35 years after exodus: Lost identity of Kashmiri Pandits
Sanat Nagar, Srinagar — a home once filled with laughter and warmth now stands abandoned, a ghost of its past. Overgrown with foliage, its crumbling walls echo the displaced community's pain. 35 years ago a massive exodus started where thousands of Kashmiri pandits were forced to leave their jobs, homes and every memory in Kashmir, where they belonged to. It has been 35 years since and yet, their suffering remains largely unacknowledged. The wounds of history fester, as thousands of families continue to live in exile, longing for the land they once called home.
The exodus of 1990 was not just a political event but a humanitarian catastrophe. Thousands of Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee their homes overnight, leaving behind generations of memories, property, and heritage. What was supposed to be a temporary migration became a permanent reality, with no tangible steps taken to facilitate their dignified return. Today, the younger generation of Kashmiri Pandits grows up with only stories of a homeland they have never seen, a culture they struggle to preserve, and an identity that seems to be fading into oblivion.
Despite political promises and media debates, the truth remains harsh - Kashmiri Pandits have been reduced to mere footnotes in history. Successive governments have failed to implement concrete rehabilitation measures. Their homes, temples, and neighbourhoods in the Valley have either been destroyed or illegally occupied. Their struggles are often met with indifference, and the narrative of their forced displacement has been conveniently overshadowed by the larger political turmoil in Kashmir.
Beyond the loss of physical homes, what hurts the most is the erosion of identity. A community known for its deep cultural and intellectual contributions is now scattered across the country and the world, struggling to keep its traditions alive. The few who dare to return often face hostility and an eerie sense of alienation in their homeland.
For many, including those who were born after the exodus, the only connection to Kashmir is through the eyes of their parents—stories of mustard fields, temples, school corridors, and a life abruptly cut short. Mothers still cry over the injustices of the past, fathers mourn the loss of dignity, and children grow up yearning to reclaim what was taken from them.
The present generation of Kashmiri Pandits finds itself in a tragic paradox - heirs to a rich cultural legacy yet bereft of its essence. Unlike other Kashmiri communities that have managed to preserve their traditions, language, and homeland, Kashmiri Pandits remain dispersed across the country, blending into unfamiliar cultures while struggling to hold onto a fragmented past. Many have grown up without speaking their native Kashmiri tongue, without celebrating festivals in ancestral homes, and without a shared sense of belonging. They exist in a liminal space neither fully part of their uprooted heritage nor entirely assimilated into the places they now call home.
While Kashmir’s other religious communities continue to live together, fostering their traditions and strengthening their collective identity, Kashmiri Pandits have been forced into cultural amnesia. The exile has stripped them of the very markers that define a people - language, land, and lineage. As time passes, the generational disconnect widens, leaving today’s youth not just displaced but utterly directionless about who they are and where they truly belong.
The question remains how long will Kashmiri Pandits remain refugees in their own country? How long before their pain is acknowledged not just in political speeches but in actual policy reforms? If 35 years have passed without justice, will another generation be lost to history?
The abandoned home in Sanat Nagar is not just a structure, it is a symbol of neglect, a testament to a tragedy that refuses to fade. Until the Kashmiri Pandits are given the right to return with dignity, until their lost heritage is restored, and until their suffering is recognized, their exile will remain a bleeding wound on the conscience of the nation.
Prerna Bhat is a student of MA Mass Communication in Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi
