Summer O'16

Bloody, like many in the past. Bloodiest, may be.

With the midsummer blue sky as the only witness to its despair, Kashmir bleeds once again. Once again, the streets are blood-spattered and sentiments traumatized. Once again, a gruesome massacre has been carried out and the dead placed under curfew. Once again,summer smells of slaughter and, this one has been blinded too.

On July 9, 2016, a leading news channel of India flashed its breaking news as, “21 die in fresh violence in Kashmir.” Eid-ul-fitr was celebrated just four days ago in the valley but that’s what the average time of peace in our ruby paradise is, if one may call it so. Weak on our knees, holding the gasps, like all the other Kashmiri families, ours too sank under shock as one of the ghastliest days of Kashmir was being relayed. Father, at his emotional high, reminiscing over the ache and agony of over 6 decades in the folds and furrows of his skin and quite annoyed by the words ‘fresh violence’, cursed Nehru and Sheikh. Then we all did. In Kashmir, we will loathe the duo till the dawn of freedom breaks on our beloved soil, which for now seems like time with no end. Till that time we will hate Nehru and Sheikh.

The death toll has crossed 40 now and curfew remains in place. Today is the 10^th day of curfew but, despite being confined to our houses, in spirit, we stand by each other as we always do, be it the floods or the bloodbath. This is the spirit no bullet of the oppressor can kill and more importantly, this is the only privilege left. The grief flows along the waters of Jhelum and it enters every household. It echoes with the passionate songs of azaadi and it breathes in the quietest of cries. The sorrow is overwhelming and it nips, as it must, every Kashmiri for it’s our pain and ours alone. Rest is rhetoric.

On July 11, there was a theatrical debate on the news channels of India on this ‘fresh’ spate of violence in Kashmir, not because the number of young Kashmiris killed in merciless firing had risen to 30 but only because the westward neighbour had issued an unpalatable statement. It is a disgrace that a nation so concerned about the recent turmoil in eastern neighbourhood, shamelessly ignores the political dispute in its backyard and quite audaciously romanticises it as its atoot ang too. If prompted to pay some attention, Lord! All hell breaks loose. However, the discourse held on most of the channels by TRP thirsty broadcasters is always nauseating to the bone and one wishes, no attention was paid at all.

Lakhs of young Kashmiri men have been killed in the last two decades, thousands of women widowed and countless children orphaned. The mourning is unending but the worst kind of torment is to watch members of café society, putting on show their chic wardrobe and puny intellect in the snug newsrooms, have ‘expert’ opinion on Kashmir. And then the most seasoned politicians too seek much pleasure in disowning the ground realities. It may be convenient to be in a state of denial but that doesn’t change the fact that a new-age revolt is contouring itself amid the meadows of Kashmir; the uprising that is home-grown and not at all based on the diktats from the neighbours. You cannot always blame others for your crimes, you see. Own up and stop ranting. Moreover, when you speak of Kashmir, no one should think of Kashmiris as a populace in slumber. Young, educated Kashmiris are politically conscious and much mature than the so called stalwarts of the Indian political system. Make no mistake, thus.

Glorification of an army major who enjoys scripting open-letters or that of a Burhan Wani is relative. It always has been. One man’s terrorist will always be another man’s hero. It has been like this since time immemorial including the British raj period so let’s just give up on naivety, please. It would, however, be much appreciated and assumed as a true shade of patriotism, if these feisty security men and the intelligentsia of India stand up and ask their country the questions of bigger concern, which are; why after every few years a Burhan Wani is born in Kashmir? Why does this young Kashmiri evolve as a phenomenon among the locals, so much so that the young idolise him? Why do emotionally charged mass protests take place when such a hero is ‘neutralised’? Why are Kashmiris angry? And many more like these.

 The highbrow of the society must realise that they need to stand up and show some nerve outside the screens of social media. 140 characters of Twitter and fancy posts of Facebook are never enough. For God’s sake, come out of these cosy TV studios, accept the ground realities, abandon the state of denial, stop blaming another country all the time and then only, you may be able to address this political logjam. If at all, anyone of you intends to.

Kashmiris are quite often blamed of having double standards. Not by the outsiders only, we do it among ourselves also. The blame is that if azaadi is the ultimate dream then why does around 75% voting take place during state elections and why do Kashmiris apply for govt. and military jobs? One must not forget that,uncertaintykills. It is a plague that consumes a nation along with its people. Generations of Kashmiris have taken birth under the deadly darkness of this uncertain political situation and the growing up process takes place under the same state of affairs. This phantom of ambiguity has held us captive for decades now. So, yes, we are confused because of this continuous identity crisis, any one would be. The key again is to look into the core issue rather than being outright petty and sell our votes and jobs as some kind of a referendum.

It is a comparatively passive afternoon, however, a crashing noise made me jump out of my chair while I was typing this piece. Flustered by the sound, I rushed towards my window and there you go!

 This is the restraint shown by the security personnel that’s being talked about with such veneration. There were no protests going on at this time, it was just an attempt to terrorise the whole locality. As if we aren’t petrified enough.

Heartbroken by the damage caused to his Nanu’s car, my 3 year old nephew, vows to punish the police-wala by putting him inside the rat-room when ‘hartal  jayega finish and halaat jayengay theekh’[SIC]. I have no idea which rat-room he is talking about but I wish and pray that his generation, yet to learn the ABCs and the 123s properly, doesn’t get to absorb the ‘conflict jargon’.

Liberty to live in peace, In shaAllah.