Prof. Ram Nath Shastri-a legend-III

...sorrow never comes too late....

As a mark of tribute to Prof.

Ram Nath Shastri, who passed away on March 8, 2009, we're republishing his interview conducted by our correspondent published in series in 'The Kashmir Times' in 2001.

Shuchismita "Y et ah! why should they know their fate? Since sorrow never comes too late And happiness too swiftly flies...." With this spirit high on his mind, Prof.

Ram Nath Shastri fought determinedly for his survival and subsistence right from the beginning.

And this was the spirit which helped him in crossing through the throes of upheavals staring at him in the forties.

"That was turbulent period of my life.

I first got married in 1940.

At that time I was serving in SPM Rajput School.

First tragedy struck me when my mother passed away and soon after one of my sisters followed her.

My father too had left for Reasi, his motherland which was in the grip of an epidemic, to serve his own people but never returned.

I was dumb-shocked with the turn of events which the destiny was unfolding one by one for me.

I was not recovered yet when my life-partner too left me in the lurch in 1941.

She was pregnant at that time.

I was shell-shocked to think what destiny had in store for me.

I was very upset and this was but natural for me to think occasionally in terms of leaving the house forever or committing suicide.

But it was Narendra my younger brother who was just a kid then and one of my younger sisters who were 'forcing' me to put a bold face.

Those were the arduous days full of frustration and miseries, which true to the age old adage, had invaded me in battalions.

I had practically to do entire household chores all by myself besides shouldering the burden of other responsibilities including service in SPM Rajput School on a petty amount to feed my family.

And there was none with whom I could share my sufferings," Shastriji reminisces those days of adversity while having a trip down the memory lane.

But 'if winter comes, can spring be far behind....', now it was the turn of 'happiness' to swiftly fly to bring new charm in his life.

In 1944, he joined Prince of Wales College.

In 1944, he got confirmed after a dramatic turn of events after four-five months.

He remarried with the youngest daughter of Raina family of Mubarak Mandi - Sushila.

He entered the precincts of Prince of Wales College and his passion for football played an important role to change his destiny-all the way from SPM Rajput School to the College.

But as he rose to the 'position of eminence' in the seniority graph, football started losing the position of 'prominence' in his life.

'As by then I had become a senior teacher in the college.

And professors used not to play with students.

Even if they played, the voices of "Sir, Sir...." would reverberate the ground.

And that would not just be awkward but embarrassing as well.

So naturally, by and by 'football', became a thing of the past for me," he recalls with a tinge of nostalgia.

He adds, "But one thing is for sure, football helped me in more than one way.

It also played an important role in keeping me away from all vices.

It helped me in attaining 'never-failing spirit', determination and courage to fight till end - these qualities were the remarkable assets for me.

Perhaps it was the spirit that came to my rescue on September 1, 1958 when I all of sudden decided to leave smoking.

That was the last day when I puffed away all my vices to smoke." It was during his student life when he first ventured into the realm of writing.

And the moving spirits, who influenced his ideology and moulded his style of writing to progressiveness and realism, were the four towering litterateurs of Indian literature viz., Kabir, Munshi Prem Chand, Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' and Rahul Sankrityayan who influenced not just millions but a particular era of literature with their monumental contribution in their own right.

-(To be continued) Gorkhas, A Deprived Community In J&K State B.K Sharma The land of Jammu and Kashmir, since time immemorial, has welcomed to its fold people of different castes and communities and has further helped them grow in their cultural heritage.

It is in this context that the Gorkhas, the original inhabitants of Nepal, from the time they came and settled here and despite meager in number have been able to preserve their cultural and linguistic entity.

Today they are scattered all over the state with concentration at Gorkha Nagar and Nai Basti in Jammu city where about three hundred and fifty families reside.

They are found to be settled at Gangyal and Bantalab in Jammu and also at Udhampur, Reasi, Jyotipuram, Rajouri, Basohli, and Srinagar and at Dhar Road Udhampur as well.

