Virtual Pandit je
(Family priest & Shivratri Puja of Kashmiri Pandits )
Kashmiri pandits are followers of Rig Veda. There is enough evidence that the genome came from Greek and Jewish mingle and some say it might have originated from proto- Indian -Iranian religion before formalizing into of Rig Vedic Hinduism .
The religious philosophy of Kashmiri Hindus root from the school of Shiva philosophy called Kashmiri Shaivism that originated near Kailash in Himalayas,. It considers the Supreme Lord, called Shiva or Mahadev, as the Supreme Reality, which is innermost as well as transcendent adopting a purely monistic metaphysical position. The culture inherited over the years was full of rituals and festivals
Bal Boi was our family priest ( Kul guru ) as for every Pandit family in Kashmir, there used to be a dedicated family priest ( Guruji ).These priests were an inherent part of the socio- religious systems and ceremonial torchbearers with both pedigrees running parallel and playing their respective roles for events like marriages and birthdays to last rites. They would perform all religious rituals lasting for few minutes like birthdays to marriages and yagnopavitra marathon ceremonies ( Sacred thread ceremony for Brahmins ) lasting for even more than a day . I vividly remember , Bal Boi , boi, meaning brother in local language , was a lovable person , short , chubby cheeked with a radiant look , always wearing a broad smile on his face like a protruding glaze of smirking face over a pheran ( winter gown) worn panditji with ‘potli’ ( backpack) thrown over his shoulder containing ‘Dakhsina’ which was nothing but a cotton cloth bag containing remunerations collected by him from house to house in lieu of performing puja . His earnings included a handful of rice, fruits and few bucks as fee for his job . I always loved his presence at home and would enjoy watching him arguing with my mom
I have some fond memories to reflect back on the nuances of culture & complexities of social norms and mores prevailing during that time with a notable difference of a ‘human touch’ now and then.
Below here , I am narrating an anecdote of altercation between my Mom and Bal boi on eve of Shivratri puja which replays like a movie clip on my mind, every time there is a mention of Bal Boi,
Bal Boi — kar sa jaldi ( Please hurry up ! , I don’t have much time )
Mom- Tche chaye hameshi asaan jaldi yele te yuorr chukh wataan ( You are always in hurry the moment you arrive in to this house )
Bal Boi — Adse kar tchope ,Aan jal jal samane ( Ok Ok , now get started, with a grim smile )
Mom- gas naer bae wane baiye kainsi — ( You may go , I will tie up with some other priest )
Bal Boi — acha aan wain , doimii phiri kari zen baikh — ( OK fine get him next time . Now please bring the things and let me do my work)
Mom — yete ma chai zaidi dhakshiina meilan — tawai chukh jaldi manz aasan — (You don’t get enough due for your job here, so is why…. )
Bal Boi — de be maifi ,aan wain –( irked but helpless –Sorry, for God’s sake ,please let me do the puja now)
As the puja finishes — Mom would offer him the dakshina , the best she could have given under those circumstances
Bal Boi — Ye kya ! — That is it ?
Mom — Yete chui zaidi — (This is more than necessary)
Bal Boi — Be yeme ne wain khen … doimis wanzi — (Infuriated — I won’t be coming next time . Look for another one ..)
Mom — tee cha , tche chaiye na patta yete kitpaith dutmai,…. soruie chai patta . Theek chu gas be wichi –( Are you sure ? Don’t you know our condition and how I manage? Don’t you? Ok, as you wish)
Bal Boi — Adse adse de mafi ,namaskar ! — (The glow on his face returns back with ease of stretch bringing back his smile broadened further more by an inch or so which had shrunk during the course of puja and constant squabble with my mom — Ok spare me … Good Bye Pranam ! )
And on next occasion he would turn up same way and with similar exchange repeated most of the times.
I have no idea what happened to Bal Boi after migration. But If I see him now , will hug him and may even cry.
Post exodus KPs started celebrating and performing watak puza with the help of a virtual Guruji (recorded versions) . The one which I had bought on first Shivrati celebrated away from homeland was a 90 min cassette record which went with us for many years before it had to be converted into a CD format, now saved in all my gadgets as a precious scripture . As the science and multimedia progressed, so did our virtual family Guruji’s record version . Many new and better versions including video records came up with the advent of internet which are readily available, but we still hang on to same Guru verbatim . Now even after 3 decades we have not changed our Virtual Guru assuming it as same ‘ Bal Boi’ , the family priest coming to life on every Shivratri .
