Ten Studies in Kashmir: History and Politics

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Author

Kashinath Pandit

Publication

2019

About the Book

This volume contains ten studies on various aspects of the current history and politics of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. We have copious literature on the subject and various opinions have been advocated by the historians in the country and outside. The present volume is an addition to the printed fund on Kashmir issue but with some notable significance. Firstly, it has not taken the history in a linear pattern but has selected ten themes for research and discussion. Obviously, there is an interesting sprinkling of information that has remained unnoticed by earlier scholars. The genesis of Kashmir issue as discussed in the relevant chapter speaks of deep insight into the little disclosed and less debated aspects of Kashmir narrative. The author has been a personal witness to many of the events besides having come into contact with assorted groups of Kashmirian civil society which lends credibility to his statements. Hopefully, researchers and Kashmir experts will find a good deal of amusing information which otherwise they would have missed for the time being. There is nothing like the last word in the field of research in historical events but digging out more information and more evidence has its own value which cannot be underestimated.

About the Author

Born in Baramulla, Kashmir in 1927 in a middle-class family of Kashmiri Pandits, Kashinath Pandit graduated from St. Joseph's College, Baramulla, Masters from the Punjab (India) University and Ph. D from the University of Tehran with specialization in the history and civilization of Farsi speaking peoples. From service in the Higher Education Department of J&K Government, he shifted to the Farsi Department of Kashmir University. In 1975-76 he was called upon to work for the establishment of the Centre of Central Asian Studies at the Kashmir University where he rose to be its Director before his retirement. Dr Pandit travelled extensively in Central Asia from 1982 to 2012 and established contacts with a large number of scholars and experts in the field there. In 2002 he was invited on a lecture tour of eight universities in the US and also to Japan. He participated in a number of a high-level seminar on various themes including one organized by the Leiden University in collaboration with NATO. Dr Pandit is a human rights activist and has made dozens of interventions at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. He has several publications to his credit the most prominent of these are My Tajik Friends (a travelogue of Tajikistan), Baharistan-i-Shahi: A Chronicle of Medieval Kashmir, Tohfatul Ahbab: A Muslim Missionary in Medieval Kashmir, Ladakh – Life and Culture and an Urdu publication on the renowned poet Hafiz of Shiraz, Iran. He is the recipient of Soviet Land Nehru Award for his travelogue, President of India’s Certificate of Merit for service to culture and Padmashri from the President of India in 2017 for his overall contribution to literature and culture.