Riyaz Punjabi passes away

New Delhi, April 8

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Riyaz Punjabi, an itinerant academic and a firm proponent of syncretism in Kashmir, passed away here today. Born in Srinagar, Punjabi was conferred with the Padma Shri in 2011.

An avid writer, Punjabi’s work touched the areas of peace studies, human rights, composite culture, inter-religious conflicts and rise of fundamentalism in South Asia and Sufism. In public life as well as in private, friends recall that Punjabi, a man unapologetically fond of his drink, was also nonchalant about his stout defence of Kashmiriyat and strong opposition to using violence to achieve political ends.

Punabi was also well conversant with the Sikh faith and had written a book on the spiritual content of Guru Granth Sahib. “He was a genuinely liberal Kashmiri. If you can believe that somebody is secular, he was one of them,” said Harpal Bedi, a journalist. Punjabi is also remembered for a draft paper on autonomy for Kashmir. — TNS