Today, on May 1st, 2025, we observe the 35th martyrdom anniversary of Amar Shaheed Sarvanand Kaul Premi. His name stands for courage, poetry, and the dream of peace. His story still echoes through the valleys of Kashmir. Radical violence tried to silence him, but it failed.
Before we discuss the story of Sarvanand Kaul Premi, let us also recall the tragic Pahalgam Massacre, where innocent people faced brutal killings in Pahalgam’s Baisaran valley.
The Martyrdom of Sarvanand Kaul Premi
In the waning days of April 1990, Anantnag district witnessed a horrific tragedy when revered Kashmiri Pandit scholar Sarvanand Kaul Premi was abducted from his home on April 28th, 1990 along with his son Virender.
On May 1, 1990, their tortured bodies were found hanging from a tree. But violence failed. His words live on. His courage lit a fire that still burns.
The Pahalgam Massacre 2025
Thirty-five years later, in April 2025, the same district was once again stained with bloodshed during the Pahalgam massacre on April 22nd. In this attack, radical Jihadis , once again targeted Hindu tourists in Basiran valley in Pahalgam killing 26 people.
Patterns of Religious Violence
Despite the decades separating these events, both atrocities revealed a disturbing pattern of religious targeting in the same region. Both occurred during the last week of April, both specifically selected victims based on Hindu identity, and both took place within Anantnag district.
The Mehendi Hadn’t Even Faded
It was her crime—that her hands still bore the deep red of wedding mehendi. Her bangles echoed with dreams not yet lived, her marriage just a week old. And yet, before the Mehandi could fade, her husband was shot dead in cold blood. His only fault? Being born into the Hindu religion in the wrong place.
Widowed by Faith
Another young bride, married for just two months, faced the same brutal fate. Her husband was executed not for what he did, but for what he could not say. He couldn’t recite the Kalima. He was a Hindu. And that alone was reason enough for his life to be taken. Her identity, her faith, her love—all carried a cost too great, and too cruel.
This Isn’t New. This Is History Repeating
These stories are not outliers. They are echoes of a truth that has haunted Kashmir since 1990. Hindus in the valley have been targeted, terrorized, and silenced. No one was spared, not even children. Entire families were erased while the world looked away.
A Valley Soaked in Blood
From Nadimarg Massacre to Sangrampora, from Wandhama to Doda, and now Pahalgam, the blood of innocents stains the soil of Kashmir. Each massacre is a scream buried under politics and denial.
On 35th Martyrdom, Let’s remind the supreme sacrifice od Sarvanand Kaul Premi
Martyrdom of Sarvanand Kaul Premi: A Flame That Refuses to Die
Kashmir’s ancient chinar trees have stood witness to countless moments of sorrow and beauty. Their leaves have rustled through revolutions and peace, through devotion, poetry, and pain. Among the many stories they hold, one remains unforgettable—a story that refuses to fade: the story of Sarvanand Kaul Premi.
A poet, a scholar, a freedom fighter, and a custodian of communal harmony, Sarvanad Premi’s story is one of unrelenting pursuit of truth, beauty, and justice. Yet, his legacy is stained with tragedy.
On April 28, 1990, extremists stormed his home, abducting him and his son Virender Kaul, tearing them away from their family in a night of terror. They were tortured, brutalised, and murdered—victims of a growing tide of violence that sought to silence the voices of peace and unity.
Days later, on May 1, 1990, their mutilated bodies were found hanging from a tree, a cruel attempt to erase their presence from Kashmir’s cultural memory. But history cannot be rewritten by brutality, and poetry cannot be silenced by fear.
Thirty-five years have passed, yet one undeniable truth endures—though he is no longer among us, his poetry and martyrdom remains a living testament to his spirit.
A Life That is Shining Like a Beacon
In the spring of 1990, when the valley’s blossoms prepared to rise, death crept upon Kashmir’s intellectual heart. On the night of 28 April, armed terrorists descended upon the home of one of Kashmir’s most profound literary voices. By the dawn of May 1st, Sarvanand Kaul Premi and his son were found hanging from a tree—bodies tortured, souls elevated.
“Unke jism ko zakhm mile, par unka lahu zameen pe kavita ban kar behta raha.”
