By Justice Markandey Katju
(Justice Markandey Katju is a former Judge, Supreme Court of India, and former Chairman of the Press Council of India. The views expressed are his own.)
Kashmiris in India and across the global diaspora have launched the Habba Khatun Association, an initiative to establish a Habba Khatun Memorial-cum-Research Institute in Srinagar for preserving, researching, and promoting Kashmir’s literary and cultural heritage.
Named after and dedicated to the memory of Habba Khatun, the celebrated 16th-century Kashmiri poet, known as the Nightingale of Kashmir, whose verses of love, longing, and separation remain an enduring part of Kashmir’s literary and oral tradition, the proposed Memorial-cum-Institute is envisioned as both a memorial and a living center for scholarship, research, and the preservation and promotion of Kashmir’s rich culture.
The initiative is being developed under my patronage (Justice Markandey Katju, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India and former Chairman of the Press Council of India).
Tasawar Jalali, a Kashmiri-American cybersecurity executive and Harvard alumnus based in California, serves as Chairman.
Vivek Tankha, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, and Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India; Aamir Rashid Khan, a descendant of the last independent King of Kashmir, Yusuf Shah Chak, who was deposed by Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1586 and exiled to Bihar, and presently working as an academic scientist in Muscat, Oman; Dr. Hyder Zabet, who works in the Iranian Cultural House (under the Iranian Embassy, New Delhi); and Indervansh Chadha, a Sikh businessman from Jalandhar who grew up and lived in Kashmir until the age of 32 and speaks fluent Kashmiri, serve as Vice Chairmen.
Sadaf Mir, Principal of Imamia High School in Srinagar, is the General Secretary.
The proposed Institute will, apart from setting up a magnificent Memorial to Habba Khatun, include a research center, specialized library, archive, and museum devoted to Habba Khatun and the wider literary, historical, and cultural heritage of Kashmir.
The Association aims to collect and preserve manuscripts, books, translations, photographs, recordings, and oral histories while encouraging new scholarship on Habba Khatun and other important Kashmiri literary and historical figures, since, regrettably, often-recorded documents are nonexistent.
A proposed museum will recognize distinguished Kashmiris from different periods and communities, reflecting the contributions of Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and others to Kashmir’s shared rich cultural heritage.
Our plans also include the development of a digital archive, translation and publication of Kashmiri literature, and the organization of research projects, lectures, conferences, exhibitions, poetry readings, and music programs.
The Institute also aims to encourage rigorous research into Habba Khatun’s life and times. While her importance to Kashmiri literature is well established, aspects of her biography have been transmitted through oral tradition and legend. Bringing together manuscripts, historical records, and published scholarship could help researchers examine these questions more systematically.
A major objective of the initiative is to connect Kashmir’s cultural heritage with the Kashmiri global diaspora, i.e., Kashmiris living throughout India and overseas, particularly younger generations seeking greater access to their language, literature, and history.
The Association invites historians, researchers, writers, poets, artists, musicians, archivists, educators, students, and members of the Kashmiri diaspora to participate. It also hopes to collaborate with universities, libraries, museums, and cultural institutions in India and internationally.
Individuals and families possessing manuscripts, rare publications, photographs, correspondence, recordings, or other historically significant material relating to Habba Khatun or Kashmir’s cultural history are encouraged to contact the Association.
The project will require funds and support for its establishment, collections, research programs, and long-term operations. I appeal to all, particularly Kashmiris, to donate generously to this noble cause. The Association will get itself registered as a society or trust and will ensure transparent accounting, responsible stewardship of contributions, and sound institutional governance as central to the initiative.
The project is nonpolitical, nonsectarian, and cultural in purpose, with the objective of creating a permanent central institution in Kashmir where Kashmir’s diverse literary and intellectual heritage can be documented, studied, preserved, and shared with future generations.
Habba Khatun Association
Patron: Justice Markandey Katju — Former Judge, Supreme Court of India; former Chairman, Press Council of India
Chairman: Tasawar Jalali — Kashmiri-American cybersecurity executive and Harvard alumnus, California, USA
Vice Chairman: Vivek Tankha — Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, and Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India
Vice Chairman: Aamir Rashid Khan — Descendant of the last independent Kashmiri king, Yusuf Shah Chak, who was deposed by Mughal Emperor Akbar and exiled to Bihar, and presently working as an academic scientist in Muscat, Oman
Vice Chairman: Hyder Zabet of the Iranian Cultural House, New Delhi
Vice Chairman: A Sikh businessman living in Jalandhar, Punjab, who spent the first 32 years of his life in Kashmir and speaks fluent Kashmiri
General Secretary: Sadaf Mir — Principal, Imamia High School, Srinagar
I have previously outlined the concept and development of the initiative in my three articles: “The Habba Khatun Institute”, “Progress in Setting up the Habba Khatun Institute”, and “A New Discovery of India.”
I appeal to all, particularly Kashmiris in India and abroad, to join and support this noble initiative.
The Habba Khatun Association welcomes scholars, cultural organizations, members of the Kashmiri diaspora, and others interested in contributing research, historical material, professional expertise, institutional collaboration, or financial support to the project.
Any queries and suggestions may be sent to the following:
Email: habbakhatun07@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594706344459
The Facebook page will serve as the Association’s official public platform for project updates, research initiatives, membership information, events, and future announcements.
Photo: Wikipedia
