Exile Narratives of Kashmiri Pandits A Study with Reference to Edward Saids Theory Of Exile

Abstract

Exile has been one of the oldest forms of displacement in human history where individuals or groups moved away from their places of origin for various reasons. This research study endeavours to approach the selected writings of Kashmiri Pandits as exile narratives and analyse them from socio-political and psychological perspectives with reference to Edward Said s theory of exile. According to Said, an exilic life becomes a constrained life with sudden shift from home to homelessness , from secured life amidst familiar surroundings to an insecure life with temporary dwelling followed by imposed affiliations and new loyalties. The study also attempts to explore the artistic genius of the Kashmiri Pandits within the theoretical framework of the relation between art and trauma given by the famous American critic Edmund Wilson in his thesis The Wound and the Bow. Wilson relates literary genius with the trauma experienced by the writer. He postulated the notion of inseparability of superior strength from disability (257) through the myth of Philoctetes, the Greek archer who suffered from a malodorous wound. The text under consideration, Under the Shadow of Militancy: The Diary of an Unknown Kashmiri (2002), is a record of the outbreak of militancy, the uncertainty and insecurity faced by the Kashmiri Pandits during the period of 1990. The book is in the form of a diary kept by a Kashmiri Pandit from February to August in the year 1990 which fell into the hands of the author. The Garden of Solitude (2010) and Our Moon has Blood Clots focus on the plight of Kashmiri Pandits who were forced to abandon their homes due to militancy. These books are deeply personal and powerful. From Home to House (2015) is an anthology of short stories and essays by Kashmiri Pandits who are living in the state of exile and are nostalgic about going back to their home. Faith and Frenzy is an anthology of short stories by Dr. Kundan Lal Chowdhary which is a blend of both facts and fiction. Of Gardens and Graves by Suvir Kaul examines the situation of Kashmir through poetic expression and essays in the year 1990. It talks about everyday life and the difficulties which were faced by Kashmiri Pandits. The largest majority of the Kashmiri Pandits rebuilt their houses, their lives outside the valley, their language, and their cultural norms were now de-territorialised and were in danger of dissolution. Life in Kashmir became very strange, like a schizophrenic mix between both political, civil administration and the security forces. newline