Poetry as a Source of Political Awakening and Mass Mobilisation during Dogra rule (1846-1947)

In this paper an attempt is made to understand the poetry of Kashmir as a source of political awakening and mass mobilisation. During the Dogra rule, especially after 1920s and 1930s, Kashmir witnessed the democratic struggle for self-rule. In this struggle, various factors helped in making people politically conscious. One such factor was the role of poetry, whose value has been largely remained neglected. It has been valued as a mere part of literature, not as a source of political awakening and mass mobilisation. The poetry epitomised the struggle of Kashmiris against the Dogra rule. The poets of the time preached modern ideas among the people through the vehicle of their poetry. They preached about the need of social and political freedom, democracy, socialism and secularism. They provide intellectual leadership to the people during the freedom movement. Their poetry served as a source of resistance against the Dogra Raj.