Srinagar, Jan (KNS):Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Wednesday said that Kashmiri Pandits are an inseparable part of Kashmir’s social and cultural history, as he paid tribute to noted Kashmiri Pandit intellectual Bhushan Bazaz, who passed away recently in New Delhi.
Speaking at a condolence meeting organised in memory of Bazaz at New Delhi, Mirwaiz recalled his personal association with the Bazaz family and described the late intellectual as a moral guide and a bridge between communities at a time of deep divisions.
“Kashmiri Pandits are part of our story. They are part of our collective memory, our shared history and our plural ethos,” Mirwaiz said, adding that Bazaz’s life reflected Kashmir’s tradition of coexistence, dialogue and mutual respect.
Bazaz, son of renowned political thinker and writer Premnath Bazaz, passed away earlier this week at the age of 91. Mirwaiz said his demise marked not only a personal loss but also a wider moral void in Kashmir.
To the public, Bazaz was a respected intellectual and thinker, Mirwaiz said, but for his family, he was a trusted elder whose warmth and guidance shaped his formative years. He recalled that during his childhood, particularly in the 1980s, the Bazaz family home in Delhi served as a second home during his father Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq’s visits to the capital.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
The house, named “Ghash-e-Agur” — meaning “source of light” in Kashmiri — lived up to its name by offering an atmosphere of care, warmth and belonging, Mirwaiz said. He noted that religious identity never defined relationships in that home.
Following the assassination of his father in 1990, Mirwaiz said Bazaz emerged as one of his earliest emotional anchors as he was thrust into public life at a young age. “In moments of grief and confusion, his advice emphasised restraint over aggression, dialogue over confrontation, and hope over despair,” he said.
Mirwaiz also recalled Bazaz’s views during the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits, describing him as someone who refused to allow bitterness to shape his thinking. Bazaz believed Kashmir’s plural soul had been wounded but not destroyed, and that reconciliation remained possible, he said.
Despite widening communal divides over the years, Mirwaiz said he continued to stay with the Bazaz family during visits to Delhi, calling it a reaffirmation of shared values and trust.
Bazaz’s life and beliefs, Mirwaiz said, stand as a reminder that Kashmir’s identity is rooted in coexistence and mutual respect, not exclusion.(KNS).