Actor Vedang Raina (Jigra), a Kashmiri Pandit, talks with Subhash K Jha about the tragedy in Pahalgam.
Vedang, as a Kashmiri Pandit, how do you react to the Pahalgam tragedy?
I take this very personally. I can’t explain how upsetting and angering this is to me. Kashmir is already a sensitive topic to me as a Kashmiri Pandit. And this is just the saddest thing that could’ve happened. It can’t get any worse…or can it? Every time we say this, it is as inhuman as possible. And then they surprise us again.
Do you visit Kashmir often?
My mom and dad are both Kashmiris, and even then, I’ve been to Kashmir only once in my life, which was last year. I was in Srinagar, Pahalgam, and Gulmarg. And it’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to. During my visit, I thought to myself, Kashmir is finally back on track; there’s so much progress, and it feels safe to visit as a Pandit.
You were planning another visit?
Yes, I thought to myself how everyone should visit this place and experience what I just experienced and I decided to come back every year because it weirdly felt like home to me. I connected deeply.
And now?
And now it’s all out of the window. I can’t even imagine how all the locals must be feeling. The victims, their families. It’s heart-wrenching. My blood boils. Kashmir just went back by twenty years because of a handful of low lives. Tourism will get hit. Thousands of lives will now suffer. Businesses will shut down.
How deep is your connection with Kashmir?
My grandfather’s generation left Kashmir. My parents visited Srinagar very often as there were many relatives there, before the exodus, of course. All my life, I had only heard stories about Kashmir until my visit last year with my family. They showed me around all the little places they visited in their childhood. It was bittersweet. We lost our homes. But it was also so satisfying to be back!
Would you go back now?
Of course, I would! I won’t let a bunch of cowards scare me. Kashmir is and will remain paradise.
