Period of early Educational and Political

Uprising

Fifty years ago, we were just toddlers….

Fifty years ago, we were just playing with stones, trucks

and dolls….

Fifty years ago, we just tried to learn our ABCs…..

Fifty years ago, we were just wondering for our bread

and butter…….

Before a recent decade, during the darkest nights, our

parents had to hide us in their chests in order to escape
the claws of fissiparous tendencies of nefarious designs
looming over our heads…..

Now, Bhalessa has grown up and the only passion in

lives of the masses is to look for a sea change in their
lifestyle in hitherto heritage.

Before I apt to go for a brief discussion on the life and

achievements of the people who keep Bhalessa on
Driver’s seat. I mention here that Bhalessa before 50
years of slavery was ruled by people of outside regions
thereby we remained under agony, we remained
ignorant of the rights and duties. No education, no
leadership was the order of the day.
Interestingly, some people started movements to bring
change in the lifestyle of the masses.
I put in place the exemplary services rendered by the
then Director Education Ghulam Rasool Azad who owing
to his social and Political movement- The cohesive social
order seemed to be revealed. We are all taking fruits of
the the main root of our terrain-who contributed richy
or the educational advancement, economic development
and in diverse fields of his activity.
I mention the names of those who contributed
immensely for the popularization of Bhalessa’s social
political and developmental convas were, Ghulam Rasool
Azad, Munshi Mohd. Anwer, Munshi Ram Chand Parihar,
Gahulam Nabi Rather, Master Anoroud Singh, Hari saran

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Jaildar, Habib ullah Malik, Prof. Umer Din, Abdul Aziz
Batt and Talib Bhalessi.

Over time there seemed less political or social

awakening among the elites, the area was little
progressed, there was no education rather primary
schooling to the people. People used to go to
Bhaderwah for their primary studies.
The political staire was also lacking as people
represented a low income strata and economy was poor.
The people seemed out of such activism. Hari Saran
Zaildar of Batara was regarded as a chief Chowkidar of
the hamlet. The first teacher was Anirud Singh of
Khaljugasar who was educated from Bhaderwah.
Some families over time migrated from Kashmir.
The whole Chenab valley and Bhaderwah Jagir was ruled
by Rana’s and Thakurs. The area of Bhalessa was a part
of Bhaderwah Jagir and Bhaderwah was regarded as a
main centre of decentralization.
It is learnt from our elderly that they used to go
Bhaderwah for ration to feed them.
Owing to the close proximity with Bhaderwah,
people maintained healthy relations with Bhaderwah.

However, many families in Kashmir have migrated

from one part to another in search of habitation and
livelihood. One such family was the Batt family which
migrated to the Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh
while a few factions stayed in Bhalessa's Soti village.
The family at Soti took up peasant work. Ghulam Rasool
Azad was born in the year 1916 to this peasant family.
There were only two schools then in Bhalessa - the
Primary school Kilhotran and the Bhaderwah Amar Singh
school. Rasool's father Kh. Khazra Batt sent him to both.

In 1935, Ghulam Rasool Azad passed the graduate

entrance examination from Jammu Centre. He graduated
in Mathematics. He did his post graduation from Punjab
University in 1943.
Munshi Mohamed Anwer was also enrolled in
Bhaderwah
Ghulam Rasool Azad’s Kashmir Policy

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The history of the state lacks absurdly the evidence of
viewpoints made by majority of unsung heroes of the
state on the trouble torn Kashmir. Their Kashmir policy,
handling the situation of communal disharmony over
time, the pages of history are absurdly lacking the
mention of such epitomes of peace who played acted as
a catalyst for the cementing Hindu Muslim amity during
a course of time.
Ghulam Rasool Azad was very sensitive over the
issue on Kashmir. As a freedom fighter, he pleaded the
cause of minority community and shouted for Hindu
Muslim relations. The fact reveals that he is not in the
history owing to his belonging from improvised Jammu
region. Even sheikh sahib himself once that if Kashmir
region can produce leaders like Azad, like of Jammu
region, it may go a long way to help in achieving the
slogan of Naya Kashmir.
Azad opposed the prevalent Propaganda of
heartedness disseminated by the political forces of that
time.
Moreover his policy on Kashmir was quite clear that
he advocated that that the issue should not be put in
isolation.
Azad being a renowned journalist wrote in his
owned weekly “Dahr” where he opposed the foreign
imperialism and the atrocities and discrimination meted
by the Muslim minority. He opined that Kashmir is a
commodity discovered from where? Is it discovered from
Aligarh to Jamsheedpur to Ranchi, Ahmedabad to
Kanpur or Jabulpur to Sagar or Nagpur, from Indore and
samba ?
As per his analysis, the issue has been discovered
from the central departments and military, department
of posts and Railways and Banks and has finally
discovered here in Jammu and Kashmir where the
Muslim minority is being harassed and there is of late
discrimination meted to them, Azad pointed in his
weekly “The Dehr”. He was sensitive over the central
government’s faith towards the minority of Bihar, UP,
Delhi, Bangal, Maharashtra, Gujrat and Orrisa and
suggested the centre for Justice with the community. He
was of the opinion that be it the central government or
the stations of chauvinism, these be stopped and
ultimately the Kashmir issue will be stopped. However,
such an ideology of Azad, was endorsed by the BJP
leader Sh. L.K Advani on 21st of June 1990 in Calcutta

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during his speech like this: “ Over the years, instead
of looking upon the Muslims as part of Indian masses,
the congress by its actions, has segregated the
community and turned it into an instrument of electoral
politics by talking about the so called “Muslim Voters”.
Mr. Advani appealed the community in Calcutta to
consider the Muslim as Part of Indian nation.

Ghulam Rasool Azad’s Perception of Kashmir Problem:

He advocated that Kashmir issue should not be taken in

isolation. It is deeply connected with the insecurity and
deprivation of the muslims of India who are most
deprived, the most discriminated and the most
oppressed and suppressed community in the country.
Military in Kashmir is the symbol of the assertion of
Muslim Identity in India. It should be recognized and
dealt with as such.
Azad asserted the elimination of internal factors
responsible for the problem, the problem actually was a
discrimination and injustice confronted to the minority
community. He advocated that the external factors like
of Pakistan’s interference can be ended only if the
Government of India can take care of the internal
factors responsible for the Kashmir issue. Azad viewed
that even if all the militants are wiped from the valley
and there is no militancy left in the state, the Kashmir
problem will still remain with ferociousness on account
of the unprecedented sacrifices made by kashmiri’s till a
just political solution is arrived at and stopping the
bullet for bullet policy adopted by Militants and Indian
soldiers.
In a letter to Ghulam Nabi Azad on 30th
August 1992, Azad wrote:
“We are all sick. The most painful events and aweful
situation in the state have made us all sick and most
miserable and every one longs for a solution of the
Kashmir problem, an honorable and Just Political
solution”.
It was a time when former Governor of the state,
Dr. Karan Singh and his wife visited the spot at
Hazratbal Kashmir where forty day’s encounter ended
between Militants and Indian Soldiers. Azad endorsed
the former Governor for this visit, while endorsing Dr.
Karan Singh for his visit to Hazratbal, Azad writes on
3rd November 1993 to him as like this:

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 “Kashmir issue is neither “Hamara Androoni
Mamla” or “Our integral part” as such, nor terrorism
sponsored by Pakistan nor can the two nation theory of
1930, 1940 or 1947 be applied to the Kashmir of 1993”.
Azad further writes,” Kashmir is neither Punjab nor
Afghanistan, It is Kashmir” (Jammu and Kashmir only).