on the social evils of his time. Mehjoor and Azad, his contemporaries, influenced his Kashmiri poetry. He believes that only the destruction of established systems can create a new ideal egalitarian society. He uses words such as Tongue, Fire, Revolution, Progression, and Self-respect as symbols of the pursuit of justice and equality in society. It can be noticed in his Urdu poem, ‘Hamari Duniya’, an excerpt of which is reproduced below: 

               Aag laga do is duniya ko,

Jis se ho jaye ujyala,

Raj yahan hai andhyare ka,

Bhook, Ghulami, Bemari ka,

Sadti hai makhlooq khuda ki,

Tehkhanon men, zindanon men…

Raj yahan karta hai moorakh,

Gyani khata dar dar thokar…

Nirbal yaan par khoon rote hain,

Anndata marta hay bhookhon…

The situation remains unchanged to date. As regards the tongue, the poet believes that your speech must stand for truth even if it drags you to the gallows. 

Zev gaye suye pez yues pez kath kare,

Paezi khaetre yus darus peth mare.       (Zev)

He wrote against people's superstitious behaviour and religious rituals, as well as God’s indifference to the plight of the common masses, as in ‘Soen Khuda’. However, this did not mean that he was anti-religious, as he has written some beautiful poems on Lord Krishna, Herath (Shiv Ratri), Bhagwan Ke Darshan, Bhajan, etc.

             Ashan sanyev chav sontuk wav,

Chukh bael beye tchael dillek aamtav,      

Suey toshnavan beye aaye Haerath.  (Haerath)

Dehati has also written poems on some great men of the past l, such as Shri Bhat, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, G M Sadiq, Patrice Lumumba and Pt Deendayal Upadhyay. His translations from other languages include Tagore’s Bengali poem (Zenun te Harun), Iqbal’s Urdu poem (Ram) and Boris Pasternak’s Russian poem (Ehtejaj). Dehati’s elegy on the death of his daughter, “Boe Lekhus Name’ is both melancholic and poignant. A similar atmosphere is created in the poem titled ‘Vedwah’ (A Widow). On Mahatma Gandhi’s death h,e hawrote beautiful, heart-rending poem, ‘Theher Kahan Bhage Hatyare’. 

One thing that characterises his poetry is his Optimism. Despite dwelling at length on vice prevailing over virtue in the modern world, he firmly believes that with the advent of independence and democracy, things are going to change for the better (Jamhoor, Nuv Farhad, Woh Shubh Garhi, Navyug ki Prabhat).

Dehati’s style is his own. He has a firm grasp of both languages, but his command of Kashmiri is complete. In his Urdu poetry, he frequently uses Hindi words, which at times seem unnecessary. 

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