A sign of peace in Kashmir! Pandits take out Jananashtami yatra

Srinagar, Sep 3 (UNI) It was after more than 18 years that Muslims lined up on streets and roads of the summer capital of strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir to watch their Kashmiri Pandit brethern take out a 'shoba yatra' today on the eve of Janamashtami.

The 'shoba yatra', a religious procession, started and culminated at Ganesh (Sidhi Vinayak) Temple at Ganpatyar in Habba Kadal area, once dominated by Kashmiri Pandits, after passing through various lanes and bylanes of the downtown and uptown city.

The procession was taken under the auspices of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS) on the eve of Janamashtami (the birthday of Lord Krishna).

The 'yatra' was revived after being suspended in the late 1980s when majority of Kashmiri Pandits migrated from the Valley to other parts of the country following outbreak of militancy in 1989.

As the procession passed through congested areas of the city, a large number of Muslims were seen lined up on the roadside while others, including women, watched it from the windows of their houses.

A few Muslim women greeted the procession with famous Kashmiri songs and dances soon after it commenced from Ganesh Temple.

Muslim children also saw with much enthusiasm and amusement a child dressed up like Lord Krishna with flute in his hand and accompanied by two girls.

People from all walks of life took part in the procession.

In a statement, KPSS expressed gratitude to the district administration for providing all facilities such as security, sanitation, power supply, healthcare, ambulance and much more during the procession.

''Our special thanks goes to our majority community (Muslims), who made our yatra very successful and extended all sorts of facilities besides offering greetings at several places enroute the procession,'' KPSS president Sanjay K Tickoo said.

He said the entire function generated emotional atmosphere and nostalgic memories.

UNI