Mehjoor and Habakhatoon great, legendry poets of Kashmir have enriched the Kashmiri language with their beautiful and touching poetry. Their poetry was always addressed to common Kashmiri, highlighting his plight and infusing fresh blood to his otherwise dull and dead life. Both Mehjoor and Habakhatoon had immersed themselves into beautiful Kashmir, its people and their sufferings. They left their imprints on the psyche of common Kashmiri, and their songs are sung by all in times of joy, hardship and distress. In their songs they have described beauty of Kashmir, its lovely people, fragrant flowers, lush green meadows, gushing streams, towering mountains, and extremely romantic seasons.
Habakhatoon after her tragic death was buried on the banks of river Jehlum in the foot hill of Zabarwan range of mountains on the outskirts of Srinagar city. This place should have been selected by her admirers very carefully to give solace to her bruised soul. Later Mehjoor after his death was also laid to rest in the vicinity of Habakhatoon’s grave. The place of their rest must have been a peaceful and scenic place then. But now—this place is in pathetic condition. The people who wrote about, beauty, love and romance are facing ugliness of dust and dirt; the hatred of pollution and denuding of their grave by materialist Kashmiris. These two great personalities of Kashmir were born in and around beautiful landscape of south Kashmir and had experienced the beautiful, fragrant and lovely Kashmir in true sense. Now they are virtually on road. The place of their rest has been denuded and excavated to its maximum, leaving no stone unturned, except the grave.
Mehjoor, who wrote lot about empowerment and emancipation of people of Kashmir, might be in his grave, busy giving final shape to poetic obituary of cherished simplicity, honesty, contentment and innocence of Kashmiris. Habakhatoon can not show any restrain about the complete change with the land and people of Kashmir, hence will be adding to her heartrending poetic treasure, by cursing the greed, materialistic urge and degrading values of once beautiful in thought and romantic in nature Kashmiris.
If this will be the treatment met with crusaders of our war against autocracy and subjugation; preachers of love and compassion; torch bearers of our struggle for empowerment and emancipation then we don’t have any right to be called civilized and emancipated. We should remember revolutionary verse, ‘waloo ha bagwano nav-bahharok shaan paida kar…………’ and do justice with these simple but powerful words of constructive revolution by making Mehjoor and Habakhatoon to rest peacefully in an atmosphere of purity and solace. Both Mehjoor and Habakhatoon will excuse me please for disturbing them.
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