- I have one regret that my daughter will never live her childhood the way I did in Kashmir. She will never be able to speak Kashmiri the way I do because the people around have no knowledge about it. She will never understand what it is like to celebrate Eid and Diwali together with the people from other community.
- I am looking forward to that day when I go back to my roots along with my family and they also get the feel of being a Kashmiri in real Kashmir and do something for Kashmiri women who are fighting not only the guns but the influence of its culture too.
- After finishing college in Jammu, I went to Pune University for MBA and trust me my father had only Rs 1000 at that time in his pocket but I promised him that I will come out with flying colours and so did I. I made him proud when I stood first in B.Sc and with distinction in MBA. I used to teach children at home from which I paid all my college dues. I also used to walk miles together for college only to save some penny. I had just two pairs of dresses for about 3yrs and wore footwear from my cousins for long time.
JAMMU: Missing badly the wonder days of childhood innocence, full of life, happiness, security, communal harmony and free of criminals and pollution, an activist Kashmiri Pandit (KP) lady could not control tears coming out of her eyes, while recalling her struggle from rendered a refugee to youngest Kashmiri female CEO of a company named ESPIC Consultancy and later an Entrepreneur, yet she has a strong will to do something of Kashmir and ‘Kashmiris.
The 38 years old Kashmiri Pandit lady have a strong faith that a day will come when she will go back to her roots along with family and get the feel of being a Kashmiri in real Kashmir. She wants to something for Kashmiri women who according to her are fighting not only the guns but the influence of its culture too.
But being a mother of a girl, she has a deep regret that her daughter will never live her childhood the way she did in Kashmir and will never be able to speak Kashmiri the way she herself do because the people around have no knowledge about it. She will never understand what it is like to celebrate Eid and Diwali together with the people from other community.
Indu Jalali,deeply feels and understands the pain of displaced Kashmiri Pandits and in a bid to provide them some sort of temporary relief she is planning to open Old Age Home for Kashmiris in Delhi and Jammu.
Talking to Ajmer Alam Wani, Editor-in Chief of JK Monitor, Indu Jalali says the Kashmir was most peaceful place on the earth and for her safest place too but the gun culture turned her world upside down and just in one night everything changed.
She narrated as her feelings this way, “I became a refugee leaving my childhood, my memories and my home there. Now when I visit Kashmir as a tourist I see hell of a change”.
“People are full of stress, don’t trust each other anymore even the dressing has changed, I see more head gears and beards around which was not there before”.
“We were very moderate people but now radicalization has left its impact. Traffic has increased with so much of commotion and hence the pollution”.
“Corruption is on peak and poor common man is suffering. See Army people all around which I had never seen before 1990. What amazed me most was when a young Kashmiri girl asked me what I am wearing in my ears, which is ‘Dejhoor’ which earlier every Kashmiri knew about”. Indu lament that the young Kashmiri generation in Kashmir do not know anything about them which, hurts her.
Born with a golden spoon in mouth in Kashmir, she did her schooling from Presentation Convent School Srinagar, one of the best schools of her times where she learnt to be organized, punctual, honest,someone who loves humanity and nature.
Indu further added, “I felt safe going school and had friends from my community and from majority community also. I never felt any difference amongst us. I never felt that we belonged to different religions, at school I always felt we were one”.
“The teachers also never ever discriminated between us. We used to go to picnics, movies, libraries etc etc without any fear or doubt in our minds. In-fact we used to go to late night shows for movies and walk down to our homes after finishing the film. It was so safe”.
“During my 17 years stay in Kashmir I never felt even once insecure or troubled by the majority community. In-fact I always received love and care from them. We have our family Guru or Peer Sabh from Hirey Qadir Bub. We all follow him and I truly believe that whatever I and my family have achieved it is because of his grace and blessings. Plus I have tremendous faith in Mugdhum Sabh also besides Khirbhawani and Ganeshibal.”
Indu, further said, “After migration I fought for getting admission in colleges and schools in Jammu and all over India. We formed Students Front and my fight for justice began with getting Kashmiri Pandits admission in schools and fighting for getting admissions in professional colleges all over was my first achievement.
“Life was really hard at Jammu. The heat took its toll and instead of a big house I was stuffed in one room apartment and we had no source of income other then my father’s salary”.
“Still we managed to survive keeping one thing in mind that this ordeal is going to end soon and we will be back home soon and in our mothers lap Maaj Kashir. “Unfortunately till now that day has not come”.
“After finishing college in Jammu, I went to Pune University to do my MBA and trust me my father had only Rs 1000 at that time in his pocket but I promised him that I will come out with flying colours and so did I”.
“I made him proud when I stood first in B.Sc and with distinction in MBA. I used to teach children at home from which I paid all my college dues. I also used to walk miles together for college only to save some penny. I had just two pairs of dresses for about three years and wore footwear from my cousins for long time”.
“The way my golden days didn’t last so didn’t these bad days too.
Soon I started my professional career and within few years I went to become the youngest Kashmiri female CEO of a company named ESPIC Consultancy my second achievement”.
“Then all of a sudden I heard my school mate Priyadarshini Matto has been raped and murdered by the son of an IPS officer and since then my fight for women’s right began”.
“It took me and her father 10 years of fight to give her justice and to book her killer.
“During my fight for justice for my friend Priya I was also threatened many times to back off or else they will kill my family and me. Even a maid was also planted in my home who was slow poisoning us and who later went to jail once we found out”.
“The journey was full of hardships and hurdles. Some people said I was never with her in school I am doing this just for publicity and I am faking the threat facts. They tried everything to demoralize me but I kept moving”. “I never leave things in between, once I start I reach my destination.”
I also fought for the Nithari People to give justice to the poor people whose children and daughters were killed in a very gruesome manner by Pandher and his servant in Noida”.
“I have been fighting for giving justice to women in Ghaziabad and have also been working professionally as Marketing Head with Parragon Publishing India Ltd before I came to Germany”.
“I choose to come to Germany because after Kashmir I feel Germany is the safest place on earth and I see so much of similarity between Kashmir and Germany, in terms of nature, food and people”.
“Here also I continued fighting for humanity and Justice. I along-with few prominent KPs started a Medical Charitable Trust KMECT, where we gave medical emergency funds to the patients. I also fought for racism issue here in Würzburg in Germany. I also am actively involved in the case of Nirbhaya and take candle lights vigil here in Germany”.
“I have one regret that my daughter will never live her childhood the way I did in Kashmir. She will never be able to speak Kashmiri the way I do because the people around have no knowledge about it. She will never understand what it is like to celebrate Eid and Diwali together with the people from other community”.
“Anyways the only thing that has kept me moving is my faith in myself and being a women I know I can achieve anything and everything coz I have the inner strength to do so. I am looking forward to that day when I go back to my roots along with my family and they also get the feel of being a Kashmiri in real Kashmir and do something for Kashmiri women who are fighting not only the guns but the influence of its culture too”.