Tucked under the Harmukh mountain ranges is Bandipore with one side touching the Wullar lake. Here 20-odd Pandit families facing the vagaries of time, have decided to stay put and are co-mingling with the Muslim community.
Militancy, minority psychosis, not withstanding, these families are happily dwelling in the beautiful surrounding that they believe quite their own. The realisation, though, has come through the support of their Muslim friends, colleagues and acquaintances.
Ask the 15 families living in Ajer and Kharpura, the six in Kaloosa or three in Aragam what prompted them to stay back despite the large-scale migration of Kashmiri Hindus in 1990 and they will retort that Muslims are backing them wholeheartedly. Family members of Somnath recount how Muslims performed the last rites of the old man in Ajer hamlet.
A look at these hamlets, infact, gives no impression that these families are jerky or frightened. The bells of the village temple toll every morning and devout Pandits chant hymns everyday.
Such is the coexistence in these villages that militants, who are said to be lurking in the higher ranges, are thinking twice to shatter this bonhomie. "Why should they harm us if we are not coming in their way," said Avatar Krishan and Kanyalal, local residents. "Infact, local militants used to guard us in the hey days of militancy," he asserted.
"Whenever we go to Jammu or Delhi, Kashmiri Muslims working there help us," he added.
The families opine that though militancy primarily uprooted the community, most community members who decided to stay put, were not harmed.
"Terror, confusion and chaos in the Valley were main reasons that saw Pandits cross the Pir Panjal range but those who lived here were respected, loved and even guarded," said Ashok, a businessman.
"Despite hardships, most of the Kashmiri Pandits found a way out of the tough conditions. Infact, many managed to do well," added Ashok.
"Our community members are doing well in US today. They have wormed their way up," observed Kanyalal.
Kanyalal said Central government too helped. "KP migrants enjoy reservation in prestigious colleges. There is a quota in engineering and medical colleges in Maharastra," he argued.
Said Khalid Jan, a resident of Kaloosa, "There were stray incidents with both communities. Both those who have stayed back have faced hardships together." And there is a firm resolve to carry inspite of all odds.
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