Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Kashmir's Burning

not long ago had the thought come to my mind - has Kashmir stopped burning, is it all over, can i go to the proclaimed 'Heaven on Earth' without having to give myself a chance at life - well for few years of booming infrastructure and Incredible !ndia stuff.. i must say many actually thought that.. But of course the Kashmiris and the discontent goes hand in hand . The discontent in every kid living there, discontent in shopkeeper living there, discontent in every pundit living there, discontent in every mullah living there, discontent in every statesmen living there...

While India is emerging (shining some say), the J&K is burning. Its burning because India has never been able to call it hers. Its burning because India took it for granted that Kashmir is hers. India could only take pride of crowning J&K over her map but never priced its jewels inside. She forgot, its not the just the jewel with covalent bonded atoms inside but a civilization which has been covalently bonded for about 500 years. Diamonds are everlasting but not the civilizations if not cared well.

So, we have raged youth, frustrated men and humiliated women all constituting one single discontent community. Raged to cause of rebel, frustrated to the cause of development and humiliated because of India.

Let me quote few from accounts of Arundhati Roy in following article -
http://www.countercurrents.org/roy230808.htm

"For the past 60 days or so, since about the end of June, the people of Kashmir have been free."
...free from both, fear of autocratic side of Indian nation state and false hope of any resolution by procrastinating the issue in hand any further

"After 18 years of administering a military occupation, the Indian government's worst nightmare has come true."
...well they tried hard to make me believe the fire is fused, but alas the the truth is its only got resurgent

"It (Amarnath land transfer) triggered an apprehension that it was the beginning of an elaborate plan to build Israeli-style settlements, and change the demography of the valley."
...in this already 'muslim' fearing world you are helping them believe this place is also not theirs

"Raised in a playground of army camps, checkpoints, and bunkers, with screams from torture chambers for a soundtrack, the young generation has suddenly discovered the power of mass protest"
...if the early morning walk would mean frisking at hands of military, well here are the militants you were looking for

"he was referring to the insanity that permits the world's largest democracy to administer the world's largest military occupation and continue to call itself a democracy"
... half a million troops, that too after enormous pull out in recent times. Well if this is the only place to train our troops then declare it as citizen free zone.

"What kind of freedom do we have now? The freedom to be raped by Indian soldiers?" Her reply silenced me."
...burning libidos?? yeah right!!

"one of these fears of what the future holds can justify the continued military occupation of a nation and a people. No more than the old colonial argument about how the natives were not ready for freedom justified the colonial project"
... high time!! we change our colonial mindset. अंग्रेज़ चले गए, अंग्रेज़ियत छोड़ गए

"Of course there are many ways for the Indian state to continue to hold on to Kashmir... could extinguish this non-violent uprising and re-invite armed militancy. It could increase the number of troops from half a million to a whole million"
... if i could express the sadness without actually mocking it with sad smiley

"India needs azadi from Kashmir just as much as - if not more than - Kashmir needs azadi from India"
... give them what they want, give the people what they want... please move over the ego clash. I know how hard it would be to see India without its crown but for god sake Stop Killing!!!

... to surmise (def. says Infer from incomplete evidence)

Kashmir needs it own voice, its own leader and its own people to come up. Nor India nor Pakistan can help the matters. High time that we leave them in peace and live in peace ourselves.

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