Independence Day: Remembering J&K's Unsung Heroes of Freedom and the 1947 India-Pakistan War

Jammu and Kashmir, famous for its breath-taking beauty, also has an untold chapter in India's freedom fight- the stories of its unsung heroes. Some fought openly, while others worked quietly to help the movement with courage and sacrifice. The people of J&k played an important role in winning India's independence and defending the region in the first India-Pakistan war of 1947, yet their names are often missing from history books.

 

 

Tej Narayan Kak

Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir

 

 

Tej Narayan Kak’s ancestors had migrated from Kashmir to Rajasthan during the Afghan rule in Kashmir. He was born on 1 November 1914 in the aristocratic Brahmin family. His grandfather and uncle were associated with the Princely rulers of Jaipur and Udaipur. His uncle Dharma Narayan Kak rose to the position of Deputy Chief Minister of Jodhpur State and held the position till 1946.

 

 

Having been born with a silver spoon, Tej Narayan Kak received education in the coveted institutions of Allahabad, Lucknow, and Nagpur. In addition to the degree in law, he did a Master's in English and Hindi from Lucknow University in 1936 and 1938 respectively. Later, he passed the State Civil Service Examination and joined the administrative service of Jodhpur. He was interested in reading Hindi novels right from his college days and had a huge collection of Hindi, English, and detective novels.

 

 

While serving in the administration, he was attracted to the scholarly circle and expressed himself through poetic and prose compositions. He was influenced by the writings of Premchand.

 

 

Further, he even excelled while experimenting with the genre of short stories depicting the intuitive understanding of contemporary socio-economic issues. His work was much appreciated in the intellectual circle for lucid expression and its finesse. His short story Mayna was highly acclaimed by the intellectuals at the academic session organized by Prayag University in 1935. The leading journals of the era like Sudha, Saraswati, and Madhuri went on to publish his short stories. His command over English and Hindi made him a master translator.

 

 

However, he made his mark in the political- social, and literary circle of the era dominated by the freedom struggle. He candidly expressed his love for the motherland and roused the sentiments of the youth by composing patriotic poems. His three collections - Mukti Ki Mashal, Jeevan Jwala, and Bansuri gathered attention.

 

 

Rakta Kamal was his collection of patriotic poems replete with nationalist zeal and fervor. His radical views inspired many that freedom does not come by merely asking and urging the British authorities. His work was a message to the stalwarts of the Freedom Struggle and the common masses that freedom has to be earned by the spilling of blood.

 

 

 

The outpourings in his poems had a spirit of revolution and a forceful vent of patriotic fervor which deeply impacted young minds. Fortunately, his radical ideas did not come under the gaze of the British authorities and continued to inspire the generations struggling for Independence.

 

He retired from the administrative service in 1972 and kept a low profile away from the public gaze. He left for his heavenly abode at the ripe age of 84 in the city of Jodhpur on 14 December 1998. His short prose and poetry replete with Nationalist fervor are still being talked about in literary circles.

 

Anand Mohan Zutsi

Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir

 

Pandit Ananda Mohan Zutsi was born on 7 July 1926 in a Kashmiri Pandit family. His ancestors came from Kashmir to Delhi during the Mughal rule and in due course of time settled themselves in old Delhi Bazar Sitaram Gali Kashmirian. His father Tribhuban Nath Zutsi Zar and Mother Brij Rani Zutsi were illustrious Urdu poets.

 

 

He did his schooling at Ramjas school and BVJ Sanskrit school and Postgraduate degree in business

 

 

From a Hindu college and also a qualified law degree from a law college. He also passed the Urdu examinations Adeeb Fazli and Munsif Fazli from Punjab University. His passion for the language though emerged from family traditions later shaped by his association with Baba-e Urdu maulvi Abdul Haq and Allama Dattatreya Kaifi.

 

 

His association with the Freedom struggle began early when he was in primary school. On the 10th wedding anniversary of King George V and Queen Mary, schools of Delhi administration were instructed to celebrate the occasion. Children were given engraved brass plates and 25 paise to have chat and pakoras at Chandni Chowk. When he came to know, he mobilized students of various schools and boycotted these celebrations. His anti-imperialist fervor at a tender age was noticed by Aruna Asaf Ali. Further, he came under the influence of Gandhi and Nehru and participated in the struggle for independence. His regular participation in the events of the freedom movement turned into expressions of patriotic compositions. Most of the nationalist poetry during the freedom movement by Bhagat Singh inspired him and he started writing patriotic poems in Urdu under the pen name of Dehlvi. He was seen regularly at meetings, and rallies as a premier Inqilabifreedom fighter poet. Also popularly known in Urdu circles as bulbul-e-hind, commended for participating and arranging 40000 mushairas.

