Historians have usually presented the subject of their discipline using dates, political events, and archival documents. But for many Kashmiri families, history has been told through departures and returns, and the stories that come attached to these experiences. In the quest for understanding the culture and memory of Kashmiris, I found myself turning towards the question of migrations in my own family, and among the Kashmiri diasporic community. What emerged from this was not a single story but several timelines, defined by migrations and remembering.
The waves of migration have been occurring continually through generations. Migration occurred for many different reasons, such as temporary migration due to educational and professional aspirations, while on other occasions, migration took place due to the uncertainties that arose because of political unrest. Migration meant moving around different places, hence making the history of families dispersed across different geographical areas.
However, while mapping out migrations, I realised that each migration was linked with a corresponding memory. One family member would remember the books that they had brought while migrating to another place. Someone else would look back at the traditional clothes that their grandparents had preserved as a remembrance of their own culture. In other words, people generally mentioned objects such as letters, pictures, and things that made them reminisce about the place where they no longer lived.
The creation of visual timelines made it clear that migration had an effect on the family dynamics. Milestones such as getting married, school opportunities, or career prospects were connected to moments of movement. In other words, making a visual timeline not only reveals information about where individuals had moved but also about how they had taken some of Kashmir with them wherever they went.
The interview process also helped us understand the differences between various generations within the family when it comes to the theme of migration. It turns out that while older members of the family talked about migration as a topic related to adaptation, the young people referred to the memories they inherited as well as the problem of preserving their connection to their culture when living elsewhere.
One aspect of the timelines of migration that caught my attention is that these timelines represent not only the journeys undertaken by an individual, but also their experiences of being able to adapt and sustain themselves, their culture, values, and even connections. Furthermore, it highlighted how personal histories were intertwined with historical developments.
Through documenting such resilient journeys and experiences, I realised that family histories are not just the records of the places someone comes from. They are, in essence, histories of journeys, continuity, and travelling memories across generations. In this case, these histories do not turn Kashmir into merely a political story, but rather, it becomes a collection of lived experiences carried within families. Those who continue to remember and adapt.
Sources:
https://brighterkashmir.com/kashmiri-diaspora-preserving-identity-beyond-borders
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/395283511_Depiction_of_Kashmiri_Identity_in_Diaspora_Works