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Tantra Retreat Sparks Controversy in Kashmir
Confirmed
In Short: A four-day 'Tantra in Silence' retreat scheduled for September 24-27 in Kashmir's Gurez Valley has sparked a political and religious row.
Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have called for a ban on the event, citing concerns over its organizers and content.
Mufti urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Jammu and Kashmir Police to intervene, saying Gurez was “no playground for experiments” in the name of spirituality or tourism.
Mufti noted that a similar 'Tantra' retreat facilitated by Swami Dhyan Sumit, a self-styled godman promoting a new religion under the Shree Rajneesh Foundation, was cancelled in Goa last year after its promotional material sparked controversy.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, representing the House of Grand Mufti Jammu & Kashmir, expressed serious concerns about the retreat, stating that Kashmir welcomes guests but does not surrender its values.
The Gurez Valley is part of the sacred cultural landscape of Kashmir, shaped by generations of faith, scholarship, and spiritual tradition.
What's confirmed
- Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have called for a ban on the event, citing concerns over its organizers and content.
- Mufti urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Jammu and Kashmir Police to intervene, saying Gurez was “no playground for experiments” in the name of spirituality or tourism.
- Mufti noted that a similar 'Tantra' retreat facilitated by Swami Dhyan Sumit, a self-styled godman promoting a new religion under the Shree Rajneesh Foundation, was cancelled in Goa last year after its promotional material sparked controversy.
- Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, representing the House of Grand Mufti Jammu & Kashmir, expressed serious concerns about the retreat, stating that Kashmir welcomes guests but does not surrender its values.
- The Gurez Valley is part of the sacred cultural landscape of Kashmir, shaped by generations of faith, scholarship, and spiritual tradition.
What's still developing
- “The House of Grand Mufti Jammu & Kashmir has taken serious note of the proposed ‘Tantra in Silence’ retreat reportedly scheduled for 24-27 September 2026 in Gurez Valley. The programme is publicly advertised as a meditation retreat, and concerns regarding its organisers, content and suitability for the region have been raised publicly,” Islam said.
- He said further: “Kashmir welcomes guests; it does not surrender its values. Tourism must serve the dignity of the land and its people, not become a pretext for introducing practices that are incompatible with their deeply held convictions”.
- He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades.
- Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir.