RC Ganjoo
In 1947 Kashmiri women took to arms to defend the nation against the tribesmen from the North Western Frontier Province. The raiders had almost destroyed entire Baramulla town. Stories of rapes, brutalities, death and destruction in and around Baramulla town were received from all corners, reminisces Prof. Krishna Misri .
The contribution of Kashmiri women in various areas such as literature, culture and politics has been immense. Keeping the flag flying high in these fields, women of Kashmir have also recorded their names in the history of the war zone. But we seem to have forgotten it, laments Prof. Krishna Misri.
For the first time Kashmiri women of all ages drawn from Hindu and Muslim families were trained in handling 303 guns, sten guns and pistols to drive away Pakistani tribal raiders. Kashmiri women took to arms when entry into the armed forces of the state was statutorily forbidden for men in the Dogra regime. There were reports that National Conference activists had broken into the armoury of Maharaja Hari Singh, who had left Kashmir, taken away the arms and distributed them to men and women for protection, she says.
Misri says arms trainings helped her to oversee NCC cadets in women’s college, Srinagar, where she later worked as principal. In 1947 she was just 14 year-old, school-going student. On the fateful day of October 22, 1947 tribesmen from the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP), equipped with modern weapons under the command of Major General Akbar Khan of Pakistan army, crossed the border and entered Muzaffarabad – North Western district of Kashmir. The raiders had almost destroyed entire Baramulla town. Stories of rapes, brutalities, death and destruction in and around Baramulla town were received from all corners.
Giving account of the political events in the sub-continent, she says almost all the states had acceded to either of the two dominions before or after 15th August, 1947. Maharaja Hari Singh, the Dogra ruler of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), had yet to decide whether to accede to India or Pakistan. In the process political situation in the state was fluid. His offer to enter into a standstill agreement with both the dominions indicated that he was on a different course of action. The Maharaja sent letters of protest to the government of Pakistan but in vain. Sensing that any further stay in Srinagar was indefensible, the Maharaja shifted to Jammu at the dead of the night on 25th October, 1947. This led to complete collapse of the civil and administrative machinery and military resistance. Acute uncertainty and fear gripped the valley. Several Kashmiri Pandit (Hindu) families started migrating to the safe places. Many took refuge in Muslim homes, where they were treated with utmost regard.
“Peace Committees” and “Mohalla Committees” were formed. The streets of Srinagar saw young men and women keeping vigil round the clock, specifically at strategic points like telephone and telegraph exchange, post office, bridges and other vital installations.
The leadership decided to set up the Jammu & Kashmir National Militia. The militiamen became the core of resistance till the airborne Indian Army landed on 27th October, 1947. Simultaneously, Women’s Self Defence Corps (WSDC), the women’s wing of Jammu & Kashmir National Militia, was raised against tribal invasion. The late Smt. Kamla Shanker, an educationist, married to Gouri Shankar in 1940, was amongst the Kashmiri women who took up arms for self-defence in Kashmir in 1947 to join WSDC.
Misri says she and Indu, younger sisters of Kamla Shankar, joined her in the activities of Zainab Begum (sister of G M Sadiq. ex Chief Minister) and Freda Bedi (mother of Indian actor Kabir Bedi).
Misri says she and Indu, younger sisters of Kamla Shankar, joined her in the activities of Zainab Begum (sister of G M Sadiq. ex Chief Minister) and Freda Bedi (mother of Indian actor Kabir Bedi). With basic training in handling the firearms, the militiamen were deployed to provide logistical support to the Indian forces as their officers and jawans were not familiar with the terrain and local language. The militiamen guided the jawans and gathered vital information about movement of raiders in the frontlines. Krishna’s bother, Pushkar Nath Zadoo was an active member of the J&K National Militia. He was deployed on the Titwal Front, where he died in action in July 1948. He achieved martyrdom along with Maqbool Sherwani, Master Abdul Aziz and Som Nath Beera..
While comparing the 1947 experience with the 1989-90 militancy period in Jammu and Kashmir State, Misri says, “In 1947 the majority stood for the minority but the insurgency of 1989-90 was purely fundamentalist movement. While 1947 empowered women, 1989- 1990 disempowered them.” She and her husband Prof Mohan Lal Misri (HOD Economics) Kashmir University had to flee the valley along with their domestic servant Bashir Ahmed, who is with them till date.
According to Misri, WSDC played a vital role in the cultural sphere as well. The formation of J&K Cultural Front was momentous. Popular local writers, poets and artists like Mahjoor, Arif Beg, Rahman Rahi, Amin Kamil, Prem Nath Pardesi, Noor Mohammad Roshan,, Mohanlal Aima, Abdul Ghani Namtahali, Pushkar Bhan, Pran Kishore, S. N. Zutshi and many others in association with leading luminaries from other parts of the country – K.A. Abbas, Chauhan, Sheela Bhatia and Balraj Sahni – made Kashmir a centre of cultural activities.
Misri says she had an opportunity to be a member of Citizen Council women’s wing team to visit Hajipeer in 1965, which was conquered by the Indian army. She, along with Ms. Mehmooda Ahmad Ali, Jagat Mohani, Zaniab Begum, and Kunti Swahney, joined relief and rehabilitation work in Hajipeer where Gujjar families, particularly women and children, were in distress and pathetic condition. M e h m o o d a Ahmad Ali Shah was the guiding spirit and worked out the strategies for the multifarious activities of the WSDC. She was associated with the politics of the state since the 1930s and participated in various students’ movements at Lahore, where she did her Master’s. Later, she became a p i o n e e r i n g educ a t iona l i s t and championed the cause of women’s education and empowerment. Zainab Begum, sister of veteran leader G.M.Sadiq, who became the Chief Minister of the State (1964-1972), was a prominent leader. She discarded purdah and plunged into the volatile politics of Kashmir.
Misri says these Kashmiri women leaders had been in the forefront of the “Quit Kashmir Movement” in 1946. Begum Akbar Jehan, the wife of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, was a key figure. She took charge of providing rehabilitation and relief to displaced and dispossessed individuals and families who thronged the city to seek shelter. In her capacity as the first President of J&K Red Cross Society (1947-1951) she visited the refugee camps and supervised relief works. She addressed the volunteers of WSDC on several social and political issues and tried to raise their social awareness.
On the migration of the Kashmiri Pandit community, Misri says, “there was invisible migration of Kashmiri Pandits since 1947 when they got jobs outside the state and finally settled down or married outside. Kashmiri Muslims families too settled down outside state for the same reasons. But mass migration in 1989-90 was indeed a dreadful chapter”. She laments, “Unfortunately, the minority became the victims. Infact, victims are from both communities. The majority is caught in a crossfire in the conflict zone whereas the minority has been uprooted from its moorings.”
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