Rakesh Kumar Pandit
The power of nature is immense. With a single and small stroke it can change the face of mountains and oceans, not to talk of small places and things. When human beings, the best creation of the nature, ignores the laws of nature and tries to control or alter the natural rhythm of natural phenomena and resources, nature manifests itself in a horrific way in order to maintain the balance. Nature loves symmetry and balance. You play with nature, nature plays with you.
The floods that struck Uttrakhand last year and Jammu and Kashmir this year are just two examples of nature’s power. The rains and flood that hit Jammu and Kashmir caused huge loss of life and property in Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts of Jammu Province and devastating effect in Kashmir, particularly in summer capital Srinagar. It is one of the worst disasters the Kashmir valley has witnessed in a century or so. The loss of human lives cannot be compensated in anyway. Moreover the loss of personal belongings and the mental trauma the people have gone through is enormous. The magnitude of the disaster was such that it will take years to rehabilitate the effected people. Looking at the magnitude of the disaster, it is virtually impossible for any state Government ‘to make hay at the eleventh hour’ if it is not having any comprehensive policy and management with men and modern equipments to tackle natural disasters. For first five to six days the State Government and its Flood-Control Department was nowhere perhaps for none of their fault. Only army, air force and lonely Chief Minister were visible in massive rescue operation. The army, air force, NDRF and local volunteers played the role of saviours of the effected people. We must salute the brave soldiers of our armed forces and selfless volunteers for their commendable and selfless role to minimize the human suffering and keep the hope alive in such hopeless situation. God chooses only brave hearts for selfless service and sacrifice and not cowards like separatists and opportunists. The electronic media also played a great role to update the prevailing situation and it helped in relief and rescue operations. The central Government acted very swiftly and released funds, provided technical support, equipments, helicopters etc. to help the beleaguered and helpless State Government to speed up the relief and rescue operations. The Central Government, state Government, army, air-force, NDRF, local volunteers, media worked like a cohesive team to mitigate the suffering of the affected people and provide succor to them. The impact of such disasters can be minimized to some extent with advance information and employing men and machinery to the best, but these can never be avoided.
The Chief Minister, print media, electronic media has reminded the people of the state and the country that it is the worst disaster witnessed by the people of Kashmir in a century or so for which nobody can be blamed actually. The matter of the fact is that the Chief Minister, the people of the state, media have forgot another completely manmade disaster which struck the Kashmir valley 25 years ago. This disaster was “Ethnic clensing and Mass Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, the original inhabitants of Kashmir valley. The Chief Minister while describing the flood fury wrote, “I can’t remember another natural disaster where Government was so completely paralysed.” At the time of above said manmade disaster, the Government from the state to the centre was even more paralysed and unable to prevent it. The irony of the matter is that this disaster and its impact continues till date and there seems no end to it in the near future. The unique point of this manmade disaster was that the sufferers were all alone dealing with the disaster. Unlike this time no state Government, no Central Government, no army, no air force, no media was active or proactive to come forward to help and to stop this completely manmade disaster. This manmade disaster could have been easily avoided, if the concerned Governments and authorities had acted swiftly. This manmade disaster caused loss of innocent human lives, loss of home and hearth, loss of personal belongings, loss of identity, loss of culture and above all loss of our homeland. The mental trauma of living in the shadow of fear and death and thereafter losing home and hearth, resulted in innumerable diseases and negative growth rate of Kashmiri Pandits. Being the victim of this disaster, the feeling of being isolated from the birth place, the pain and agony of being a forced migrant in one’s own State and country is enormous. No rehabilitation package can compensate the loss and suffering of this peace loving and patriot community of India. It is a fact that Kashmiri Pandits have suffered most in Independent, secular, and democratic India than in the times of British Rule. The 1947 tribal invasion supported by Pakistani army did enormous atrocities on Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs in whole of the North Kashmir particularly in Baramula (very large in those days). Hindus and Sikhs were hunted down and killed. Their houses were looted and then burnt down. Then again in 1990 Ethnic Clensing and Mass Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits took place. Kashmiri Pandits therefore can understand the pain of losing home and belongings of the affected people in this natural disaster.
These both tragedies need a humanitarian touch to restore the faith and confidence of the affected people. We pray the tragedy caused by the floods will ease and normalcy is restored and flood victims are rehabilitated in their respective places and homes. Unfortunately tragedy caused by the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits seems everlasting. May God give us courage and patience to sustain our hope so that one day we also go back to our own Kashmir with dignity, honour and complete sense of security.
At last let us share each other’s grief and cultivate nature friendly mindset.
(The author is assistant Professor of Physics at GDC-Bhaderwah)
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