Aamir Habib
For centuries, the valley of Kashmir has been blessed with Sufis, Rishes, and mystic poets. They enriched this bountiful land and bequeathed it plural and shared culture and society. From the pages of history comes to the forefront a Kashmiri Pandit of 19th century. With his sound grip on the esoteric dimensions of religion, he continues to draw the attention to a wider audience, especially of those oriented with the inward (batini) dimensions of religion. The ecstatic states and saying of Prakash Ram Bhat continue to be celebrated among some Sufi groups of the Valley.
In the religious history of Kashmir, Prakash Ram could be counted along with those mystics who have held appeal and influence across religions. During the enlightened period of his life, he attracted attention from both Hindus and Muslims, particularly of those from his native place. He is still much talked about them.
In addition to his divine-oriented love poems, Prakash Ram wrote a two-volume lyric style Ramayana in the Kashmiri language- a regional version of the Valmiki Ramayana.
Boon from the Goddess
Prakash Ram was born in a family of Merzih Pandit in Kurigam near Qazigund in Anantnag district. Prakash Ram was literate and worked as a government employee. No authentic and well-researched biography of this mystic poet has been written in any language. Hence, we are unable to comprehend how his personality developed as a mystic and a poet.
A hagiographical account of Prakash Ram’s life is similar to that of Kabir, Sai Baba, or other mystics of South Asia. One narrative has it that when Prakash Ram died, there was a difference of opinion among Hindus and Muslims on whether he should be cremated or buried. Ultimately when the two groups were not able to resolve the dispute, the bier and his body placed on it flew, and during its flight, it touched a branch of a Chinar tree. Legend has it that the said bough remains evergreen. But a field visit made during winters, when the Chinar sheds leaves, proved delusive. No such tree was visible in the village.
Due to the 90s, most Pandit families migrated from the Valley, including the grandchildren of Prakash Ram. Their house lies abandoned. On visiting his house, one sees the proximity in which the Pandits and the Muslims of Kashmir Valley lived together. The Pandits who stayed back during the migration or those who returned to the Valley, as well as other religious communities like the Sikhs have maintained this shared and cumulative cultural space in the Valley. In such a shared space, the cross-cultural influence needs no explanation. However, proper and wholesome distances were and are kept intact by all the communities in the Valley.
Prakash Ram, a saintly individual, was and still is esteemed highly in Kashmiri society. His identity as a mystic poet is commemorated by Muslims by singing some of his poems. For the Pandits of Kashmir, he has left a huge corpus of devotional literature. Often his poems are broadcast on radio or television channels of Kashmir.
Some years back, in Malik Abad, a village near Prakash’s native village, a gentleman named Muhammad Iqbal Malik, popularly known as Shaheed Iqbal, organized a function to refresh the memory of the mystic poet – one of the hidden or even lost voices of Kashmiri literary heritage. Malik said Prakash Ram belonged to a group of Kashmiri mystics who delivered a trans-religious message. He said Prakash Ram had written poems in praise of the last Prophet of Islam and also Divine-oriented love odes. These are part of Sufi musical gatherings.
Although a mystic and a solitude-loving person, Prakash Ram did not renounce the world. He lived a married life and had a son named Sahnz Ram. He was remembered as a reserved man who did not speak much, spending most of his time in isolation. A popular anecdote about him goes like this.
Once Prakash Ram was sitting in heavy rain without any protection, lost in self-introspection. A palanquin stopped beside him. Inside was the local goddess Sakhiyat. The goddess came out and went close to Prakash Ram. He was stunned to see her standing in front of him. The goddess invited him to meet her the next morning at Reid Nag, a famous spring of the village. According to popular belief, the goddess dwells there. The following day, Prakash Ram arrived at Reid Nag to meet the goddess. The goddess again appeared before him, but this time with a pot full of honey in her hand. She offered the honey to Prakash to taste it. The tale goes that even before the meeting with the goddess, Prakash used to write songs and was a well-acknowledged poet. After this boon from the goddess, he became incredible and started writing poems with depth, rhythm, and profundity.
Prakash Ram mentioned the locales of Kashmir in his poems, which gave them a unique flavor among the Kashmiris. He frequently used devotion, love, and longing as tools to seek the Divine. He wrote:
O Son of Koshalya, I shall cradle-swing you
Reciting Rama Rama, I shall cradle-swing you
Leaving me behind, where have you gone
With whom can I share this painful state
Wish I, someone cajoles you I shall cradle-swing you
Devoted to you
Searching you every town and village
I want you only, Rama
I shall cradle-swing you
I wished Rama’s kingship
The stepmother but did not like it
You left for forest dwelling
I shall cradle-swing you.
Leaving me all alone
An unbearable separation it is
Light of my eyes, where is he?
O Prakash! Where this sun disappeared?
Prakash Ram blended his devotion, love, and longing along with the narrative of Rama’s exile. His two-volume Ramayana is an epic story as well as a theatre in itself. Ramayana has played a crucial role in the shaping of South Asian culture. Prakash Ram’s Rama-Avtaar-Charit, a Kashmiri version of the Valmiki Ramayana, falls within the celebrated multiple versions of the Ramayana tradition of South Asia.
Prakash Ram’s Ramayana is acknowledged as the first Kashmiri Ramayana in a printed form. This Ramayana became the first epic poetry ever written in Kashmiri, infusing the Kashmiri Pandits with the regional aroma of Ramayana in lyric form. Being a devotee of Rama, Prakash penned down the Ramayana in two books and named it Rama-Avtaar-Charit and Luv-Kush-Charit. As the names suggest, the first volume is about Rama as an incarnation of Vishnu, and the second one is written about Rama’s two sons Luv and Kush. In the narration, the text deviates from the source in many respects. The language is less Sanskritized. Colloquial Kashmiri has been chosen. There is a combination of narrative and the Lila form.
Prakash Ram lived in a period when Persian language and poetry flourished in Kashmir. His poems are laced with Persian, Arabic, or even Urdu linguistic terms that were in common use. Prakash Ram was among the Bhakti poets who explored a wide range of stylistic devices and even adapted the method of mixing Kashmiri with Persian or Arabic lexicon.
It is remarkable that in writing Rama-Avtaar-Charit, Prakash Ram set the epic in local landscapes such as Wangat, Vichar-naag, Ramradan, Naran-naag, Nunar, Brahmsar and Harmukh. Most events of Valmiki Ramayana took place in the forests. Prakash Ram replaced the original sites with the above landscapes as if the whole story had taken place in Kashmir Valley.
Another important volume recording Prakash Ram’s poetry is Kalam-i-Prakash Ram Bhat Kurigami (Poetical Works of Prakash Ram Bhat Kurigami). In some of its poems, one notices the influence of Islam upon Prakash Ram’s mystical thoughts. Because of their ecstatic tone, some poems from this compilation are often recited in Sufi musical assemblies, notably the following.
Aaw bahar bolih bulbulo; Soan voalo baryo shaedi.
Sham ni yivan raatas zoloo; Soan voalo baryo shaedi.
(Sing O nightingale, the spring is upon; Come to me,
will bosom you.
My nights are sleepless; Come to me, will bosom you).
Tas yarih sinz lol-lerey; Sondrey mey goam devanih dil.
Pyaraan bi shas tas yaar-i siy; sharbat diyem bemarsiy
(In love of that beloved; O! friend, my heart is restless
Am awaiting my beloved; Wish I, he offers a syrup to this lovesick)
Tse ti mey myul oas azil laney; Mashoq myane mo-hem duur
(Our union was meant from the beginning; O! beloved do not turn away)
Image: Syed M Qasim