The numbers of families residing in these areas vary from five to fifty.

The Gorkhas of Jammu and Kashmir have a glorious past with their forefather's indelible records of service and sacrifice in the annals of defence forces of the state.

But the frenzy of partition and the changed socio political set up have left them today as a suffering lot in need of aid and the compassion for survival.

They are peace loving and hard working but poor, illiterate and economically backward, mostly ex-serviceman and their wards also serving in army.

Their ancestors had first come and settled here during the reign of Maharaja Gulab Singh, the founder of Dogra Regime in the state.

It is said that shortly after the Treaty of Amritsar, the Dogra Darbar obtained a contingent of Gorkhas under the command of Col.

Bhakta Bir Thapa from the Lahore Darbar.

The Maharaja, impressed by the stubborn nature and robust physique of these Gorkhas, is believed to have ordered more recruitment, consequent to which the presently known 3rd JAK Rifles and 2nd JAK Rifles were raised in 1856 and 1869 respectively with numerical strength of half Gorkhas and half Dogras.

The youngsters from Nepal who joined the state defence forces in those days did not find the place of their new assignment different to their home land and hence preferred to settle down here after their retirement from active service in the Army.

They resided in those early days at the then cantonment area of Srinagar.

They so hugely occupied the area that it was named after their castes Magar and Mall and is known even today by the same name that is Magarmal Bagh.

Since then having been born and brought up here, having shed the tears and blood at the hour of need and fighting the enemies and guarding the frontiers at all times, the Gorkhas are as much part of the state populace as any other community is.

And to ascertain the veracity of this, it is pertinent to mention here what Major K Brahma Singh has written in his book, History of Jammu And Kashmir Rifles (1820-1956) "The only non state subjects who have contributed to the fame and glory of the state Army nearly as much as the Dogras themselves, have been the Gorkhas.

They have formed part of the state Army nearly all through its existence.

Like the Dogras along side whom they have fought many a glorious battle, the Gorkhas hardly need any introduction.

As fighters in the hills and jungles they remained unsurpassed by any other community.

Their proficiency as soldiers was first demonstrated in the Nepal War 1814.

After that they became much sought after troops sought by the British, Maharaja Ranjit Singh and what of particular interest to us, Maharaja Gulab Singh, and all the subsequent Maharajas 'of Jammu Kashmir.

However, in the competition between the Indian Army and the state Army for attracting the best material from Nepal the latter came of 2nd best, being unable to pay its soldiers as much the former could.

Fortunately, there was enough good material for both and the state was never so much at a loss.

The state compensated the hill men by permitting them to take their families to the forward most areas on the borders and also permitting them to settle in the state as a matter of special favour".

This amply testifies their claim of being state subjects but the irony is that the majority of them are today not even considered the permanent residents of the state.

This is far more a contribution for the development of the state by this small community which at no time comprised of more than 0.5 percent of total population.

Out of innumerable acts of gallantry the Gorkhas performed here, the one worth mentioning is the campaign that brought about the submission of Hunza Nagar towards the end of 19th century.

The attacking party comprised of fifty Gorkhas followed by fifty Dogras under the charge of two British officers.

In the hand-to-hand fight with bayonets and khukries, the sangars were captured and in a short time the Kanjuts i.e.

Hunza Nagar people fled away.

Whereas Gorkha men have shown valour and heroism in the battlefields, the Gorkha women have also not lagged behind.

And the example of this is of a Gorkha lady who was lone survivor in a battle that took place at Astore under Sant Singh during the reign of Maharaja Ghulab Singh.

The renowned historian K.M Pannikar in his book writes about her as under: "This brave lady threw herself into river which flows below Gilgit fort and swimming across the Indus arrived in Kashmir to tell the mournful tale.

She was rewarded by Maharaja Ghulab Singh'.

