Hindi Boards Under PRASAD Scheme At  Hazratbal Shrine Seen As 'Cultural Aggression' 

A large signboard in Hindi at the courtyard of Srinagar’s Hazratbal mosque describes  amenities at the complex  under the government’s ‘PRASAD’  (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual Augmentation Drive) scheme.  

Local residents say that they don’t understand the language, while some politicians in Kashmir see it as a “cultural aggression”. However,  government officials have noted that the works were being undertaken to build the amenities under the ‘PRASAD’ scheme, which involves building sanitation facilities and beautification of identified sites. Apart from Hazratbal, some temples in Jammu have been identified for works, including installing the lighting facilities under the scheme.

The ‘PRASAD’ scheme was started in 2014 to provide financial assistance was provided to the state governments and Union Territories for the development of tourism infrastructure at the pilgrimage destinations. In Jammu and Kashmir, amenities are  being raised at the Hazratbal shrine at a cost of Rs 40.46 crore.

A tourism department official says that under the scheme, infrastructure was being raised at both the mosques and temples in Jammu and Kashmir.  Authorities have prepared detailed   project reports (DPRs) to build the infrastructure at two temples and at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu, while in Srinagar, Hazratbal is the main mosque where works have been undertaken. Last year, in September, people had torn down the national emblem at the Hazratbal shrine , following which police detained several people for their involvement in the case.

Local residents living in the vicinity of the shrine say they can’t make out anything from the boards, as most people speak or know Urdu or Kashmiri here.

Gulam Nabi, a resident of Hazratbal, says the work at the shrine is now largely overseen by government departments, and local community members were not consulted at all. “Earlier, local people were consulted on the works to be undertaken at the shrine complex. Now, it is mostly officials who decide what will be done and how.  We have no say in these matters,” he says. The shrine, which is  located on the banks of Dal Lake, is one of the most important religious sites in Kashmir and people from across the region gather here for congregational prayers.

Former minister and Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) chairman Hakem Yaseen says that no one will tolerate any disrespect to Hazratbal shrine as the religious site also houses the relic of Moi-e-Muqqadas, which is the hair strand of the Prophet Muhammad.

“None of the boards should have been erected inside the shrine complex to display work of a government department, that too in Hindi. Terms like PRASAD should not have appeared at the shrine; instead, there should have been proper use of Urdu or Kashmiri words,” he says.

Former Hajj and Auquaf  Minister, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, says that the boards have been put up even as most of the people cannot make out anything written on them.

“ It is not only at the shrine complex that the boards have been raised in Hindi, but they have also been erected elsewhere in Kashmir. Most of the people here don’t understand the Hindi Language,” he says.

​Additional Secretary Tourism Kashmir, Owais Mushtaq, confirmed that the works have been taken up under the 'PRASAD' scheme at the shrine complex. “The amenity works were executed by the Roads and Buildings department," he says.