JK News Today Special
Jammu, August 30:
Loud recital of hymns and feverish dancing to the enthusiastically sung songs in Lal Chowk hailing Lord Krishna on the occasion of Janmashtami are not optics of the religious procession but underlined assertion of Kashmiri Pandit identity in the Valley where the onlookers were mostly Muslim shopkeepers and bystanders.
Lal Chowk in Srinagar has a history of its own and whatever happens there defines the mood of Kashmir. This religious procession on Monday showcasing the Lord Krishna’s life symbolized the change of the mood in the Valley where the religious expressions by the miniscule minority made the whole thing special.
If on the one hand, it showed that the religious procession by Kashmiri Pandits gave them the confidence that they can do it in the heart of Srinagar without any interruption, on the other the Muslims who looked at the dancing and singing Kashmiri Pandit community reflected vibrancy of the Sufi traditions of Kashmir.
This spoke of an emerging environment in which all communities , majority or minority , were free to practice their religion . In the procession, the participants were wearing masks and maintaining required steps of social distancing also underlined that how all were disciplined and conscious of the necessity of the Covid Appropriate Behaviour.
This has been happening in the mosques where people are wearing masks and maintain social distance while offering prayers.
The atmospherics are important. Much of the credit for changing the whole scenario should go to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha who completed one year in office early this month . He Had taken over the office on August 7, 2020 , in very difficult situation caused by Covid and despondency in the atmosphere.
The public interaction and infusing of confidence among the people that the government cares for them made the people to believe in the government led by Manoj Sinha , whose only stake , as he has stated it repeatedly is the public welfare. He has removed despondency that had clouded the atmosphere.
Things have changed, and if any evidence was needed , Janmashtami procession at Lal Chowk did that without any doubt.
