A proposed four-day “Tantra in Silence” retreat in Kashmir’s Gurez Valley has triggered controversy, with former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq calling for government intervention over the event and its organisers.
The retreat, scheduled from September 24 to 27 in Gurez, is being facilitated by Swami Dhyan Sumit of the Shree Rajneesh Foundation. Its promotional poster describes it as a “sacred Himalayan experience” and a meditation retreat “inspired by the teachings of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh”.
Raising the issue on social media, Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti said a similar retreat facilitated by Dhyan Sumit had been cancelled in Goa last year following public opposition over its promotional material. She urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Jammu and Kashmir Police to intervene.
“Gurez is no playground for experiments in the name of spirituality or tourism,” Mufti said, according to The Indian Express.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq subsequently backed Mufti's call for intervention, saying the proposed programme raised concerns given Gurez's cultural and religious context.
“The concern raised by @MehboobaMufti deserves immediate attention!” Mirwaiz said, calling on the government to take note of the event and “stop this exploitation”. He also said tourism promotion should not become a reason to undermine Kashmir's religious, cultural and social ethos.
The Valley's Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam also called for the authorities to establish the facts surrounding the retreat. He asked the government and police to verify the organisers, examine the programme and its promotional material and ascertain what permissions had been granted.
The controversy has also brought attention to an earlier episode involving the organisers in Goa. According to Mufti, a similar event there was cancelled last year after public outcry over its promotional material and police intervention.
The Gurez event is being advertised as a retreat involving meditation and spiritual practices. The poster says the programme is aimed at an “inner journey” and is inspired by Rajneesh's teachings.
The proposed retreat is to be held in Gurez, a strategically sensitive valley in Bandipora district along the Line of Control. The controversy comes amid a broader debate in Kashmir over the balance between tourism promotion and the region's religious and cultural sensitivities.
The Jammu and Kashmir authorities have since clarified that no permission has been granted for the proposed event, according to statements reported after the controversy emerged.
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