It is just a name!

“Recently, in response to my last blog, Should I stop writing?, a gentleman sent me an interesting query, which was completely unrelated to the contents of my blog and, therefore, a little surprising:

‘I would like to get the explanation about your first name, why this metamorphosis of your name and for what purpose and since your origins and roots belong to Kashmir and your conviction seems by your blogs to seek your roots be it Kashmir or the rest of India and its better future you have to draw a clarity regarding this name conversion having lived and adopted a foreign land of Australia.’

There seemed to be only two reasons why this gentleman had sent his query:

1. Either he was genuinely intrigued by my name and had ‘innocently’ (as his first name suggested) demanded an explanation; or
2. He was trying to deliberately delegitimise my credulity.

In a strict sense, I was not supposed to respond to him at all, as all my details are published in my first book, 22 years – a Kashmir Story. However, giving this gentleman a benefit of doubt about his presumed innocence, despite his annoying trespass, I provided him with a detailed and decent explanation, both factual and philosophical:

“Thank you, Mr …, for your query. I suggest you read my first book, 22 Years – a Kashmir Story, which provides my history / background and amply addresses your query about my name, if that really matters. We Pandits used to be called by several names in Kashmir – at home (both paternal and maternal), at our in-laws, by our friends and equally by our foes, and officially too. Since I remember, I have been called Billu at my home and by ALL my relatives on paternal side. So, I have NOT changed my name, I have just shortened it a bit, by only an alphabet, which has given me a more universal identity and has also made it much easier for the people around me to communicate and work with me…

I am not seeking my roots in Kashmir, as my roots are firmly bedded in Kashmir. As for India, I feel highly concerned for the country, being home to about one-fifth of the humanity. India is potentially going to be a world problem if things (e.g. population, education, liveability) are not urgently turned around, which means it is my problem too if I live in this world. After all, in this age of globalisation, we are all world citizens. A day will soon come when there will be no need for passports to travel around.Let us transcend all man-made divisions and work more as responsible global citizens and try to stitch the world together.

Some names, which are quintessentially from India, such as Mina, Sheela, India, Uma, Sita, Maya, Tara, Taj, Anita etc., are commonly being used in the West …The technology / appliances / gadgets / facilities / medicines that people use in India are mostly from the West, and so is the clothing. Interestingly, the language that we both are using in communicating with each is also English … it is a global village, so let us not get distracted by these small things. There are numerous serious issues in this world that need our focus and immediate attention.

After Kashmir, in a relative sense, all lands were foreign to us Kashmiris. None of my ancestors ever lived away from the Kashmir valley, so even Jammu and Delhi were also foreign to us. Remember those numerous Kashmiri Pandits who died of heatstroke and snake bites soon after their exodus from Kashmir in 1990, only because they had no local survival skills required for living outside Kashmir. Do you see any resemblance between the (Hindu) people of Jammu and the Pandits from Kashmir, except religion? Language / food / traditional clothing / culture etc. are all different between the two peoples. Even Herath (called Shivatri in India) is celebrated differently by the two communities. Pandits from Jammu (and elsewhere in India) are generally vegetarians, whereas Pandits from Kashmir are generally meat-eaters. In that respect, being a vegetarian since my early childhood, I am more like the Brahmins of south of India rather than Kashmiri Pandits.”

Whatever may have been the reason (s) underlying the query, on ethical grounds – if that means anything at all – this gentleman had no business or any right to demand an explanation from me. My name is my choice. Many celebrities, such as Rajesh Khanna, Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Khan, Dilip Kumar, Uttam Kumar, Johnny Walker and Sanjeev Kumar, have been professionally known by their adopted names! It is one’s choice!

