A Long Dream of Home : The Persecution, Exile and Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits

Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright; Dedication; Citation; Contents; Preface; PART I: Nights of Terror; She was killed because she was an informant; no harm will come to you; One day Kashmir will become part of Pakistan. What will you do that day?; It is for your own good to leave; If weâ#x80;#x99;re killed, the gold buried in the earth under that apple tree belongs to you; Ya Allah, they have killed them; pour some water into their mouths; When the time in the clocks was made to go back by half an hour; Mata Roop Bhawani will protect us; Nights of Terror; PART II: Summers of Exile. Twenty-five years ago, in the winter of 1990, about four hundred thousand Pandits of Kashmir were forced to leave Kashmir, their homeland, to save their lives when militancy erupted there. Even today, they continue to live as 'internally displaced migrants' in their own country. While most Kashmiri Pandits have now carved a niche for themselves in different parts of India, several thousands are still languishing in migrant camps in and around Jammu. The stories of their struggles and plight have remained untold for years. The authors of the memoirs in this anthology belong to four generations. Those who were born and brought up in Kashmir, and fled while they were in their forties and fifties; those who lingered on in their homes in Kashmir despite the threat to their lives; those who got displaced in their teens; and those who were born in migrant camps in exile. These narratives explore several aspects of the history, cultural identity and existence of the Kashmiri Pandits.These are untold narratives about the persecution of Pandits in Kashmir during the advent of militancy in 1989, the killings and kidnappings, loss of homeland, uprootedness, camp-life, struggle, survival, alienation and an ardent yearning to return to their land. These are stories about the re-discovery of their past, their ancestry, culture, and roots and moorings. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Dedication Citation Contents Preface PART I: Nights of Terror She was killed because she was an informant no harm will come to you One day Kashmir will become part of Pakistan. What will you do that day? It is for your own good to leave If weâ#x80 #x99 re killed, the gold buried in the earth under that apple tree belongs to you Ya Allah, they have killed them pour some water into their mouths When the time in the clocks was made to go back by half an hour Mata Roop Bhawani will protect us Nights of Terror PART II: Summers of Exile. Summers of ExileMy House of Stone Season of Ashes From Home to Camp Camp Schools and Colleges for the Displaced Students Life in the Camp PART III: Days of Parting Days of Parting Gul Gulshan Gulfam Dear brother, our part in this story is over The Fatal Seconds My Home! My Home! Roses Shed Fragrance Merge, Leave or Perish The Knights of Shiva The Pomegranate Tree PART IV: Seasons of Longing Seasons of Longing The Inheritance of Memory Why I Established Radio Sharda Remembering the Unforgettable: Kashmir as She Made Me An Imaginary Identity. The Day I Became a Tourist in My Own HomeTimeline Contributors About the editors Acknowledgements.