Displaced Kashmiri Pandits celebrated Herath on Sunday, February 15, 2026, with great enthusiasm. Herath is the local name for Maha Shivratri in Kashmir. Unlike the rest of India, Pandits prepare special mutton and fish dishes on this day. The festival once brought Hindus and Muslims together in Kashmir. Many Muslims remember shared practices that the 36-year conflict disrupted. Masroor Ansari, a Shia cleric and political leader, said, "I remember on Herath, our Pandit neighbours would give us dried walnuts instead of soaked ones and on Nowruz we would return the gesture with nadru [lotus stem]. Such exchanges were more than tradition, they were quiet symbols of shared culture and coexistence beyond religious lines." Today, sharing walnuts during Herath is rare in Kashmir. Still, the older generation holds these memories dear. Many shared stories on social media. Former J&K Minister Haseeb Drabu wrote, "Herath Mubarak! Yesterday was Pooza. Today is Salam. Tomorrow ‘Vatuk Doen’ will be distributed. All Pandits, request do the needful. Since last year I have started sharing it [soaked walnuts] with non Kashmiris to showcase the distinctiveness of the Kashmiri Pandits in a nutshell, literally." Photojournalist Javed Dar said, "I had a Kashmiri Pandit Herath feast after 32 years today. Grateful to Mohit Bhan for the wonderful hospitality and the delicious meal. It had me recalling my friend Lalit Kumar Raina, Dimple to us, who used to invite me to this festival 35 years ago." Pandits who stayed in Kashmir visited major temples in Srinagar, like Hanuman Temple, Sharika Devi Temple, and Shankaracharya Temple to offer special prayers. Top leaders also extended greetings. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, "May this sacred festival bring peace, prosperity, and strengthen the bonds of harmony and brotherhood across J&K." Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the occasion reminds "us of the shared values of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and brotherhood, which have long been an integral part of Kashmir’s religious and cultural ethos." Inam Un Nabi, spokesperson of the Awami Ittehad Party, visited Pandit colonies in north Kashmir. He said, "Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims are each other’s heart and soul, bound by shared culture, language and history. ‘Herath’ reflects Kashmir’s tradition of coexistence and mutual respect, which has endured despite hardships."