"It was a wonderful experience interacting with you and appreciate the way you have planned and executed the whole publication process within the agreed timelines.”
Subrat SaurabhAuthor of Kuch Woh Pal
This book briefly introduces the religious, cultural, social, and spiritual traditions of the Kashmiri Pandits, the aborigines of the Kashmir valley. As some may say, they were born to roam and suffer during the last six centuries but have amazingly retained a healthy appetite for life. They are that breed of the human race that has successfully converted survival into an art form. Their special talent to survive in alien lands after being deprived of existence in the land of their birth has made them the object of admiration and envy. Over 5000 years ago, the ancestors of the Kashmiri Pandits living on the banks of the ancient river Sarasvati (that flowed in the northwestern region of India and dried up around 1900 BCE) moved northward and settled in the Kashmir valley. For the first two millenniums, they developed a literary culture under the reign of Hindu kings. In the 13th century, Islam entered the valley, and its preachers and sympathizers began converting Pandits to Islam. The valley inhabitants were principally Hindu until the Buddhist-turned-Muslim king Rinchen took the throne in 1339 AD and began killing and converting Hindus to Islam. Later in the 14th Century, Sultan Sikandar initiated the first exodus of Hindus from Kashmir. Since the 14th century, the history of Kashmiri Pandits has been a history of displacement, migration, and homelessness, which is made more poignant by the past thirty-five years of militancy in Kashmir valley.
Bansi Pandit
Bansi Pandit was born in Kashmir, graduated from Regional Engineering College, Srinagar, and taught in the same college for four years before arriving in the US. He earned his MS in Nuclear Engineering from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, in 1973. During his professional career, he was involved in US and international nuclear power plant design and operation and retired as Senior Manager, Nuclear Power Technologies. Bansi Pandit is the author and publisher of over half a dozen books on Hindu culture and spirituality and is listed in 'Who is Who' in America. He is the former speaker on Hinduism by the Council of World Parliament of Religions, Chicago, on inter-religious dialogue. He is the former advisor to the Hindu Students Council of America on Hindu Religion & Culture and past Chairperson Hindu Dharma Committee, Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago. He is the recipient of the 1998, 2005, 2006, and 2009 Kashmiri Overseas Association awards for promoting Hindu history and culture in America and for his religious, spiritual, and educational contributions to the Kashmiri community in the USA. He is the recipient of the Hindu American Foundation 2019 Dharma Seva Award. He is the practitioner of Kriya Yoga as taught by Paramahansa Yogananda.
