Jammu SSK, H.P Central Varsity sign MOU 

To promote Sharda script

Creating history in preserving culture, language, ethics & rituals and defeating designs of ancient invaders in connection with the cultural, traditional and linguistic onslaught of Kashmiri Hindus, Sanjeevani Shardha Kendra, Anand Nagar, Bohri, Jammu, is trying to promote the Shardha script across the globe.

This was stated by Prof. Kuldeep Chand Agnihotri, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Himachal Pradesh while speaking on the occasion of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sanjeevani Shardha Kendra in preserving the  language and promoting the Shardha script.

A historical Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), Dharamshala and Sanjeevani Sharda Kendra (SSK) to revive and promote Sharada script under the provisions of propagating Indian languages in their original script.

The programme started with the lighting of lamp followed by sharda vandana by Snaatan Raina, Kamakshi Raina, Sushima Pandita and Anita Bhat. Prof. Agnihotri was the Chief Guest at the simple but impressive function which was presided over by Padmashree Dr. K.N. Pandita. 

In his address the Vice Chancellor dealt in detail about the historical importance of the sharda script and informed that CUHP has started a one year certificate course of Kashmiri in the sharda script. He also informed that the original languages and their scripts prevalent before foreign invasions in Central Asia and the Northwest Indian subcontinent were destroyed and people were forced to use Arabic script. Despite the invasion of  Kashmir in the fourteenth century by foreign rulers the people in Kashmir preserved their own Kashmiri language though its script was forcibly changed from sharda to Arabic, he explained. Prof. Agnihotri appreciated the efforts of the SSk in reviving the Sharda script and stressed the need for coordinated efforts between various stake holders in the preservation of original script of the Kashmiri language — Sharda.

 In his presidential address Dr. Pandita said that the Sharada script is the native script of Kashmir and is named after goddess Shrada — The deity of knowledge and intellect. He also explained the historical development of the Sharda lipi which was widespread in the whole of the Northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent and the original manuscript of Kalhan’s Rajtarangni was in the Sharda script but invader rulers connected script with religion.

Chairman Sanjeevani Shardha Kendra, Avtar Krishan Trakroo, in his welcome address, praised the Vice- Chancellor, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, for his endeavour of popularizing and promoting the  Sharda lipi across the world. He, also, threw light on the sacrifices of ancient Kashmiri leaders in preserving language, culture and other allied rituals.

Sh. Sanjay Pandita, Co-ordinator of the Sharda Section in SSK, threw light on the journey of the Kendra in the revival of the Sharda lipi and training of more than 700 participants in 27 groups till date.

The MOU was signed by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Kuldip Chand Agnihotri on behalf of CUHP and Sh. Avtar Krishan Trakroo on behalf of SSK. The MOU is the outcome of the efforts of the Sharda section of SSK in popularising the Sharda script. The vote of thanks was presented by Prof. Sundeep Pandita. and the programme was conducted by Sh. Radhey Sham.

KPC pays tributes to Wandhama massacre victims

Kashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC), on January 25 last, the twenty-fourth year of the Wandhama massacre, sought justice for all those families of Kashmiri Pandits who were killed by militants during the last 31 years of militancy in the Kashmir valley.

Kundan Kashmiri, President KPC  demanded that a thorough probe be conducted into all killings of Kashmiri Pandits in particular to three major massacres of Wandhama, Nadimarg and Sangrampura, should be be booked without any further delay and punish those who were responsible for the gruesome killing of Kashmiri Pandits. This would be the real tribute to the Kashmiri Pandits who have been killed during the period of militancy.

He added that during the intervening night of January 24 and 25, 1998, around a big group of militants descended on village Wandhama, Ganderbal and lined up Kashmiri Pandits and killed all the 23 Kashmiri Pandits. These included ten males, nine females and four children adding that even infants were not spared. It is quite perplexing that every case pertaining to the Kashmiri Pandit killings in Kashmir has been closed for want of evidence and the perpetrators remain unidentified and it is unfortunate that the investigations seem to have deliberately sabotaged to let culprits go unpunished and roam free.Various FIRs were filed in different police stations regarding killing of Kashmiri Pandits, but till date not a single killer has so far been arrested for killing of hundreds of innocent Kashmiri Pandits 

He went on to say that it is disgusting that neither the successive governments nor any civil society/human-rights fora of Kashmir valley took up these killings. On the other hand the separatist leadership speaks about return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley and appealed to all international bodies to take a moral stand on Kashmiri Pandit killings and seek to bring all perpetrators of the massacre of Kashmiri Pandits to book.

The KPC President  demanded that one place settlement with writ of Indian for Kashmiri Pandits in the valley is the only viable and permanent solution to rehabilitate them and to initiate confidence measures to heal their wounds.