Shibanji: A Tribute

Shibanji: a tribute

I do not, at this length of time, recall as to who recommended Shibanji Dudha to me. It was the year 2003. I had just taken over as President, All India Kashmiri Samaj. My mother had warned me not to put my legs in “Khashir pajamas”, but in my naïve innocence I thought that I could change the fit of the pyjamas and somehow survive.

My biggest problem was that I was a novice In Kashmiri Pandit politics. I knew nobody. This was a major snag, but it was also an opportunity. I scouted around and gradually a team formed itself around me. Very soon Shibanji also joined us, first as Treasurer and then as General Secretary.

I would not like to go over each step of our journey together. Suffice it to say that if we achieved anything during my two terms as President, a large part of the credit should go to Shibanji.

We drafted the National Policy on Kashmir, the Revised Constitution for the AIKS, the Strategy for the Eventual Return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley and the Civil Writ Petition in the Supreme Court of India. We also wrote the History of the AIKS since its inception.

Whatever project we undertook, Shibanji was its life and soul. I still remember how he used to come to my residence in Pamposh with his laptop and we sat for hours on the carpet discussing various issues and jointly drafting numerous documents together, while my wife Raj kept up our morale with pakoras and tea.

Shibanji was full of ideas. He was also very active in the implementation of ideas. Such a combination of brain and brawn is rare.

When I was about to complete my second term, my fond desire was to help Shibanji to succeed me as President. Despite my best efforts, he did not agree.

He dearly wished the Kashmiri Pandits to return to the valley. Part of his strategy was to see that some of them enter the various political parties in the State. When he stood for elections, I advised him against it. I said that he would waste some of his hard-earned money in fighting the elections, but to no avail.

It is my belief that he overstrained himself in pursuing his dream of easing the path of return for members of his community.

One of my unfinished projects is a book on Kashmiri Pandit politics. I had requested his help in gathering the material for the book. He was enthusiastic about the project and said that most of the matter was already there in his laptop.

Shibanji was very forthcoming whenever I needed advice on property, finance and taxation matters.

When I heard the news of his premature demise, I could not believe my ears. His end was sudden, unexpected and tragic. It is a great loss to the community. It is a grievous loss to me personally.

May his soul rest in peace!

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