The recent remarks made by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other Kashmiri leaders against the Gulmarg fashion show during the holy month of Ramadan highlight their concerns for preserving religious values and cultural sensitivities. While we acknowledge their right to express their views and protect their spiritual beliefs, it is time for these leaders to extend the same respect and sensitivity toward the religious traditions of the Kashmiri Pandit community, which hold profound spiritual significance. . Religious sensitivity cannot be selective. It must be universal and unbiased to ensure that no community feels marginalized or disrespected in their homeland.

For Hindus, particularly the Kashmiri Pandit community, the month of Shravan, which falls between July and August, is one of the holiest months dedicated to Lord Shiva, the supreme deity worshipped across Kashmir. Devotees engage in Rudra Abhishek, fasting—especially on Mondays—and deep spiritual reflection to seek divine grace for health, wisdom, and peace. It is a time of devotion and austerity, symbolizing purity and the eternal connection between the soul and Lord Shiva. Equally significant is the month of Maag, which falls between January and February. This month holds extraordinary spiritual and religious value for Kashmiri Pandits. It is marked by Maag Snan (ritual bathing), fasting, and havans (fire rituals), which are performed with unwavering faith for spiritual cleansing and divine blessings. During Maag, Kashmiri Pandits engage in prayers and austerities to honor their ancestral heritage and reinforce their spiritual identity. Just as the holy month of Ramadan is sacrosanct to our Muslim brothers and sisters, these two months—Shravan and Maag—are equally sacred for the Kashmiri Pandit community. It is only just and fair that the same moral concerns expressed for Ramadan should extend to the religious sensitivities of Kashmiri Pandits.

We, the Kashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC),, urge Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other influential Kashmiri leaders to publicly acknowledge and respect these two pious months of the Kashmiri Pandit community. Just as they advocate against activities that offend religious sentiments during Ramadan, we expect them to demonstrate the same spirit and instruct the Kashmiri Muslim masses, the government, and other organizations to refrain from conducting functions or activities during Shravan and Maag that could hurt the religious feelings of Kashmiri Pandits. Selective concern for one community while ignoring the religious sentiments of others is not only unfair but also damages the social and cultural fabric of Kashmir. If the principles of religious harmony and mutual respect are to hold any meaning, they must apply equally to all communities, without discrimination or bias.

We firmly believe that true communal harmony can only be achieved when every community—whether Hindu, Muslim, or others—receives equal respect for their faith and traditions. Any action or event that disregards the sacred values of the Kashmiri Pandit community is a direct affront to our identity, which we have struggled to preserve despite decades of displacement and injustice. We expect Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other Kashmiri leaders to rise above selective concerns and publicly commit to honoring the sanctity of Shravan and Maag. We call upon them to recognize the sacred importance of these months for Kashmiri Pandits, to advise the Kashmiri Muslim masses, government bodies, and other organizations to avoid activities during these months that offend or undermine our religious sentiments, and to demonstrate a spirit of fairness by extending the same protection to Kashmiri Pandit traditions as they do for Ramadan and other Islamic observances.

The Kashmiri Pandit community has long been the victim of neglect and injustice, and it is time for our religious practices to receive the dignity and protection they deserve. We await the moral leadership of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other Kashmiri leaders to fulfill their responsibility by standing up for the rights and religious sentiments of the Kashmiri Pandit community—just as they do for their own.

By:
[Kundan Kashmiri]
Sevak & President, Kashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC)
Contact: kundankashmiri@gmail.com | Mobile: 880 2167955