- For Those Who Have
Lost the Reason to Love Their Homeland
By K.ASIF
By K.Asif
“Molt your False Identity Masks and be What You
Really Are, for the Time is Near When You’ll Wind Up as
Carrion for the Foreign Buzzards”
Bear with me, if what I am about to recount is distasteful
to the likes of those natives who say, “Yahan ka system hi
kharaab hai”, and prefer to be stand aloof from the
nitty-gritty of the situation. To pick up the thread of my
discourse - we have two kinds of men – good and bad.
Actually of things and men, that are good, some are evil
and some neither good nor evil (that is morally
indifferent) – not living, not dead, their presence,
existence is of no use. The streets that they walk tall on
may be one day an appalling desolation for them, for the
heart can never find solace on foreign soil. The peace and
ensuing sangfroid comes when you deal with actuality of
the conditions.
The malaise, which is the point of debate here, is that
some people feel indifferent towards their homeland and do
not identify themselves with their birthplace. In reality,
they have the intense desire to possess material goods in
the form of name, fame and money. They have forgotten that
there are other values in life. When you ask them, the
answer is, “we don’t have time to worry about politics –
Kashmir politics”, more worried about their economic
security and the saddest of all things is that the number
of such uptight people is increasing. They seem to play
gimmicks but only with a sordid difference.
When someone is born, he fundamentally grows up with an
identity. The identity of his parents, family, community,
clan and of-course his regional sect, his nation! That is
what I like to call “Natural Realm of existence”. In this
line of pedigree, what comes to be the most important
obligation for him, when his societal, nationalistic or
patriotic wishes are taken into account, is his country.
His affection and feelings of being the denizen of a
region, where he owes a lot to his native land and yes,
irrespective of whether his motherland is superior or not.
He feels clung to it in a much natural way. But is this
the feeling we all share?
While I met a few, old friends of mine who are NRK’s now,
(Non Resident Kashmiris), I came to know about something
that is not manifest yet but deep ridden in their
psychologies though. To a kind of dismay and disbelief,
some of them (NRK’s), are not ready to acknowledge their
home ground credits. While conversing with them, it was
clear from their attitude and story that they like to feel
detached in a way look down their noses at the fact of
being a Kashmiri. They feel cut off, mentally and
politically as well. When asked about the situation here
in the valley, they shyly, an act of slap dashing- turn
their heads away.
Having seen the glittering, dazzling world outside, they
are willing to forget dingy Galli Kochas of their valley.
The turbulence in the air, on the roads and intermittent
peace procession seems less attractive compared to
flabbergasting air outside. In an email sent by someone I
know, from Colorado, US, he wrote many things along a line
asking me about Power – not the political one but electric
one, abusing the government, quite aptly for it, he
condensed his story in a way to abuse his basis of origin.
“Why am I a Kashmiri yaar? Sometimes I feel so low when I
think about it; everything about Kashmir hurts me not to
speak of weather alone”. So I replied him usual chores and
yes in the end,
P.S:The weather is fine now.
I was angry rather perturbed with what he had to say. Deep
within me, a query, a blatant one sprouted and I asked
myself, why does Kashmiri people seem to be keen on
criticizing the system rather than thinking wisely enough
to understand that “we all, every single one of us, are
responsible. We are equally liable and at the same level,
playing our characters in the macabre tale of the valley”.
Having said that, I feel all this is a mistake, for people
differ in kind, as will be evident to anyone who considers
the opinions of different people. Another tale, yet very
similar to the cause of this write-up, a story of our
fellow student named Ali. He went to US a few years ago
and now, (Sunne mein aaya hai ki Ali ab Ali nahin raha
balki Alex hogaya hai) and that the rear window pane of
his 4×4 turbo machine reads, “Proud of our soldiers who
fought in Iraq”. What is that? How disgraceful and
hurting? To him, perhaps lack of identity and crisis of it
is doing its dose. Self delusion–a malaise, with so many
who hail from the place and now, feel embarrassed to be
known as Kashmiris!
To those who like to subscribe to literature, Aristotle in
Politica (Vol X) records, “Hence it is evident that state
is a creation of nature and that man is by nature a
political animal. And he who by nature and not by mere
accident is without a state is either a bad man or above
humanity; he is like- Tribeless, Lawless, Heartless one”
The same man described above is denounced by Homer as
natural outcast, is forthwith a lover of war, he may be
compared to an isolated piece at draughts.
For people of that (mis)calibre, the distinction between
vice and virtue remains difficult, For these men are good
in but one way, but bad in many.
Though, the sense of belonging can not be forcibly
infused. It ought to be natural with everyone, but yes of
course practical bent of mind and so called rational
principled mind can deter the equations of one’s patriotic
vibes. Close to them, working, living in a developed
state, earning bucks that have to be exchanged and roaming
at the places where beggars and cows are seldom seen,
talking in an accent that sounds snobbish may be some kind
of elitism but near to my thinking, it would mean an
ersatz mode of life, infidelity towards your own parents
here with an alias homeland.
“The uncommonly looks that you wear and an otherwise dowdy
dress you sport or bleached long hair that you flank would
never solve the equations here – that ain’t any elitism
but a struggling mediocrity of “in-betweens”. We can smell
the peroxide on your heads very well.”
The effective reform as I might add is the right attitude
towards the situation, building up of thought process that
would see and observe a political community among the
masses. The purpose is to consider it as the best of all
for all of us and in doing so realize it as the ideal of
life. The essence of commonality of interest and concern
and therefore with a sense of belonging to our motherland,
its culture, tradition and yes Slogans of course! For the
same, I do not wish to rule out any misgivings and the
unfortunate circumstances where we know that all may have
a common denominator to share. But that should not mean
the points of disagreement must be put aside. Take them up
and solve them to an extent that the air in between is
clear. Let us all work to build a bridge in between our
commonality and the purpose of it. To say we should have
nothing in common is impossible for me to digest, as we
are all part of the procession, overtly or covertly, to
rekindle the feelings of Qaumiyat in us.
“Let none of our good men turn into phantoms who can
conjure up to overturn the tenor of our existence and
wreck our happiness with fear. For if, men saw that a term
was set to their increase in troubles, others would find
strength in some way to withstand the hocus-pocus and
intimidations of the outsiders”.
To leave you thinking about it, the only respite to offer
against the dying, eroding ideologies, let us retreat into
the sound, soulful rendition …
- “Ae watan mere watan
… Ruhe rawane Aehrar ...
Aeke Zarroun mein tere Buwe Chaman Range-bahaar
Reze Almas ke tere Khaso-Khashaaq mein hain …
Hadiyaan Apne Buzargoun ki teri Khaak Mein hain
Tujh se munh mod ke munh apna dikhayenge kahan …
Ghar jo chodenge to phir Chawini Chayenge kahan
Bazme Agyaar mein Aaram ye payenge kahan …
Tujh se hum rooth ke jayenge bhi to jayenge kahan”
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Kashmir:The
Most Dangerous Game
