Comedian Samay Raina has once again spoken about the deep scars left by the Kashmir Pandit exodus, this time offering a more personal and detailed account of how it affected his family for generations.
‘Kashmiri Pandits they have no sense of belonging’
Speaking on Dostcast, Raina did not hold back as she described the emotional cost of the move.“It really affects you, you lose your whole childhood, your whole identity. All Kashmiri Pandits had to leave. Kashmiri Pandits don’t have a place that gives them a sense of belonging,” he said.He emphasized how trauma follows the present. “People of my generation feel scared to go back to Kashmir, frankly. Our parents have a bittersweet relationship with it. When my mother came back after many years, she was very excited, but when she saw that nothing was left, she cried. It became a painful memory for him.’
“My grandfather was on the death list”
Recalling the fear her family had endured, Raina revealed that her maternal grandfather was directly under threat.“My grandfather was on the hit list because he was a very prominent doctor in the town. Then letters would go out saying who was going to be killed the next day,” he said.He added: “My mother fainted when that letter said they were going to kill my grandfather. My grandmother also fainted.”He also spoke about those who chose to stay behind. “Many Kashmiri Pandits said they would stay, and they were killed very brutally,” he said.
‘He was there Kashmiri Muslims who helped him’
Raina highlighted how his family managed to escape amid the violence.“My aunt was brave; she calmly went to the clinic where my grandfather worked. Fortunately, she had so much goodwill that the Kashmiri Muslims there helped her and her family escape. Nothing would have happened to her because she had done so much for the people,” she said.“It was the Kashmiri Muslims who helped my grandfather out of that situation,” he added.
“We thought we’d be back in two weeks”
Describing the night her family left, Raina said: “We packed our things overnight: my grandparents, my mother, my aunt, the whole family left thinking we’d be back in two weeks. It’s been 25 years.”
