Kashmiri Pandits welcome Muslims returning from Hajj
SRINAGAR: The first batch of Kashmiri Muslim pilgrims returning from the Hajj in Mecca was welcomed by Kashmiri Pandits reciting spiritual poetry at the Srinagar International Airport on Saturday in a gesture of communal harmony, whose another example was witnessed recently when the local Muslims had welcomed Amarnath yatris wholeheartedly.
As the first batch of 145 pilgrims from Kashmir landed at the airport, a group of Pandits holding red flowers and ‘Izband Daen’ (a copper vessel in which esfand or harmala seeds are burnt as a mark of purity and auspicious atmosphere) chanted sufi verses.
“Mubarak, Mubarak (felicitations),” they said as the Hajj pilgrims responded, “Tuhi ti (for you too).”
The Pandit group burnt the esfand seeds, hugged and shook hands with those returning from the holy pilgrimage, most of whom were dressed in white, seeking their blessings.
Pictures and videos of the gesture were widely circulated on social media and shared by several Kashmiri Muslims as well as Pandits.
“Our Kashmiri Pandits welcomed Hajis at Srinagar airport today by singing traditional Naat seeking the blessings of the Prophet. This is our syncretic culture. Believers of Islam are enablers of Amarnath Yatra and the followers of Shaivism are messengers for unity,” said Mohit Bhan, a Pandit and spokesperson of the People’s Democratic Party.
Bhan said that Kashmir’s identity and ethos have emerged stronger every time there is an attack to undermine the people here. “People of both the communities have in personal capacity reclaimed Kashmiriyat, the idea of harmony and coexistence. Two symbolic images of Muslims celebrating Eid with Amarnath yatris at Baltal and Pandits welcoming Muslim hajis reciting Naat are the evidence how Kashmir has survived and evolved every time its resilience is at test,” he added.
People recollected the recent gestures of Kashmiri Muslims welcoming Amarnath yatris last month into the Valley after two years of no pilgrimage. The yatris have also hailed the efforts of local Muslims in saving the lives of the pilgrims after flashfloods hit near the cave shrine on July 8, killing at least 15 people. The yatris stranded after the flashfloods, and local Muslims, including ponywalas, porters and other service providers, had also celebrated Eid together at the Baltal base camp in Pahalgam on July 10.
On July 3, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was all praise for the efforts of locals in ensuring that the yatra was a success.