Kashmiri Pandit youth seeks to rebuild trust between communities in Valley
Srinagar, March 11
Away from the public glare, a Kashmiri Pandit youth is quietly trying to reshape the image of Kashmir for the younger generation without carrying the unpleasant baggage of migration and bitterness between communities created by violence over the past three decades.
Twenty-six-year-old Arhan Bagati was brought up in Delhi years after his family left the Valley. He studied in the United States but eventually chose to return to Kashmir with his global exposure and perspective.
He now lives in the picturesque Nishat area of Srinagar overlooking Dal Lake, with the Zabarwan mountain range forming the backdrop to what he calls his "new home".
Arhan says he has chosen to rebuild professional and civic roots in the place his family once called home. Undeterred by last year's terror attack in Pahalgam, he says terror cannot dictate the way people live their lives.
He co-produced the Bollywood film 'Ground Zero', starring Emraan Hashmi. Before entering filmmaking, Arhan gained national attention as the youngest Deputy Chef de Mission of India's contingent at the Tokyo Paralympics.
He later served as an ambassador for the Paralympic Committee of India and founded digital initiatives to support Indian Paralympic athletes at international competitions.
His work focuses on systems and access rather than symbolism.
In Srinagar, he founded the Kashmir Yumberzal Applied Research Institute, known as KYARI, a policy think tank that aims to produce applied research on civic and social issues in Jammu and Kashmir.
The institute describes its mission as identifying developmental challenges and proposing practical solutions. Arhan says KYARI is a vehicle to focus on important but often overlooked issues, and through it he hopes to produce meaningful work that can help bring about change.
He was among the youngest recipients of a Jammu and Kashmir government award for social reform and empowerment. He has described the recognition as validation that young people need not wait their turn to contribute.
After graduating from Harvard, Arhan aims to return and work full-time with KYARI. He says he has always tried to consciously connect ground realities with public policy, adding that nothing can substitute the effort required to understand the complexities of local challenges before attempting solutions.
His return is also symbolic in that he hopes to challenge the perception that coexistence between Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits has become a thing of the past.
Arhan says he wants to rebuild trust across communities and contribute to a new model of Kashmiri leadership -- globally educated yet locally invested -- even as the journey presents both opportunities and constraints.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Respect for his courage. Returning after what his community went through takes immense strength. Hope his efforts in Srinagar inspire other young Pandits to reconnect with their roots, if they wish to. The valley's beauty belongs to all its children.
While I admire his personal journey, one person's return doesn't solve the systemic issues. The government needs to ensure permanent, safe rehabilitation for all who wish to return. This story feels good, but we need concrete policy action, not just symbolism.
His background is impressive—Harvard, Paralympics, Bollywood. Applying that global experience to local problems in Kashmir is exactly the kind of leadership we need more of across India. Hope KYARI produces some great research.
"Globally educated yet locally invested" – this phrase really stuck with me. So many of our brightest minds go abroad and never look back. It's refreshing to see someone using their privilege for the community's benefit. More power to him.
Rebuilding trust is a slow and difficult process, but every step counts. The younger generation in Kashmir, both Muslim and Pandit, deserves a future free from the shadows of the past. Initiatives like KYARI can be a small part of that healing. 🤝
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