From the legacy of Kashmir’s mystic poet Lal Ded to the political changes following the abrogation of Article 370, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday framed his government’s outreach to Kashmiri Pandits around culture, welfare and the community’s post-migration concerns.
Addressing a gathering in Gurugram to mark the “705th birth anniversary of Mata Lalleshwari,” popularly known as Lal Ded, Saini highlighted what he described as measures taken by the Haryana government for Kashmiri Pandit families, including 10 per cent reservation in education for their children.
“The Haryana government has provided 10 per cent reservation in education for the children of Kashmiri Pandits in Haryana,” Saini said.
The Chief Minister said a sizeable Kashmiri Pandit population lives across Haryana, particularly in Gurugram, Faridabad and Panchkula, besides Ambala, Karnal, Panipat and Bahadurgarh.
Saini also referred to the allocation of plots in Bahadurgarh to Kashmiri Pandit families who had purchased land decades ago. The allotment followed a long-running dispute involving land acquired by displaced families in the early 1990s.
Beyond education and land, Saini said his government was working towards creating housing and employment opportunities for Kashmiri Pandits living in Haryana.
The Chief Minister also linked his government’s approach towards the community to the broader political changes in Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, he credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government with strengthening what he described as the “unity and integration” of the country.
The event was organised by the Kashmiri Hindu Prakosth and Bani Mandir. A delegation of the Kashmiri Hindu Prakosth had met Saini earlier this month and invited him to the programme, raising issues concerning the Kashmiri community and seeking government intervention.
According to the organisers, the choice of Lal Ded’s birth anniversary provided a cultural backdrop to an address that largely focused on the contemporary concerns of Kashmiri Pandits living outside the Valley.
“These sorts of functions give us an opportunity to connect to our community and the roots,” Pankaj Dhar, an organiser said.
Lal Ded, also known as Lalleshwari, occupies a central place in Kashmir’s medieval literary and spiritual tradition. Her Kashmiri vaakhs remain an important part of the region’s cultural heritage and are associated with the broader Shaivite and Sufi traditions of Kashmir.
