An infant at a rally by Kashmiri Pandits in New Delhi.
Kamla Devi is 80. She says her last wish is to return to Kashmir, land where she was born and spend the best years of her life. Her family of five migrated to Jammu in 1990 from Anantnag, at the height of militancy in the Kashmir valley.
"Kashmir was the best place, it is much better than Jammu. Our heart is not in place in Jammu, but we are living here because of fear in the valley," she says. More than an estimated 50,000 families left the valley in the early 1990s.
Ms Devi's family is one among more than 4000 families that moved into a township for pandits at Jagti, 20 km from Jammu. They were allotted two room sets which were meant to make their lives a little more comfortable. But the colony of Kashmiri pandits presents a picture of total neglect. The houses are dilapidated, the walls damp with water seeping from blocked pipes.
"We were far better living in the old migrant camp in Muthi. There are no facilities here. The government may be spending a lot of money, but all buildings have cracked. Nobody cares," says Jawahar Lal.
Kashmiri pandits settled down in this township with the hope that their problems would end. That has not happened. The sentiment for returning to the valley remains as strong as ever.
In Delhi, Kashmiri pandits protest at Jantar Mantar. Anit Bhatt has brought his three month old son to the protest. He hopes his son will one day return to a land he called home.
The pandits say politicians' insensitivity hasn't helped their cause either. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah told NDTV, "Onus of returning to Kashmir is on the Kashmiri Pandits. (I) won't go to them with a begging bowl."
"Not only is it an insensitive comment to make, it reflects mind set of politicians. When it comes to Kashmiri pandits there's little to choose from between the mainstream and the separatists," says Rashneek Kher, a Kashmiri pandit.