Srinagar, Oct. 26: Kashmiri Pandits have embarked on a new mission — dissuade community youngsters from marrying non-Kashmiri Hindus.
Pandit groups such as the Kashmir Pandit Conference (KPC) and the Kashmira Vahini said they were encouraging youths to marry only within the community following an “alarming” rise in “inter-caste” marriages, or marriages between Kashmiri Pandits and non-Kashmiris.
“Out of 50 marriages in our community, 30 to 35 are inter-caste marriages… where our children (Pandits) marry non-Kashmiris,” KPC president Kundan Kashmiri told The Telegraph.
The KPC primarily works for the promotion of the Kashmiri language and culture while the Vahini, the women’s wing of prominent Pandit group Panun Kashmir, is fighting for the uplift of women in the community.
The two groups had earlier urged community members to have more children to arrest declining numbers.
KPC chief Kashmiri said a Pandit should marry only a “Kashmiri” (Pandit). “This is how we can preserve our culture, language or ethos. This (marriages with non-Kashmiris) is a deluge which will (otherwise) dilute everything (we have).”
The Pandit leader said many young Kashmiris living in exile no longer spoke Kashmiri or celebrated community festivals like Nawreh.
“We want to create that atmosphere again where we will love our language and our culture. When we love our language, we will love Kashmir and love the brotherhood (that existed in Kashmir before militancy began).”
The KPC leader said while marriages with non-Kashmiris were common among Pandits, it wasn’t the case with Kashmiri Muslims. “That is because they love their culture and want to preserve their community.”
Meenakshi Sidha, publicity secretary of the Kashmira Vahini, said such marriages were affecting community values and added that the group has been holding workshops to spread awareness about the issue.
Official figures reveal that 808 Pandit families live in the Valley, while 59,442 families are registered as migrants in Jammu and outside. Thousands more are not registered.
