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| Preserve symbols of Dogra heritage | | | Failure of the J&K administration to restore the pristine glory of Mubarak Mandi, a symbol of Dogra heritage, has hurt the sentiments of people of Jammu.
A social media handle promoting Dogra heritage recently posted a picture of the iconic Mubarak Mandi with the caption: “Then & Now entrance gate of Mubarak Mandi once upon the royal residence of the Maharaja of erstwhile state of #Jammu and Kashmir from the #Dogra dynasty.”
The picture depicted how well maintained the Mubarak Mandi was during the time of Maharaja. But today’s picture reveals how it has been left to rot by the present set of rulers and the successive regimes that ruled J&K during the past seven decades.
Kashmir based politicians, who ruled J&K for the 70-years, didn’t pay much heed towards protecting the Dogra heritage. Their entire focus remained on the Valley as Jammu didn’t exist for them.
After August 5, 2019—when the Centre announced its decision to reorganize the erstwhile state—people of Jammu were hopeful about the Dogra heritage getting revived and the discrimination with Jammu region would come to an end. But the two years of bureaucratic raaj and the arbitrary decisions taken by them have dashed their hopes. The promises that were made to them are still unfulfilled and people are of the opinion that nothing has changed for Jammu. The present dispensation too seems to be focused on Kashmir. It is more interested in preserving Kashmir’s heritage than Jammu’s. No one is against protecting the heritage sites of Kashmir but people of Jammu want that equal attention should be paid to the sites in Jammu region also.
The outburst of netizens on social media indicates the anger and outrage that people have and how their sentiments have been hurt.
The helmsmen need to take a note of the aspirations of the Jammu people and strive to fulfill the promises that were made to them on August 5, 2019. The people of Jammu are angry and they need to be pacified by taking concrete steps. Announcements are not enough. The ground situation needs to change.
Mubarak Mandi is the symbol of Dogra heritage, to see it in ruins pains everyone. It needs to be renovated and maintained properly to ensure that coming generations remain aware about their roots. |
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