poor pandits

07-02-2002, 04:36 AM

Namaskar,

Poor Kashmiri Pandits, their plight is ignored by one and all. May Ishwar give
them the strength to cope with this ignorance.
I wish could donate some money to institutions that support the displaced
Pandits. Would yu know of names.
cheers and om sanjeev

MANUSHI/Issue 124 Sarkari Relief
Brings Little ReliefThe Plight of Displaced Kashmiri Pandits
Dr. Anuradha MathuIt was about 12 years ago that Kashmiri
Pandits, other non-Muslim Kashmiris and even some Muslims were forced to
leave their homeland and come to live in the plains, on alien soil. Some have
migrated for good. Others still nurse the hope of going back to their
‘nests’. Their lives have been uprooted and many live in miserable
conditions in relief camps or in makeshift arrangements.It is
really heartbreaking to visit the shabby and unhygienic camps of the
displaced Kashmiris. An unusually high number of people living in camps in
Jammu have died due to snakebites, heatstroke and unhygienic conditions.A
recent study by Neha Kachroo on the status of Kashmir’s displaced
families living in government camps discusses the present conditions and
overall status of these lives lived in squalor. Kachroo interviewed 110
families through random sampling. A structured questionnaire, along
with informal discussions and general observations was used for
data collection.According to her findings, a majority of respondents
(93 percent) have been displaced from villages and only sevenpercent
of them were from Srinagar city. About 53 percent belong to the age group of
45 to 65 years, with education up to secondary school; 35.44 percent
were involved in farming and other allied occupations, besides private
jobs, business and government employment. Of the group, 98 percent were
married; 82 percent of the families were male -headed and only 16.36 were
female-headed. The reasons for the deaths of their spouses included
lack of amenities in camps and health disorders like kidney failure and
snakebites. One person was murdered in the valley. The average family size is
eight people and 21.18 percent of the families were nuclear.The mass migration
of Kashmiri Pandits came about in 1990. Ninety-four percent of these
respondents were displaced in the same year and started their lives in camps
which the government had established in view of the exodus. Eighty percent
of the respondents did not have their belongings with them; 97 percent did not
receive any compensation from the government. Approximately 53 percent of
the respondents had lost their houses, of which about 95 percent were
burnt down. Five percent of the respondents were forced to sell their
houses under pressure, due to financial distress. Nearly 96 percent had
possessed houses, of which 57 percent were damaged or destroyed.
Occupational trends of Kashmiri Pandits have also changed due to displacement.
Huge losses have been suffered by 35 percent of the families who were in
agriculture-related occupations; they are now dependent upon government
provided relief. At least 27 percent of the Pandits were in business.
Initially, nine percent of the families had private jobs. After displacement,
this figure increased to 16.36 percent. Those with government jobs
constituted 28 percent of the camp population. However, everyone expressed
frustration with the administration’s response to their various problems.The
infrastructural facilities at the relief camps are very poor. The rooms
allocated to the families have a maximum size of 15ftby 15ft and a minimum
size of 8ft by 8ft. These were allocated irrespective of the size of the
families. The area of the MultiCamp- Phase Second, where the respondents of
the present study reside, had an open type of drainage. About 71 percent were
using community bathrooms and 89 percent were using community latrines; 86.3
percent of these were cleaned only once in a while due to the irregular
cleaning by safai-karamcharis (toilet cleaners) and shortage of water.
Besides, during the rainy season the open drains cause problems, as dirty
water enters the rooms of the camp residents.As far as the health conditions
of the migrants are concerned, about 60 percent of them reported that they
suffered from numerous ailments such as high blood pressure and
psychological problems. After displacement, 87.37 percent of the respondents
reported facing health problems due to a change in environment, resulting from
the move from a cold to a hot region.About 67 percent of the migrants' children
go to school, of whom 62 percent attend private schools and about 38 percent go
to camp schools. Though sending children to private schools is an
expensive affair for parents, sending them to camp schools is a waste of time
since the latter lack proper facilities, such as an adequate number of
teachers and classrooms, and other infrastructural facilities.The
miserable economic condition of these people is apparent from the fact that
70 percent of the migrants are unable to provide for their financial needs.
The migrants are forced to take short- term loans from friends or moneylenders.

What are we to offer our future generations? Cultural loss is a big issue for
the community. While living in camps, families findit hard to inculcate the
traditional sanskars (values) among young people. The emotional attachment
of the migrants to their motherland cannot be overlooked, as about 60
percent of them still want to go back to their roots at any cost.----Discover
your Indian Roots at - http://www.esamskriti.comLong Live Sanathan / Kshatriya
Dharam. Become an Intellectual KshatriyaGenerate Positive Vibrations lifelong
worldwide.Aap ka din mangalmaya rahe or Shubh dinam astu or Have a Nice
DayUnity preceedes Strength Synchronize your efforts, avoid duplication.THINK,
ACT, INFLUENCEShare the Wealth, to Unsubscribe write back.Knowledge, Wealth,
Happiness are meant to be sharedBe Open Minded, pick up what yu like from the
worldBe Thick skinned, internalize criticism, do what yu think is rightLet not
the power of your enemy deter yu, fortitude is what the Geeta teachesStop
cribbing, ACTION is what the Indian scriptures talk aboutTake the battle into
the enemy camp, SET THE AGENDA, be proactiveIn an argument, no emotions, be
detached, get yr facts right, then attack with the precision of a missile