The recent murder of a Kashmiri Pandit in Budgam by terrorists has led to protests by the community, seeking greater security in the Valley. Amid this tension, a story from a village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam has emerged as a lesson in communal harmony.
In YK Pora village, an 80-year-old from the Kashmiri Pandit community recently died. And for her funeral, many Muslim friends, neighbours and locals gathered, and even helped.
Dulari Bhat's husband had been killed in the 1990s, but she stayed back in her native village with her children. Her son Subhash thanked the Muslim community for help in his mother's cremation. He said, "My mother passed away today. Muslim brothers supported me a lot. All the arrangements were made with their help. I want to tell people to see this brotherhood. Forget other things. Members of all communities should be able to live peacefully with each other. For our nation, all communities should peacefully co-exist."
Other residents of YK Pora said that communal harmony was a part of the village's history and culture. "We live in YK Pora and this village is cited as an example of communal harmony. This brotherhood is not new. It's very old. Our fathers, grandfathers, ancestors lived in peace. Their (Pandit family) younger son's name is Rinku. I have very old relations with him. We've known each other for around 20 years. We visit each other's houses. They visit us on Eid. We visit them on their festivals. I would like to give a message that people should live in peace. That's most important. Islam, our religion teaches us that we should stay on good terms with our neighbours and take care of them. When a Muslim departs from this world, they (Pandit family) visit us," said a family friend.