For mahatma gandhi, kashmir was a ‘ray of hope’ amid the 1947 turmoil


For mahatma gandhi, kashmir was a ‘ray of hope’ amid the 1947 turmoil

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What are her enduring impressions of the Mahatma? Without any pause, she replied: “I was a young girl then, and didn’t know much about politics. Yet, I can say he created two unforgettable


impressions on me. First, he did not like _taam jhaam_ — pomp and show. He did not like protocol. He gave the same respect to a common man as he did to any high representative of the


Maharaja. Second, he respected all religions and spoke of love and peace for all. Because of this, Kashmiris saw him not as a politician but as a saint.” She then made a remarkable comment.


“Gandhiji looked very serious and worried. He must have foreseen what was coming.” When independence came on 14-15 August, the Maharaja refused to accede to either India or Pakistan. Within


two months, Pakistan-backed armed tribals invaded Kashmir. In a panic, Hari Singh fled from Srinagar to Jammu, where he signed the document of accession to India. The Indian army arrived in


Kashmir. India and Pakistan started to fight, the first of several wars. The people of Kashmir assisted the Indian army with a warning to the attackers – “Hamlawar Khabardar Hum Kashmiri Hai


Tayyaar” (Beware the attacker, We Kashmiris are ready). Just a few months later, on 30 January 1948, Nathuram Godse killed the Mahatma. “When the news of his assassination came, I was


shattered,” said Khalida Shah. So were my parents and everyone in our family. Grief enveloped the entire Valley.” Over seven decades have passed since those fateful developments, and still


more fateful things have happened in Kashmir since then. “What has changed in Kashmir in all these years?” I asked Khalida Shah. “Why is the same Kashmir, which welcomed Mahatma Gandhi so


respectfully, the same Kashmir that fought against the attackers from Pakistan, the same Kashmir under Sheikh Abdullah that reposed its faith in India, why is that Kashmir so resentful


towards New Delhi today?” _(Sudheendra Kulkarni served as an aide to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and is the founder of the Forum for a New South Asia. He has authored


'Music of the Spinning Wheel: Mahatma Gandhi’s Manifesto for the Internet Age'. His Twitter handle is @SudheenKulkarni and he welcomes comments at [email protected])_