Our family trips to historical monuments give us an unpleasant scene – obscene figures, lewd poetry, heart-shaped figures pierced by an arrow with names of both lovers etched in the two parts. It is amazing how all this is allowed by the authorities authorities and why the culprits are not being punished. Defacing a historical monument is a criminal offence and someone who indulges in it must be dealt with strictly. By defacing these remnants of history we are removing the only links we have to our historical past be eroded right in front of our eyes. It is amazing that most of these places do not stil have security cameras installed or they are not being monitored with watertight strictness.
Our visits to Parihaspura Pattan for example is revealing in many ways. It tells of a place which was the capital of the entire South Asia. Lalitadatiya was the one of the biggest empires in the history of the world. The historical monument at Parihaspura Pattan is emblematic of our glorious past and arguably the greatest monument which stands in its decay. It is so surprising to see the students visiting the site defacing the walls of this monument at will with authorities nowhere in the picture. The security cameras at these places need to be effectively monitored to catch any erring visitor. Most of the students come from far off places and etch the named of their loved ones on the stones thereby trying to attain some kind of eternity for their love. This is a serious offence and the law of the land must hold good.
The same can be said of other historical monuments in South, central and north Kashmir. The defacing is so ubiquitous that in a lighter vein we can say that the researchers in art can write research papers on the poetry and the narrative techniques through which love for the other is expressed on these walls. Jokes apart, defacing historical monuments is a serious offence and the administration needs to install security cameras on all historical monuments to prevent them from being viciously defaced by these evil doers and roadside romeos. The Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha can take personal interest in this case on priority and ensure that the symbols of Kashmir’s glorious past are preserved in all their pristine glory.
It is only when we preserve our past can we think of building the basis of our bright future. Those societies which are aloof to their past cease to exist.