 

 

He understood the evil role of communal politics, a vital weapon in the hands of the British authorities for the perpetuation of their oppressive rule. Acquainted with the teachings of all religions, he made a successful effort in promoting communal amity and harmony. He always remained at the forefront to fight communal forces and strengthen the composite culture of India. During Ramadan months he used to fast and held Iftar parties. Carrier of syncretic values since 1936, while he was on the panel of the Ramlila committee of Delhi Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah. He was an important member of the oldest Ramlila committee

 

 

He has been conferred the world peace poetry award for fostering brotherhood and amity among communities. During his professional career he has set a record for reciting more than 40000 thousand verses in various mushairas, seminars, and conferences for his contribution he was honored world peace poetry award, the bazm-e-urdu Award, the government of India award, the Urdu Academy Award, Ghalib Award, and others his creative compositions reflect his firm belief in communal harmony and composite culture of India

 

 

He was a national poet, extraordinary orator, and secular nationalist championing the cause of Urdu. He had command over Persian and Urdu , and taught in Delhi University for decades – his grasp over Urdu, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Arabic was unmatched. Kept fighting for those values of communal harmony and brotherhood in such tumultuous times in his legacy, well versed in different languages editor in chief of the magazine science ki Duniya Urdu first journal dedicated to the science of technology in 1975 Ganga jamuni heed worked tirelessly championing the cause of Urdu.

 

 

He also worked for the conservation of the Urdu language before Indian independence and even after it, fighting for communal harmony, the forerunner of setting up Urdu schools across the country. He opined that the scientific temper can only be sustained in his own language so he was successful in publishing government science magazines in Urdu language.

 

 

Nityananda Shastri

Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir

 

 

Nityananda Shastri was born on 24 of July,1874 in a Brahmin family of Srinagar. He received his elementary education in the local Pathshala of his native city and later enrolled himself at the University of Punjab. From Lahore, he earned his Visharad in 1892 and a degree in Shastri in 1896, the highest Sanskrit scholarship in those days.

 

 

Having a firm grounding in Sanskrit, a family tradition, he was honored for high proficiency in the Sanskrit language in 1898 and with the Governor's medal in 1902 for outstanding performance at the University. In 1916, he became a professor of Sanskrit at Sri Pratap College, Srinagar.

 

 

Later, he also learned and mastered the English language from Srikanth khazanchi. His brilliant academic career and the ambiance of the social community contributed to shaping his intellectual makeup. His outstanding academic scholarship brought him in contact with some of the most profound and eminent Orientalists of the West who visited Kashmir in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His knowledge of English turned handy for him when he met Sir Aural Stein at Lahore who was the then Registrar of the University which conducted the Sanskrit examination. Their meeting turned into a lifelong professional commitment to research in Sanskrit works. Those who benefited from his scholarship included Stein, Grierson, Winternitz, and Vogel.

 

 

As a Sanskrit scholar of Kashmir, he devoted his lifetime to Sanskrit studies. He was also an exponent of the cultural heritage of Kashmir and recognized as the most erudite authority on the Kashmiri language and religion. His opinion was often sought and given due consideration by the intellectuals of Kashmir.

 

 

His exceptional range of knowledge covered all branches of Sanskrit research. He always enabled the Europeans who visited Kashmir to know about its past and cultural ethos, thereby illuminating the intellectual and social history of Kashmir.

 

 

He met Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya when Maharaja Hari Singh nominated him as a member of the representative committee for attending the first Hindu Maha sammelan held at Rawalpindi in 1929 under the presidency of Madan Mohan Malviya. Nityanand’s vast knowledge and erudition struck Malviya who became his great admirer and invited him to join the Sanskrit faculty of Banaras Hindu University. The fame of his outstanding scholarship spread far and wide in various centers of Sanskrit learning – Banaras, Prayag, Allahabad, Gaya and even reached abroad. However, Nityananda was not only just an academician and a brilliant scholar, but equally active in the social and cultural spheres.

 

 

He strove to generate a new cultural consciousness among the people taking pride in their own heritage, language, and religion. He was hailed as professing some kind of cultural nationalism, countering imitation of Westernization. He distinguished himself by always wearing traditional Kashmiri attire and never wearing any Western outfit. He was a staunch Cultural Nationalist who worked with Sanatan Dharma Sabha Kashmir and served as its secretary from 1926 to 1930. He also served as editor of the Journal of Sanskrit Literature between 1928 to 1932. In 1929-30, while he was on the verge of retirement from government service, his health started showing a mark of decline. However, Pundit Nityananda never spared himself to a noble cause and even after getting relieved of his academic duties, he, in 1930, founded Sanskrit Literary Organisation named Sanskrit Sahitya Parishad and was elected as its lifetime president.

