Last month it was an unusual pass-out event of students at the Kashmir University. Though a small number, the students who had gathered to exchange parting hugs and kisses were not natives only. Apart from the students from different parts of Kashmir, there were nine students who had come from as far as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Students from Kashmir going to the rest of India or the world, is something we have seen for long time. But someone coming from a different country has been unheard of, especially in last 25 years of turmoil. Before 1989, the National Institute of Technology, then known as Regional Engineering College would be full of foreigners mostly from Arab countries. But the concept of having a foreigner as a student had since faded out of our memories.
The scene at UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institute of Kashmir Studies (UMIKS) at Kashmir University’s sprawling Chinar dominated Naseem Bagh was different when the Vice Chancellor Khurshid Andrabi presided over the send-off ceremony. Apart from usual messages of patting each other the students had prepared ethnic food, recited poetry in their own languages and did much more to make it look like a mini-South Asia festival. It was convergence of cultures and traditions. Kashmiris are proud of their culture and traditions and boast about them a lot. In past over two decades, however, they have become more conscious about their identity and see a threat in every “initiative”. This is mostly because the society has passed through a painful conflict and its connection with an outside culture has been minimum during this time. It has seen state as a threat to its existence and anything associated with it (state) is seen with suspicion.
To have a joint programme with students from different cultures and backgrounds surely is significant. UMIKS has been doing a commendable job in making this blend possible at the academic and intellectual level. Going by the comments of the nine students one can make out that they enjoyed their stay in Kashmir, which they repeatedly referred to as second home. Given an atmosphere created on the basis of certain stereotypes and also a situation that is prevailing on ground, Kashmir playing a “good host” to them is something very positive. The way Mona Hossaini, a student from Afghanistan, drew parallels between the “pain” in Kashmir and Kabul was evident by the fact that in two years she has been able to understand the situation an average Kashmiri has gone through. She was also surprised to see “love showered on me (her) by Kashmiris even as Afghans have been most tyrant rulers for them”. Likewise the students from Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan talked about unconditional hospitality in Kashmiri homes and a comfortable camaraderie they found in the hostels. Their joining Kashmiri students in the classes has benefitted both the sides while pursuing MA in Kashmir and South Asian Studies, a blended course that gives different perspectives on the situations prevailing in South Asian countries.
At the time when SAARC is struggling to live up to its concept due to political wrangling in the region, the successful pass-out from UMIKS is a big statement from Kashmir. Though this time Pakistan was missing from the list, in the past two students have passed out with doctorate degrees, one among them being a girl from Kusoor in Punjab province of Pakistan. Not only does such a programme come with a promise to build relations within the regions, it also throws up an opportunity to reclaim Kashmir’s status as the seat of learning which has quenched the thirst of many world-known scholars like Heun Tsang. Fourth Buddhist International Conference was held in Srinagar and it had emerged as an attractive place for learning various philosophies. A book by E F Knight rightly describes Kashmir as a place “Where Three Empires Meet”. To reclaim that distinction, Kashmir University can play an important role and the UMIKS can be used as a flagship centre to throw open the doors for foreign scholars to make Srinagar as the Knowledge Capital.
While it is heartening to see that UMIKS has moved, though slowly, in a direction that can accomplish its objectives, a lot more needs to be done. Late Madanjeet Singh, a passionate ambassador of peace and reconciliation, has the credit of pushing it towards the realization of the goal. As founder of South Asia Foundation, he earmarked scholarships for 16 students of SAARC countries that made it possible for UMIKS to celebrate the successes. Kashmir University has also helped it to grow as an institution by providing space but the University must take the administrative control to fully turn it into a centre of excellence for South Asia. Not only can SAARC students benefit from this but the doors must be opened from students across the Line of Control and provide a platform that can help the students from both sides of divide to understand the political and social dynamics. It could be another Confidence Building Measure for two Kashmirs and can help build an atmosphere to understand the Kashmir problem in its real perspective. Director UMIKS and known political scientist Prof Gull Mohammad Wani sees a bright future for the centre. “It helps Kashmir to be projected in a better way,” he says.
According to Mehmood ur Rashid, a faculty at UMIKS “This classroom should be seen as investment in a peaceful and just future”.
Founded in 2006, the Institute has seen turbulent times in terms of credibility, as there was not much clarity about its objective. However, from 2008 onwards it started picking up with South Asia Foundation providing seed money and later scholarships for students. As of now both SAF and KU have a Memorandum of Understanding that makes it a constituent unit of KU. Looking at the progress made by the Institute, there is huge scope for expanding it and making it a centre of reconciliation and peace for SAARC countries. While Kashmir badly needs permanent peace with dignity, SAARC experiment is mainly failing due to this dispute. So the hope for SAARC success also lies under shades of Chinar in Kashmir.
REFERENCE:
Risingkashmir.com
