Where are we leading towards??????

By Sagar Raina

Once known to be highly intellectual communities of the world, Kashmiri pandits at the present time have forgotten what their ancestors had taught them to keep their cultural values alive. World called them intellectuals because of their education, knowledge, elevation for spirituality, kindness for downtrodden of the society and above all adhereness towards their culture.

Kashmiri Pandits whether old or young , parent or child, every one has lost their cultural heritage. It was evident on one of Kashmiri Pandit marriages where two different communities were going to be together in a sacred ceremony.

Now it has become a ritual in almost every Kashmiri Pandit marriage to keep a stall for alchohal lovers. Being a witness of this incident , a place is selected in this community hall(Janjghar) on the night of a sacred ceremony of Manz raat. Kashmiri Pandits numbered in 30-40 consisting of elders and youths forming a circle and are being served alchohal by youngers. A son is serving an alchohal to his fathers and both are enjoying the drinks and from the adjacent room one could easily listen and hear the sacred marriage songs and bhajans recited by KP women majorly participated by elderly females. And later this manz raat was accompanied by these unconscious alchohal lovers and simultaneously reciting Kashmiri Bhajans.

I was shocked and pained to see this mirror image which was contrast in its own way.
At this point I could remember our saints and sages who taught us sprituality, I could also remember the sanctity of our past Kashmiri culture. Now Every thing was going away from our clutches.

And irony is this that the next day the same place was selected for lagan ceremony where our Guruji performed the prayers for long livedness of the newly wedded couple. And it made me to think “Where are we all leading towards?”