Names and colours must not be associated with regions and religions. A name is only a name and, in most cases, does not truly represent the person’s character and his/her actions. A name does not need to carry any meaning. How many people do even meet 50% of the meaning of their name through their actions? So, if people can’t come up to the expectation of their name, why have a name with any meaning at all. Paradoxically, there will be thousands of convicted rapists, robbers and murderers who may have ‘Ram’ embedded in their names – Ram Lal, Ram Prasad, Ramachandra, Ramakrishna; same goes with ‘Krishna’ and ‘Shiva’. On the female side, some common names, such as Sita Devi, Uma Devi, may not truly represent the person’s character or work.

Kashmiri Pandits have generally always been progressive, with an open and global mindset. Wherever they have spread around in the world, they have seamlessly assimilated with the host communities, be it in India or outside India. It is their resilience which has kept this community alive. Their mantra has been: Adjust, Adapt, Assimilate and Acclimatise. Wherever and whenever they found their identity or name was an impediment to their development and progress, they made minor adjustments in themselves, if they could, to move ahead, instead of whinging or forcing themselves on others. Many Kashmir Pandits, after the 1990 mass exodus, now fluently speak in a variety of non-Kashmir languages at home – Hindi, Dogri, Punjabi, English etc. During the Pathan rule, many Pandits were well-conversant with the Persian language. During the Maharajah’s time, they became well-conversant with Urdu and English languages. They adapt!

For the benefit of readers, many Kashmiri surnames – e.g. Turki, Misri, Raina, Razdan, Kadalbajoo – have foreign origins or connections. The surname Magazine is a distorted form of a Kashmiri nickname, the original family would be different. My own family has popularly been known as Ladhaki, due to the ancestral connection of my family with Ladakh. To keep the legacy alive, my daughter has officially added ‘Ladakhi’ to her name, as her middle name. My son is officially named Kongposh, a Kashmiri name. So, the legacy lives on!

For that matter, not many official names amongst the Pandits are quintessential Kashmiri; they are typically Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi or South Indian. Some Pandits also had neutral names, such as Iqbal, Ghazal, Tarranum, Sahil and Sameer, used by both Muslims and Hindus.

In Kashmir, many people of my generation, and before / after me, were called with a range of western names, which shows a futuristic global tendency of this community:

Anita, Baby, Bailey, Beauty, Billu, Billy, Bulla, Bubbly, Bubbloo, Bunny, Candy, Cherry, Chunky, Chinky, Daisy, Dicky, Dolly, Fanta, George, Honey, Jolly, Jimmy, Kevin jee, King (jee), Kitty, Pilly, Pinky, Pintu, Pummy, Mini, Mona, Nina, Rinnie, Rinku, Rita, Rosie, Ruby, Sheena, Tina, Prince (jee), Pansy, Promilla, Romilla, Rosie, Sheela, Sweetie, Tarzan, Queen (jee), Vicky, Vimi, etc.

To conclude, I come from an uprooted community. Can I live in my ancestral home – the valley of Kashmir – along with my entire community? No! So, it does not matter where I chose to live. ‘Delhi or Detroit, it should not matter, go where you find honour, dignity, respect and success’; such was the advice that I received from a wise and successful Kashmiri Pandit, way back in mid-1990, when I (with my young family) was virtually on the road – poor, hopeless, disillusioned, desolate and helpless – like half a million people from my community. But God helps those who help themselves! This wise phrase applies truly to us Kashmir Pandits. We worked hard and many of us reclaimed our lives back in the last three decades, but only through our sheer hard work. Kashmiri Pandits will strive, survive and flourish, with our heads up, with honour and dignity. After all, we don’t give pain to the world; we contribute positively, wherever we are! We adapt!

It is a Kashmir Pandit in me who, despite living in Australia, a living paradise on the earth, makes me put in very hard yards – time, commitment, money and other resources – to try and wake up India because in India’s survival lies the survival of Kashmir, and vice versa. In the past two decades, Australia has infused its core character in me – to stand up, make noise and do something, but never be a silent witness, which aligns with the core message of the Bhagwad Gita. People should help me in my campaign, for their own sake, instead of trying to pull me down. I’ll keep striving regardless! I hope this blog addresses this issue once and for all.

Let us move on, there is a lot to be done!” … Bill K Koul