Prefers to stay at native village, rejects Govt accommodation
Nuthnoosa (Kandi), Oct 25: A Kashmir Pandit family which returned to this small hamlet after 21 years recently wants all the Pandits living in different parts of the country to return to their homeland, which they left in 1990.
Talking to Greater Kashmir Satish Raina said, “I want the Pandits living outside Valley to return immediately to their homeland. There is no threat as such. I am a living example. They should come to their homes, and villages, not to the camps or colonies set up by the Government. We don’t need security. Our neighbors and friends are the biggest security for us.” Residents of Nutnoosa, Saduganga, Kandi and other hamlets had gathered near a newly constructed house, provided by one of Satish’s Muslim neighbor free of cost to them till they construct their new house. Village youth were seen sharing their experiences with Namit Raina, who is an engineering student and Mohit Raina, a BBA student, while elderly men were reminiscing the good old days with Somanth Raina, Satish’s father. Satish Raina is the first Kashmiri Pandit who along with his family returned voluntarily to his native village after getting himself transferred to Higher Secondary School in his own village. “My parents and grand parents have lived and died in this village. We were missing our homeland so we decided to return,” said Somnath Raina an octogenarian. “By living outside the valley we were slowly and gradually becoming aliens to Kashmiri language and culture. There are no social, moral and cultural values outside. I wanted my children should learn all these values and their language. My children though were not born here but still they had great love and affection for their village. After they complete their studies they will return permanently,” said Raina. Claiming that he got himself transferred in the area to shape up the future of the youth of his village, he said, “I got myself transferred and posted in my village’s higher secondary school to help my fellow teachers so that we are able to provide quality education to the village students and to motivate their parents to pay special attention towards the education of their wards. It is unfortunate that education in villages is same as it was 20 years ago and parents are not taking interest into the studies of their children.” He said he did not avail the special employment-cum-rehabilitation package and left the government flat allotted to him at Kupwara. “I preferred staying with my Muslim neighbors in my own village as we feel more secure and comfortable living with them than getting cooped in a security zone with gun-totting cops around,” he added.
