Bindya Tikoo
Kashmir again in news. Call it ‘Kashmir Unrest’, Burning Valley or Brutal Brotherhood, the fact is that the chaos and rage, against which retaliation has errupted, again in valley is disrupting the lives and minds of common masses. Allegations, disrupted talks process, interim confusions among political parties, clashes between army and locals has got the eye of the central government this time. This is perhaps for the first time that the Chief Minister of this state and Home Minister of the country have taken up a call to move to unturned extents to normalise griming situations in the state. Creating another history in the J&K political setup, thought late, but the decisions like taking this issue to international dialogues and changes made in the governing processes of state indicate the seriousness of the central government; And also that interim discussions and stern assurance of normalizing the situation in valley coming from Home Minister, it may not be wrong to say that this time the disruptions are not going to take toll of the personals on the straight side of the barracks this time.
It is not at all an untold story that amidst the chaos in Kashmir that regained its momentum after Burhan episode, the youth of valley including both male and females, both Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims have turned confused and chaotic again. While the youth living in valley turns to rage with stone pelting, the young migrant Kashmiri Pandits who had returned to valley under PM Package for government jobs, have come back to Jammu and are since then agitating for their adjustment in Jammu to reply of which the state authorities point towards the highlited clauses of the package policy. How far will they justify the demands is another issue but while framing the package policies, I personally feel that the step was not so thoughtfully pondered before implementing. The policy makers might have missed the little emotional and psychological aspect of the terrorism, refuge and rehabilitation which makes the return of KPs and cohesive living of two communities a little contemplative
I am reminded of Rana Sahri’s verse
‘Tujhey dekh kar mai hun soachta, Tu habib hai key raqib hai’.
Culturally, there is a deboning lag that is difficult to be born now. Let’s not forget that there are two generations- indifferent of their age old cultural ethos, one is the youth brought up on the same land and the other one is brought up on entirely different land. On one hand, there are Kashmiri Pandit children who introduce themselves on television and other platforms as from Delhi, from Bombay, from Chandigarh and so on because they have been born in there only. And parents have either adjusted or adapted the culture of the state they had migrated to. On the other hand, the Kashmiri Muslim children have not seen any Kashmiri Pandit living in their immediate locality since have born, which psychologically makes them indifferent to the other community. Probably they won’t have heard of KPs in their Grand Looney Tune tales
Similarly, the economic aspect has changed. The KP youths find better economic avenues and revenue generating sectors on their migrated lands in other states rather than coming back for a government job with meagre salary in their home town. Same goes for the Kashmiri Muslim youth. It’s been 25 years now, the unborn child of then Kashmir is a youth who is more intelligent, exposed and better educated to have share holder on their employment sector. That means if you really mean the KPs to return back and stay there, the employment avenues are to be generated, enhanced and expanded to accommodate both the living and the returning population.
Samander mai Samnder khoalta hai, Kalaija Muh key ander doalta hai
Ababilein bhi rooth gayi hain abb tou, Merey Ghar ka yeh Khander bolta hai
Aptly these lines go with the property that has been burnt or sold at distress rates and have turned as khandars for people of valley. Let those be of Pandits or Muslims, this way or that way, disposed under terror threat or demolished in agony, burnt in rage or atrocity; All those who have lost their movable and immovable properties will never want to get back their own land at the cost marginalised by the others. May be that is compensated on certain policy terms but the human loss since two decades is irreparable. Thousands have been killed during 90’s and thousands are being killed in retaliation and rage. How will that be compensated? How will this rage and agony diminish? Even the Human Rights fail to answer.
Also, as already mentioned, the families that had migrated to other states have now adapted to the other culture, grown up their new properties with their sheer worth. What would ensue them to leave and uproot their individuality again that too after more than 25 long years now. Another fact is the safety of their lives in such a place where the youth there gets easily motivated by the opportunists.
Political instability of KPs in the valley has been there since thirteen exodus in valley which earlier paved ways for the mightier personas to be the Nawabs, administrators and Governors of other states (of which Haryana government being a great example) and now a multi organisational leadership that bifurcates the total 1 % of voting population of KPs. This is a constitutionally evident fact that the valley had a dynasty rule. Now a days also leadership has derailed and haphazardly expanded. Almost every intellectual in the state is a leader these days. Meagre voting population and multi organisation has resulted into bifurcated vote bank. The negligible number of Kashmiri Pandit’s representation in political scene of the state is a great expel of this derailment. Pandits despite of being the able administrators were kept in bureaucracy rather than in main stream politics, reasons better known to the political agenda makers. Anyone who can claim tall of resolving issues and loud echoing of Kashmiriyat can have a ticket to political castle.
Many minds many ways are a tall tale of mere talking about Kashmiriyat in Seminars, Confrences and Discussions. No one in the political leadership even knows to which dialect this words comes from. Lets understand… what is the ‘Kashmiriyat’ people have been talking about in the discussions and now in the parliament too.. ‘Kashmiriyat’ was nothing but the will of valley people living together in peace. It is not ages ago that people lived in complete harmony in valley despite of their individual stature and financial differences among them. It was not only two communities living there together, there were Sikhs, Bhuddists and even Christians in some parts of valley. They were ONE. If one community was the intellect, the other community symbolised working, the turbans gave the strength and tunics gave the warmth of love & affection.
But the peace we have lost, of minds, thoughts and dignity, cannot come by the political shuffling or turnovers of army and turmoil of terror, it can come only by the will of every individual living on that land and all those aspirants of returning back of staying together in peace again, restraining the young ones from falling prey to the dubious means of the provocateurs and inducing the spirit of better revenue generation through meaningful vocational attributes. And who will do this? Of course, this needs parenting. Every mother, father, sibling or friend, teacher and leader can do this but the effort has to be unitarian. It’s not one man’s might; it needs a unanimous collective strength of all masses.
While penning all of my estranging thoughts, I wonder.. Is all what I said possible to do?… Is peaceful living in valley a dream now? Will it be so beautiful again? What if we all start thinking one way beyond India- Pakistan, or Hindu- Muslim ideology? I think Heavens will not fall but can come down on earth again… like it used to be…. not ages ago…..
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