Not this much but right from Col.

Bhakta Bir Thapa, the first among the Gorkhas to come to Jammu and Kashmir to Brigadier N.S Rawat who accompanied Dr.

Karan singh to USA for his medical treatment, there has been a chain of Gorkha Generals and other high military officers.

The most prominent among them being Col.

Bhakta Bir Thapa, Gen.

Kharaka Bahadur, Gen.

Rai Bahadur Bhagwan Singh, Col.

Lakshman Singh, Mushaib sahib Atma Ram Bhusal Col.

Brig N.S Rawat, and last but not least Brig.

Sher Jang Thapa, the hero of Skardu fort battle in 1947.

The Viceroy of India had conferred upon General Bhagwan Singh the title of Rai Bahadur as personal distinction in 1921 at Shimla.

Sher Jang Thapa was given the coveted award of Mahavir Chakra for defence of Skardu fort in 1947.

But in the post independence era the Gorkhas here are the much suffers the most grievous losses having suffered in 1947 when a large number of them were killed in the tribal raids followed by Pak invasion of Kashmir thus leaving behind only widows and orphan children.

At that time, as is believed, the Gorkhas belonging to elite class and having close links with the Maharaja migrated to other parts of the country probably apprehending the fear of being subjected to harassment under the new regime.

Only the poor and the orphans with not even to shelter their heads remained here and having nothing to fall back upon it was almost a new life they had to start with.

With no movable or immovable property in their possession and no formal education in their lot, the Gorkhas of Jammu and Kashmir in those days, were more or less nomadic, who never felt the need of state subject certificate nor bothered for it as joining the army was sole employment for them and it did not require producing state subject certificate.

It is because of this fact that the majority of Gorkhas here today have no documentary evidence of being permanent resident and hence suffering a lot, for the defence of which, their forefathers had shed their blood and lost their precious lives.

Since early fifties the Gorkhas here have been clamoring for their resettlement but it was in 1962 that the Government of Bakshi Ghulam Mohd after great persuasion of Hari Gorkha Sabha, a social organization of the community, conceded to allot plots of three Marlas each on lease for residential purpose at Rakh Bahu now known as Gorkha Nagar.

The Gorkhas accepted the plots least realizing that it would not make them attain the permanent resident ship of the state.

Finding it difficult to redress their grievances and solve their ever-increasing problems the Gorkhas then rechristened the Hari Gorkha Sabha into the Jammu and Kashmir Gorkha Sabha 1973 and started the struggles afresh.

In 1975, when Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah the towering figure of the state politics and a champion for the cause of the poor and the downtrodden headed the state Government again, the Gorkha Sabha with the hope of seeking justice at his hands, submitted a memorandum to him demanding for the Gorkhas residing in Jammu and Kashmir citizenship, representation in the state legislative council and schedule Tribe status.

The Govt, without bothering to ponder over the past services and sacrifices and the present socio economic conditions of these people turned cold shoulders to their demands.

This compelled the sabha to make representation to the minority commission in 1978 with regard to the problems of Nepali speaking people but no avail.

Ina final bid to ameliorate the lot of its people, a deputation of Gorkha Sabha met the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during her visit to Jammu on in 1983 and submitted a memorandum reiterating for fulfillment of long pending demands which included citizenship to all those Gorkhas who are permanently settled here and since then have constructed their houses on Govt allotted plots or representation of Gorkha community in state legislative council through nomination and in view of social and economical backwardness of Gorkhas, extension of scheduled tribe status to them in J&K state.

And on account of military aptitude of the Gorkhas, reservation of at least five percent of seats for admission to sainik schools etc.

Since independence, the State Govt.

has ignored the Gorkhas and unless a member of this community is nominated to state legislature to plead their cause, the present situation of neglect and apathy to them shall continue to grow unchecked and this community of valiant soldiers would perpetually go on suffering without any hope of redressal of their grievances.