 

 

His activism for women’s emancipation culminated in the establishment of a charitable trust –Vinita Ashram to work for the upliftment of widows and the destitute. His philanthropic work in social and cultural spheres covered the political and economic domain as well, creating a firmer ground for the nationalist struggle for Independence.

 

 

Pundit Nityananda Shastri was the foremost representative of traditional Sanskrit learning which has given to the Brahmin community of Kashmir a distinguished place in the history of Sanskrit literature since early times. It is a special merit of pundit Nityananda that he has combined with his traditional scholarly training the full comprehension for the critical methods of modern philology.

 

 

His works did not remain confined to the departments of knowledge which were his particular domain but reached far beyond the limits of Kashmir. He breathed his last on December 24, 1942, after a protracted illness caused by an attack of paralysis. His name will remain inscribed in the first ranks of the golden book of Kashmir studies.

 

 

Kundan Lal Mirpuri

Mirpur, Jammu & Kashmir

Kundan Lal Mirpuri from the small strategic town of Mirpur has presented an exemplary account of intense nationalism before the youth of this country. He along with his young associates did not succumb to the pressure of barbarities of the Pakistani troops and sacrificed their lives while safeguarding the region during the Pakistan led tribal invasion in November 1947.

 

 

The Punjabi speaking western district of Mirpur was predominantly a Muslim area, with a population of 25000. It was closely connected with the Muslims of West Punjab, -Jhelum and Rawalpindi, hence were under profound influence of Pakistan ideology. Hindus were less than ten percent of the total population of the region, spread over the whole of the area. It was a centre of the influential Hindu Mahajan business community.

 

 

The State Government was aware of the dangerous potentialities of this area and hence large part of the State forces were deployed here and also along the border adjoining Pakistan. Pakistan’s plan was to rouse the religious sentiments of the co-religionist of the area to further instigate rebellion from within during October 1947. Mirpur town was the headquarters of the Mirpur district. At a distance of about 15 km from the town near Mangla dam, State Force Cantonment was established.

 

 

The armed Pakistan backed raiders infiltrated the town in stages. By 10 of November, 1947 they captured the strategic higher areas around Mirpur. The State forces which were less in numerical strength, could not sustain the attack by a large contingent of the enemy forces and withdrew themselves inside the town. When the town was attacked, the forces along with the natives of the area consolidated themselves and boldly faced the critical situation.

 

 

During those emergency hours Kundan lalMirpuri, who was in his prime youth, fearlessly led the attack and made utmost effort to save the fellow natives of the area.

 

 

Despite any military training, he along with other youths of the area assembled on the three storeyed building with few weapons and started firing from the height on the Pakistani backed raiders when they tried to enter the lanes of the city.

 

 

They became successful in killing around 8 to 10 tribal raiders. After this incident, they reached the court camp and again tried to safeguard the other lanes of the city when raiders laced with modern weapons started looting, butchering and capturing womenfolk in their custody. Kundan lal and his young associates killed two of them with their axe but unfortunately they were not able to flush out the raiders as they were in large numbers and laced with modern weapons. Kundan Lal lost his life while protecting his motherland. The request for the reinforcement of the troops and supplies could not be reached on time. Mirpur was captured on 25 of November 1947 when the enemy broke the back gate of the walled town with heavy gunfire. The State troops lost confidence and retreated. The floor of every house in Mirpur was dug by raiders in search of hoarded treasures and loot from Mirpur town went into crores.

 

 

The saga of war in the Jammu sector is one of continuous tragic destruction and genocide occasionally relieved by episodes of glory provided by the heroes like Kundan Lal who sacrificed his life for the cause of the country. Kundan Lal ‘s martyrdom is commemorated every year on 25 of November.

Dina Nath Kaul Nadim

Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir

 

Dina Nath Kaul “Nadim '' was born on 18 March 1916 in Srinagar, Kashmir. His father was Shankar Kaul, who passed away when Nadim was just 8 years old. He was brought up by his mother in poverty. His mother belonged to a village called Murran and was a culturally rooted person. She was well versed in the oral traditions of Lal Vaaks of Shiva Yogini Lalleshwari, part of the culture of that region. That influenced Nadim in shaping his mind. Mother’s singing of Vaaks inculcated in him a penchant for poetry.

