By Farooq Wani
Her recent two-day visit to Jammu & Kashmir makes President Droupadi Murmu the seventh Indian President to do so. Presidential visits to any state of the Indian Union are usually balanced ceremonial affairs marked with requisite trappings of solemnity or pomp as merited. Most visits are focused on addressing university convocations, presenting any of the tri-services (Army, Air Force & Navy) with ceremonial colours, or swords of honour, paying homage to India’s martyred brave hearts and interacting with the local population.
In that sense, President Murmu’s visit was par for the course. She used her two-day sojourn to visit the Army’s Badami Bagh based 15 Corps headquarters to pay her respects at the war memorial, a touching gesture by the supreme commander of the armed forces. She also delivered an address at the 20th convocation of the Kashmir University (KU) at its Hazratbal campus, took part in a mesmerizing light and sound show organised in her honour on the Dal Lake, and attended a civic reception and dinner hosted by J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha. The President prayed at the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu and inaugurated a slew of public welfare oriented projects.
As expected, security arrangements were fool proof while ensuring minimal inconvenience to the general public. Each venue she was scheduled to visit was sanitised, drones, advanced electronic equipment and extensive CCTV surveillance were employed, entry and exit points were monitored closely, and vehicular and public movement strictly regulated. Special cordon and search operations were carried out in various parts to deter anti-national elements and miscreants.
This presidential visit was however different in the sense that it was the second undertaken by a head of state in the post-pandemic period, the first being by President Kovind in the last week of July 2021; it was second by a head of state after the abrogation of Articles 370 & 35-A, which had controversially granted special status to the erstwhile state of J&K; it was the second by a head of state to a region that has been converted from a state to a Union Territory and also unique in terms of political and global messaging, that J&K is normal, peaceful, stable and economically vibrant, and far from being the unstable, violent, virulent environment and economically deprived society of pre-2019 days.
Key features of President Murmu’s visit were:
- Presentation of gold medals, M. Phil and Ph.D. degrees to 400 KU scholars.
- Inauguration of a 250m long and 2.5m wide Vaishno Devi Shrine skywalk, 20 feet above the existing track at a cost of Rs.15.69 crores. Constructed in a record time of 14 months, the skywalk has been designed to enhance the experience of pilgrims via two distinct routes.
- Inaugurating a revamped Parvati Bhawan with 1,500 digital-friendly lockers, floors segregated for male and female pilgrims, waiting lounge and washrooms. The aim of consolidating multiple facilities was to systematise the movement of devotees and visiting the Bhairon Temple via ropeway to pay obeisance.
The President emphasised that India was passing through “Amrit Kaal”, i.e. experiencing a phase aimed at improving the lives of Indian citizens, narrowing the development divide between villages and cities, reducing government interference in people’s lives and welcoming 21st century technology, which highlighted India’s determination to become a developed nation by 2047.
Her message to Kashmir’s youth was that they should be responsible and actively participate in social service while pursuing their studies spoke with the desire to “move from darkness to light” via education in a disciplined and committed manner.
She was particularly happy to note that 55 percent of KU students were women, which she felt was a sign that Kashmiri women and girls are ready to play a bigger leadership role at the regional and national level. She expressed confidence that the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act’ 2023 would be a revolutionary step towards women-led development in India.
On the issue of sustainable development, President Murmu said Kashmir could use its rich heritage to reiterate the need for protecting “our natural environment” as she held the belief and quoting Sufi Saint of Kashmir Shiekh- Ul Alam that “there will be food only as long as there are forests”, and therefore, every institution needs to be alert towards preserving the Himalayan ecosystem.
Emphasis was also placed on encouraging the further rejuvenation of ancient Indian knowledge systems as part of NEP-2020, which to her mind, continue to have relevance.
“Our country has priceless treasures in every field of knowledge and science. It is the responsibility of the academic world to find ways to re-use such organically grown knowledge systems in today’s circumstances,” she said.
The civic reception hosted in her honour in Srinagar allowed her to meet and interact with eminent personalities of J&K who have made their mark in different fields. She complimented them for having enhanced the reputation not only of J&K, but also India.
A reference was made about the contributions of ancient scholars Adi Shankaracharya, Abhinavgupta, Lal Ded, Sheikh Nooruddin and rulers like Zain-ul-Abidin. The President concluded her visit by saying that efforts must continuously be made to strengthen J&K’s legacy of considering peace and tranquility, while at the same time marching forward in areas of infrastructure development, e-governance, healthcare, housing, women empowerment, tribal outreach and inclusive development.
Noted Kashmiri legal luminary M J Hubi is of the opinion that such VVIPs visit to Kashmir will boost the morale of youngsters and motivate them to build robust careers so that they don’t fall prey to the nefarious designs of the foreign sponsored activities.
The author is Editor Brighter Kashmir, Author, TV commentator, political analyst and columnist. Email: farooqwani61@yahoo.co.in
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