R K Sharma
Sanjana Singh (name changed) has been extra happy these days. Few weeks back, her class 12 result came out and she passed with flying colors. It may be a normal achievement in other families but for Sanjana it is a remarkable achievement. Being from the one of most discriminated sections of Jammu & Kashmir, the Valmikis, it takes huge courage and confidence to dream for youngsters of such community.
Now that Sanjana has qualified her secondary examinations with flying colors, she has now set her aim on her childhood dream of becoming a Medical professional.
In a family where the only job children are supposed to do is- Manual scavenging, Sanjana has already achieved much more than her peer and friends can dream of. Even her father acknowledges what her daughter has achieved till now is already beyond their expectations.
Till 5th August 2019, young students like Sanjana and others from his community feared to dream. It is because Article 370 prevented the people from the Valmiki community of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from being citizens of the state. Since, they were denied the Permanent resident certificates (PRCs), they were severely discriminated in getting employment in state institutions or admission of their children in state run institutions.
Valmikis were brought to J&K by the government to quell a union protest and clean streets in 1957.Three generations later they still do not have a Permanent Resident Certificate and are forced to work as Safai Karamcharis (sanitation workers). Despite living here for almost six decades, people of the Valmiki community continued to face severe discrimination and were denied even the basics citizenship rights.
It was only after Government of India abrogated Article 370 on 5th August 2019, the people from the Valmiki community realized their long standing dream of being a citizen of J&K. It broke the chains of bondages which had severely restricted their freedom and prevented them from dreaming.
Eklavya, son of one such safaikarmchari, who migrated from Punjab to J&K decades ago, remarks, “I wanted to become a lawyer. However, the resident certificate was required for legal practice. Now, I can finally pursue for the dream of becoming a lawyer”.
Radhika, who also belongs to one such family, had petitioned in Supreme Court after she was rejected from Border Security Force (BSF) that involved state-wise recruitment.”My dream was broken. I cleared the physical examination but had no PRC. I appealed in court too. Angry, I dropped from studies. After, scrapping of the special status I began my studies. I started dreaming again,” the 20-year-old said.
“People say there is no caste discrimination. But we witnessed it for three generations. My grandfather was brought here to clean the streets. We still do,” Bhatti, another youth from Valmiki community, said.
After the abrogation of Article 370, there is a sense of confidence among the members of the community. Sweets were distributed by them in their localities once the announcement of the abrogation of the Article was made.
Eleven-year-old Aanadi can finally dare to dream, unlike his father.”I want to become an engineer. I am aware of people talking about how much they suffered and did not get jobs. Now, I will study hard and get a job.”
Sanjana and young students like her believe that they have been lucky enough to be given the opportunity to pursue their dreams as not everyone had the same opportunity.
The youngsters from the community have greatly suffered during the past six decades of ruthless suppression by the draconian laws thrust upon them. Being born in the Valmiki community meant that the only default job is manual scavenging, no matter how talented or skillful one is. This stereotyping of a marginalized community has severely affected the members of the community psychologically.
Sanjana notes that people in their area don’t dream or aspire to come out of this ruthless cycle of inhuman subjugation. She even confesses of being ridiculed by her friends and family when she expressed her desire of becoming a medical professional. She and her ilk believe that the abrogation of article 370 by the Indian Government has unshackled the chains of bondagesthat havelong held them as slaves and deprived them the freedom to pursue their own goals. She also feels blessed to be given an opportunity to pursue her dreams while at the same time bring the fact that the earlier generation didn’t get a chance to live the life of its dreams.
Success stories of the members of the Valmiki community is a practical example of how the abrogation of the article 370 have freed the people from the generational subjugation and provided them with an opportunity to live a life of dignity and self-respect.
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