 

 

Nadim acquired his B.A. degree in 1943 and B.Ed. in 1947. After Completing his education, he started teaching in Hindu High School, Srinagar and later rose to the chair of a principal of Lal Ded memorial School in Srinagar. He was also one of the founders of the Gandhi memorial college, the first private degree college in Jammu and Kashmir .

 

 

Due to his immense contribution in cultural activities and literary aspects, he was appointed as Assistant Director of Social Education. He was also a member of Sahitya Academy.

 

 

Nadim was a revolutionary poet who wrote on socially relevant themes that had political overtones. His approach was progressive and appealed to all sections of the people. His main focus was to instil in people the sense of nationalism to throw away the foreign yoke and capitalism and work for the humanist society. Between 1938 and 1946, he wrote mainly in Urdu and some poems in Hindi under the influence of Kashmiri poets Brij Narayan Chakbast and Josh Malihabadi. Later he expressed himself in Kashmiri – his mother tongue. His poems Aravalli, prarakhna and Grav, were on themes of patriotism, revolution, and freedom spread Nadim’s spell and his political activism created awareness.

 

 

Nadim played a crucial and important role during 1947 when people all over India were fighting the British imperialism and local princely order. He had a pan Indian outlook and an eye for international events. He published the crux of the events and their effect on the freedom of the people in Kashmir and motivated them to work and struggle to bring democratic order. He inspired a whole generation of freedom lovers and his songs, operas and poems set stages and streets on fire.

 

 

Nadim is a signature in Kashmiri vernacular poetry and is equally loved and respected by people of all religions. When Pakistani army regulars disguised as raiders attacked Jammu and Kashmir, Nadim used his pen and persona to consolidate the people of Kashmir and put a united front against the enemy. Writers and artists organized themselves hastily under the Cultural Front. Nadim became the vanguard of this group and started composing and reciting poems of protest and revolution. He was a leading light of the Cultural Front comprised prominent literary figures who were at the forefront of the freedom struggle in Kashmir.

 

 

His passionate patriotic poems. Tsi Mir –I Karvan Ban (you become the leader of the caravan), Naray Inqalab (the call for Revolution), (I have to turn Hindus and Muslims into human beings again), Servanisund khab (the dream Shervani) and PtitshunChum (I must Ask) were an awakening call for Kashmiri youth.

 

 

Nadim inspired the whole generation of freedom fighters and contributed to composing the message of secularism, communal harmony, and amity.

 

 

Moreover, the establishment of Radio Kashmir on 31 July 1948, encouraged these artists by providing them a platform which gradually increased its reach and appeal.

 

 

Radio Kashmir in due course of time became an important medium of communication and connectivity with the people at large thus making it a powerful tool of resistance against the political crisis of those times. It also turned out to be an instrument to thwart the evil designs of the enemies. New slogans were coined and reputed poets and literary figures were invited to spread the message of nationalism, and mobilization of the people against the invaders.

 

 

His political activism continued even after independence. His aspirations for World Peace landed him as the General Secretary of the State Peace Council in 1950. He was one of the active participants in the Indian peace conferences of 1951 and 1952. Me Cham Ash Paghic (My Hope for Tomorrow) was his famous composition.

 

 

 

There is a collection of about 150 poems written by Nadim which includes English, Hindi, Urdu and Kashmiri. For the collection of his poem Shihil kul he was honoured by the Sahitya Academy.

 

 

Dina Nath Kaul “Nadim” passed away in 1988 when terrorism was raising its head in Kashmir and reached the worst level in 1990.

Ananda Kaul 

Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir

  

Pundit Ananda kaul Was born in Srinagar on 3 April 1867. He was the only son of Pundit Tota Kaul, a revenue officer in Srinagar. He received his Primary education in Sanskrit and Persian. However, when Revered Doxey established a missionary school in 1881 in Kashmir, he at the tender age of 14, decided to learn English and modern subjects despite stiff opposition from the community and relatives. In those times, missionaries were looked upon with fear and suspicion of proselytization.

 

 

Later, having recognized the depth of his intellectual pursuits, Mr. J.H. Knowles, the successor of the founder of the missionary school, gave him the charge of the headmaster of the school in 1893. Knowles as an Orientalist was interested in understanding the Culture and Civilization of India, engaged himself in documenting the folktales and proverbs of the region, and published his research work under the title Proverbs of Kashmir in 1896. Ananda Kaul’s assistance in Knowles’ research made him eventually a prolific writer and researcher. The proximity to the missionaries made him understand the need for documenting the Culture of his own country.