Kashmiri Pandits' Association, Mumbai, India

From the Editor's Desk

Again and again, I come to the same theme that our need is identity. Our slogan is going back to Kashmir, but we know the odds against it. With every day passing, the odds are increasing. Our existence outside the state is gettig stabilized, may be gradually, may be painfully. A new equilibrium is stabilizing. We may after some time not be ready to disturb the new found equilibrium. But even at that stage, we will look for one thing - our identity. Previously, identity was connected with physical identity, Kashmir. Even those living outside its confines re-established it every time through annual visits to their home land. Its loss has lost us an important anchor. It is therefore necessary that we work hard to reinforce our identity - a 'Kashmiri Pandit' within us.

 The ZAAN programme run by Lalla-Ded Educational & Welfare Trust and the Kashmiri Pandits’ Association for over three years now, has served an important pillar for identity edifice. The Information Digest running into three volumes, is an effort to give our young and not-so-young members a look into what Kashmir or a Kashmiri is. The third volume is an effort to help people read Kashmiri written in Devanagari script. Thanks to Shri Sunil Fotedar, these books are now available on the website.
 The annual ZAAN festival with ZAAN QUIZ has become another community event. This year it was held on 15th September. The added attraction this time was ZAAN QUIZ for the elders, in which 35 people, grouped into 7 teams, participated.

 The level of attainment in the children was much higher. But there was not much of an increase in numbers. Why this? This puzzles me sometimes. We want identity. We want our children to share our values. We want them to know more of Kashmiri and facts about Kashmir. Yet we want these prescriptions for other children, for other parents to follow. But not we. I still hope that Biradari members will give it a thought and encourage their children to participate in community events like this and connect themselves with their roots. Younger ages are when this process is better attempted. Let us get out of the syndrome of making suggestions for others to follow and not to be practical by ourselves. I am sure that the compelling need of reinforcing our identity will direct us to take practical steps towards zaan, in days to come.

Thanks - Sunil Fotedar:

Thanks to Sunil Fotedar of Texas, USA, who, through the website www.zaan.net and www.milchar.com has made ZAAN and Milchar available on internet. Sunilji has done a yeoman’s job in designing, developing and maintaining the two websites. Titled ‘The Kashmir Series’, Shri Sunil Fotedar has also uploaded the ZAAN literature in pdf format at the website: 

http://www.ikashmir.net/pdf/index.html 

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