The earliest count of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley goes to the credit of William Elmslie. According to his enumeration in 1865, the priestly 'bata' counted 500 families; the Jotshi Hindus numbered between 100 to 150 houses. And about the Karkuns , he gives no count of their number but makes a general observation: " The Karkun Hindus who are writers, merchants and farmers, but never soldiers; relatively this is very numerous class".
Pandit Anand Kaul citing the Census of 1921 informs us that the population of the Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley was 55052 with a growth rate of 3.5% per annum.
T.N.Madan, Emeritus Professor, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi University is a world renowned Anthropologist. Considered as the most outstanding living KP scholar and academician, he, writing in 2001, tells us:
"By the end of the year (1990), most of the approximately 150,000 Pandits of Kashmir had abandoned their homes and properties and their work to escape to places of safety outside the valley."
Prof. Madan further writes:
"According to the 1981 official census, the total population of Hindus in the six districts comprising the Kashmir Valley was 124078. Most of them may be presumed to have been Pandits. Allowing for an annual rate of growth of about 2%, the population of Pandits in 1990, when the exodus began, would have been about 148800. Pandit organizations consider this a low estimate because of under-enumeration at the earlier censuses.
"Even
if this possibility were to be granted, a figure above 200000 would definitely
be gross exaggeration".
Another authority extolled by Kashmiri Pandits is the world renowned American academic Professor Michael Witzel. He is Professor of Sanskrit and Indian Studies at the Harvard University, Cambridge, USA. A great sympathizer of the Kashmiri Pandits and an authority on the early history and religion of the community, Witzel writes:
"Due to the recent troubles in the Valley most Kashmiri Brahmans have again fled the Valley and have settled at Jammu and elsewhere.
"More
than one hundred thousand (100000), that is almost all, are said to have left
the Valley for Jammu and other parts of India during the 1990s".
Both are answerable to the community.
It
is time we know that how many ' actually' we are? The figure has to be correct,
factual and scientifically enumerated. Perhaps, this is the most vital criterion
of of the community's future strategy for its survival and progress. Without
the correct census of the community, all our efforts of future strategic
rehabilitation may mean from little to nothing.
All
Kashmiri Pandits have the right to know the truth in this regard and must
refuse to be fooled by fake numbers.
Numerical
strength of a species is the most important factor according to the
Darwin's Principle of evolutionary survival.
To
become aware of the strength of the community muscle is both crucial and
critical.
Community suicide is avoidable.