Let it be known: it is not the violence of his death, but the brilliance of his life that must define his legacy.
Born in 1924 in the serene hamlet of Soaf Shali near Kokernag, Sarvanand Kaul Premi was a Renaissance soul. He was a freedom fighter who conversed with Mahatma Gandhi, a poet mentored by the iconic Mahjoor, a translator who rendered Tagore’s ethereal Gitanjali into Kashmiri, a scholar who interpreted sacred texts across religions, and a humanitarian who stood firm for peace, even as the fires of hatred rose around him.
He was not merely a poet or a patriot. He was a force, a towering testament to what it means to be human in the deepest, truest sense.
The Literary Alchemist
Premi’s journey into literature began not with applause but with hesitation. It was Ghulam Ahmad Mahjoor, Kashmir’s poet laureate, who recognised his hidden brilliance. That first reluctant sharing of verses became the seed of a literary revolution. Under Mahjoor’s guidance, Sarvanand blossomed into one of the finest voices in modern Kashmiri literature.
His pen served as a bridge between worlds. His collection, “Bhakti Kosum,” expressed themes of spiritual devotion. His biographies of mystics like Rupa Bhawani and Mirza Kak honoured the rich spiritual heritage of Kashmir. His translations of the “Bhagavad Gita,” “Ramayana,” and “Gitanjali” were not just exercises in translation; they were acts of communion, cultural preservation, and love.
His works—Mehjoor Tae Kasheer, Kashmir Ki Beti, Roosi Padhshah Kaeth, and many more—expanded the literary horizon of his time. Yet, over a dozen of his manuscripts remain unpublished, rescued from the flames but still awaiting the honour they deserve.
From Gandhi’s Comrade to Kashmir’s Peacemaker
Premi’s moral compass was forged in the crucible of India’s freedom movement. His association with the Khadi Bhandar—Gandhi’s ashram—shaped not only his livelihood but his life’s vision. A meeting with Mahatma Gandhi transformed him from a young scholar into a soldier for peace.
And it was this peace that he defended, even in the face of chaos. During the 1986 riots in Kashmir, when communal tensions burned and brother turned against brother, it was Premi who stood in the breach. When others sold silence for safety, he chose truth. When communities imposed boycotts against one another, he urged dialogue, decency, and the dignity of unity.
He was the kind of courage that does not shout, but stands. That does not flinch, but endures. And it was this unwavering integrity that made him a threat to those who fed on division.
The Night of Betrayal
The night Sarvanand Kaul Premi was taken was not a moment of spontaneous violence—it was a carefully orchestrated act of erasure. The power was cut. The attackers came not only with guns but with a plan. They posed as seekers of “Ghulam Rasool”; they promised to return him after a so-called meeting with their commander. Lies draped in cruelty.
Virender, his son, refused to let his father go alone. He chose to walk into the darkness beside him. And in doing so, he illuminated what it means to love without condition.
That night, they did not only killed a man and his son. They ransacked a sanctuary of wisdom. They stole not only jewels but also the irreplaceable manuscripts, diaries, and dreams. They aimed not just at the body, but at the legacy.
Justice Denied, Memory Defiant
In the years that followed, justice was neither delivered nor pursued with diligence. His son, Rajinder Kaul, continues the lonely struggle—writing to courts, to commissions, to consciences. He recites his father’s poetry. He shares the sacred translations. A small plaque bearing Premi’s name stands at Barakhamba Metro Station in Delhi. Thousands pass by. Few pause. Fewer know.
But we must remember.
Because remembrance is an act of resistance. To honour Sarvanand Kaul Premi is to reclaim Kashmir’s true spirit—a spirit of harmony, humanity, and hope.
Let Us Rise for Premi—Let Us Rise for Kashmir
Let this not be another tale lost in time. Let this not be another martyrdom forgotten in statistics. Let this story breathe in classrooms, in libraries, in the hearts of every Kashmiri child who dares to dream of peace.
Raise your voice where his was silenced. Share his poetry, where his books were burned. Demand justice where justice was denied. Publish the manuscripts that survived the flames. Inscribe his memory not just in stone, but in the soul of the nation.
Because Sarvanand Kaul Premi is not gone. He is the verse in our conscience. He is the hope in our heritage. He is the flame that refuses to die.
