I am a Kashmiri. Though my ancestors migrated to the plains of India over 200 years ago, we never forgot our Kashmiri roots, and always prided ourselves in being Kashmiris.
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After the events of 2019, in which inter alia Kashmir was downgraded from a state to a union territory in India, Kashmiris have been feeling despondent, in low spirits, and belittled.
Something had to be done to lift up their morale and spirit, and so my Kashmiri friend Tasawar Jalali ( who lives in San Jose, California, USA ) and I decided that a Habba Khatun Memorial and Institute ( hereafter called the HKMI ) be set up in Srinagar ( having a Memorial to Habba Khatun, a research institute, a library, a museum, etc ) which will become the cultural centre of Kashmir ( just as Srinagar is its political centre and capital ). It will become in course of time a place of pilgrimage to Kashmiris in India and abroad, whether Muslims, Hindus, or Sikhs.
We have named the Memorial and Institute proposed to be set up after the famous Kashmiri poet Habba Khatun of the 16th century, known as the Nightingale of Kashmir, whose songs are still on the lips of Kashmiris.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habba_Khatoon
In this connection I have written the articles below :
It may be mentioned that when we use the words ‘Habba Khatun’ in the Memorial and Institute we plan to set up, we do not restrict ourselves to the woman Habba Khatun only. Habba Khatun is a symbol representing the entire history and culture of Kashmir. The words therefore include the great kings mentioned by the Kashmiri writer Kalhan in his Rajtarangini, the great sufis and rishis of Kashmir, and of course the great poets of Kashmir like Habba Khatun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rishi_order
I am the patron of HKMI, Tasawar Jalali is its Chairman, and Sadaf Mir, Principal of Imamia High School, Srinagar is it Gen Secy.
The HKMI has established a Habba Khatun Research Institute ( HKRI ), and its first meeting, chaired by Tasawar Jalali ( who is in Kashmir these days ), was held on 2nd October at the Jalali Heritage House, Zadibal, Srinagar.
This first in-person meeting of the Habba Khatoon Research Institute (HKRI) was an important step in moving the Institute from vision to a structured and sustainable institutional effort.
One of the most significant development in the meeting has been the formation of a strong and capable leadership team, bringing together respected scholars, literary personalities, cultural activists, and individuals committed to the Institute’s purpose. The intention from the outset has been to create an institution built on collective leadership, shared responsibility, and intellectual independence, one that has the depth and capability to move its work forward without being dependent on any single individual.
The meeting helped bring greater clarity to our priorities: systematic research and documentation of Kashmiri history and culture, and in particular on Habba Khatoon, collection and preservation of scholarly and archival material, thoughtful translation of her poetry, particularly into English, while retaining its Kashmiri character and poetic essence, and the development of an appropriate institutional space for research, documentation, and scholarly engagement.
More importantly, the meeting reinforced a common understanding that HKRI should be built for the long term. Our ambition is to establish a credible scholarly institution with the leadership, intellectual foundation, and continuity necessary to preserve and deepen understanding of Kashmiri culture, and in particular, Habba Khatoon’s legacy, and make it accessible to future generations in Kashmir and beyond.
The meeting was attended by renowned scholars and cultural experts and activists viz Zarif Ahmad Zarif, ; Prof. Shad Ramzan, Convenor Kashmiri Board, Sahitya Academy New Delhi, former Dean and Head Kashmiri Deptt. University of Kashmir, and Visiting Professor at the Central University of Kashmir; Mohammad Amin Bhat, President, Adbi Markaz Kamraz; Tasawur Jallali, Chairman, Habba Khatoon Research Institute; Syed Abid Gowhar, Vice Chairman, HKRI; Sadaf Mir, General Secretary, HKRI; besides other distinguished members and dignitaries of the Jalali family.
The meeting marked an important beginning towards establishing a systematic and scholarly initiative dedicated to exploring, documenting and preserving the life and literary legacy of Habba Khatoon, as also the entire history and culture of Kashmir, and its prominent figures.
On learning of this meeting, I sent this message to Tasawar and other members of the HKRI :
Congratulations to all members of the Habba Khatun Research Institute for holding this historical meeting.
What you are doing will be recorded in the annals of the history of Kashmir.
Unfortunately, due to certain developments in recent years ( such as downgrading Kashmir from a state to a union territory in 2019 ), the people of Kashmir were feeling despondent, belittled, and in low spirits.
One of the cardinal objectives of the Habba Khatun Memorial and Institute is to restore the morale, enhearten, revitalize, and give courage to the people of Kashmir, by reminding them of their glorious past.
We must make this Memorial and Institute the cultural centre of Kashmir, where Kashmiris of all religions, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs, and whether in India or abroad, come as if on a pilgrimage.
