In Salman Rushdie’s novel, Shalimar the Clown , a Muslim boy and a Hindu (Pandit) girl are in love. When the matter is brought to the attention of their parents as well as the panchayat, nobody finds anything seriously wrong. Abdullah, the boy’s father, mentions Kashmiriyat , “the belief that at the heart of Kashmiri culture there was a common bond that transcended all other differences.” Pyarelal Kaul, the girl’s father added, “There is no Hindu-Muslim issue. Two Kashmiri (…) youngsters wish to marry, that’s all.” This is the Kashmir of the early 1960s as presented by Rushdie. Half a century later, we know how far Kashmir is from such a broadminded understanding of religion and life. It’s not a problem confined to Kashmir or a few places. The more the world advances towards the utopian global village, the more the people’s minds seem to shrink. A recent New York Times report lays bare the bigotry of a Lutheran pastor in America....
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