Kashmiri Pandits celebrate Herath in Singapore

Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits in Singapore celebrated the festival of Herath, or Shivratri, here singing the traditional Kashmiri hymns of Lord Shiva and reliving the memories of the days they spent in the scenic Valley.
"Together, they relived the joyful memories of Kashmir," Nomita Dhar, a Singapore-based businesswoman said.
"During our time in Kashmir, we took over a month to prepare for the Herath festival and celebrated for 15 days," she said adding that they sang Kashmiri hymns of Shiva to mark the festival over the weekend.
"Children, many of whom have been born and brought up in Singapore, took the opportunity to showcase their skills in Kashmiri poetry, or singing Kashmiri songs," she said and pointed out the challenges of keeping up with the tradition and culture in a multi-racial Singapore.

"A unique addition to this year's celebration was the chance for many to 'dress-up'. Traditional Kashmiri wear such as pheran, dejhoor, taranga and dastaar, were there for the guests to try on, giving them a quaint photo-op," she said.
The celebration, attended by over 100 people with their familymembers,was held onMarch 12.

"My heart swells with pride to see our youngsters keeping the tradition alive and celebrating with such fervor. These values are our legacy and we are happy to see their continuity," said Girdhari Lal Jalali -- an 84-year-old author whose books include 'Untold Story - Jihad in Kashmir'.

Herath is a festival of great significance to Kashmiri Pandits, over 200 of whom live in Singapore. During the 1989 migration, a small number of Kashmiri Pandits moved to Singapore.
"Since then the community has thrived and made Singapore their home," Dhar said.