PhotosHome In Exile: Glimpses From A Kashmiri Pandit Colony In Anantnag
Home In Exile: Glimpses From A Kashmiri Pandit Colony In Anantnag
The Kashmiri Pandit Colony in Vessu, Anantnag, is home to many from the community that had to flee their homes in the valley during the insurgency of the 1990s.
Updated: 29 Mar 2022 1:57 pm
19Kasmiri Pandit Colony in Vessu
| Photograph by Muneeb-Ul-Islam
A Kashmiri Pandit colony in Vessu, Anantnag, is home to several members of the community who fled their homes during the violence in the valley in the 1990s.
29Kasmiri Pandit Colony in Vessu
| Photograph by Muneeb-Ul-Islam
The residential complex was set up in the valley after then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a relief package for the community.
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39Kasmiri Pandit Colony in Vessu
| Photograph by Muneeb-Ul-Islam
The colony is home to several Kashmiri Pandits working in various government jobs who live in Vessu with their families.
49Kasmiri Pandit Colony in Vessu
| Photograph by Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Many of the Pandits living in this ghetto-like colony had big homes and sprawling orchards, but were forced to leave in 1990 after the threatening calls for violence by the Islamist militants.
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59Kasmiri Pandit Colony in Vessu
| Photograph by Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Residents complained about the quality of construction, the walls are of asbestos sheets, and rooms are cramped.
69Kasmiri Pandit Colony in Vessu
| Photograph by Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Some of the quarters that make up the lanes of the colony accommodate more than one family each.
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79Kasmiri Pandit Colony in Vessu
| Photograph by Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Bharat Bhushan Bhat, 62, says that he saw ‘The Kashmir Files’ in Jammu. "The movie depicts real incidents. But it won't help us. We want dignity," he says.
89Kasmiri Pandit Colony in Vessu
| Photograph by Ashutosh Bhardwaj
A desolate medical aid centre stands at Vessu Kashmiri Pandit Colony in Anantnag.
99Kasmiri Pandit Colony in Vessu
| Photograph by Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Residents line up to receive water from a tanker at Vessu Kashmiri Pandit Colony in Anantnag.