Something more remains to be done

Till this date  Kashmir has been  listed as a place where nation is engaged in  an  exercise of winning  hearts and  minds. All the governments  at the Centre have been making efforts to bring the Valley’s population into national mainstream. This phrase  is not cynically  crafted. It has a  deep meaning  but its translation has not been done with that much depth. At times, those working in translation of this phrase on the ground do it as their administrative duty  as they hesitate in traversing the path that could lead them to their goal.

I have a suggestion that this can be done  for the benefit and mutual trust of one and all  if Kashmir takes a lead in convincing the nation that they are, what their history and heritage have made them to be. They are made of same blood and flesh that inspired the world through its culture and craft.

At the moment, the  whole effort is to show that all institutions of the country care for the land and the people. Many things have been done. Some of them are very visible – normal life and unprecedented infrastructural development with connectivity and investment being at its core. Some  of their dreams having uninterrupted connectivity to reach destinations and to see their land flooded with tourists throughout the year have become a reality. They realise this but still there is something more that remains to be done.

These efforts were guided by the essential factors, owning the land and people, and  also to keep them away from the external influences  particularly Pakistan  that had been injecting various  types of anti-India thoughts and narratives. There is a section which lapped  the cross-border tales. The problem is that the Central governments since 1947 ,despite Jammu and  Kashmir’s accession to the country, were unsure of the territory. The work of winning hearts and minds  undertaken through several measures –from  genuinely reaching out to the people, local leadership  since the days of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, and  so many allurements  is continuing. That means  some  gaps  do exist.

Can Kashmir reverse the role? It can. Shawl and carpet sellers  or fruit merchants  visiting other parts of the country do go with the idea of earning, but in essence  they are brand ambassadors of Kashmir. Their conversational tales with their traditional customers and the new ones in  several parts of the country  are  best form of dialogue  to foster bonds. They know how to build human bridges. Even during peak of militancy, when Kashmiris were at the receiving end of the negative narratives fuelled by many who thought that the whole of the Valley had risen against the nation, these set of brand ambassadors helped in countering that.

It was not  one-way ticket. Their hosts also used to reciprocate their feelings. It was selfless effort. There were no political or other compulsions. During the peak of militancy in early 1990s,  M. I. Khanday, one of the senior most and respected bureaucrats, while reflecting on the situation made a very  critical point: “You know, in a way this situation has benefited Kashmiris, those  who have fled (he did not mean Kashmiri Pandits)  or shifted their children (for studies) to elsewhere  have seen  what India really is.”

Those Kashmiris who could afford  to enroll their children  outside of Kashmir schools and colleges, did that. Some took loan too as they wanted their children to study outside  far away from the Valley choked by toxic smoke of guns and bombs. The schools in the Valley would remain shut for more days than they would open. The educational system had collapsed. The children were  living in a siege set up. Some of the students in Srinagar had not seen Lal Chowk as they were barred by their parents from venturing outside. Play fields were declared out of bounds for them.

Having said this, let me come to the point  which I want to make. Kashmir  over the past 77 years has seen how the Indian nation works and what all  it has done for them. There is another fact too: Kashmiris are viewed with suspicion. Kashmiris know it. They have also done a lot to win the confidence of the people in the country-extended best of welcome and hospitality to the visitors, and on many occasions saved their lives at the risk of their own. Yes, there were some very unfortunate incidents in the high-militancy era of 30 years, but Kashmiri Muslims too suffered  similar tragedies. The suspicion in some parts also inflicted a sense  of insult and physical harm to the Kashmiris. This is a result of psyche of mischief. But it is there. The governments in J&K have written so many times to other state governments and central authorities, but these ugly incidents have not  come to an end .

Today when Kashmir is at crossroads, it must get up and light the path of reconciliation  with the objective of winning hearts and minds of the people of the country. Their hospitality, infectious smile and their warmth in conversation are the only tools they have, and all of them are soft and comforting. They have come out of the world of fantasies which defamed and labeled them. Some attribute it to the situation on the other side of the border where  things are going down almost every hour with so much of violence  and multiplication of economic woes. That is  true, but only to a limited extent, because in all  seasons, there was a limited section that heard them out and believed them.

They are aware that India is their country. They were made to look in different frames by vested interests on both sides. It suited some in the Vale to amplify  and expand this perception, and many in the country  focused on that minuscule minority to defame the majority. The gaps widened  over the time. Now is the time that Kashmiris take lead in doing the course correction  to rectify these misperceptions. The future of Kashmir and its generations is at stake.