AR Wani
*Those Old Eyes *
Old Eyes: Bearing the pain of losing the loved ones, houses being burned by terrorists for being an honest citizen. Being called as a stone-pelter, separatist and sometimes a traitor. He is skeptical of political motives but shows faith in democracy and votes. He is jovial with his family, raises his daughter well in hopes that she will be the next Dr Ruveda Salam. He is tough on his son, he wants his son to get selected in next recruitment rally to join the Indian Army.
Who is this man and what does he want? He is the man we see every day working shoulder to shoulder with our troops, he is the man working hard in apple orchids, may be roving a Shikara in Dal Lake, may be creating beautiful handicrafts but foremost he is a citizen of this country, a common man from Kashmir. While interacting with him and observing him from a distance, we realized that he behaves and conducts exactly like us in his day to day functioning. His views on development, employment, nationalism seems to be exactly what we as citizen of a democratic country have. The only regret/ fear he has is being looked upon with a suspicion that he might be providing military info to inimical elements for his benefits.
His Aspirations. Let us try to decode the aspirations of a common man as highlighted by him or them or gauged through informal interactions.
(a) Employment: The first and foremost reqmt is to have a secured livelihood to feed his family. He also desires that his kids will become a doctor, an engineer, a pilot or an Army officer one day. But to realise his dream, he does not have the platform and the resources to earn a guaranteed/ decent earning for himself. That is perhaps the reason that he always remains so thankful to Indian Army to provide him an opportunity to work as a porter, open a shop in military garrison, or act as a contractor for the army. He is very candid in saying that without the presence of Indian Army in his village, lot of households in the village will not be able to earn a one-time meal for themselves.
(b) Exposure/Opportunity: In continuation to employment, the next thing a common Kashmiri aspire is exposure/ opportunity/ platform to project himself to the outside world. He has ideas, talent but somehow lacks the wherewithal & at times confidence & courage to present his ideas/ thoughts to the outside world. Further he once again revers the small gestures of Army in providing him and more importantly his kids/ children the requisite platform which gives them a confidence that they belong to the society. He acknowledges the visible change he sees among the young kids on seeing the men in uniform. They knew their hand wave/ wish will be responded immediately, they know they will get sweets / chocolates / toffees through the patrolling party. These are the images which are getting imprinted among these young ones in the villages.
(c) Warmth: The most inspirational words which come from a common Kashmiri is the warmth with which they are greeted/ met by the Army columns. This is one agenda which is very close to each & every Kashmiri. The respect and dignity of each & every individual. May be this is the concept of Kashmiriyat which has been echoed time & again by politicians, bureaucrats in a Kashmiri society. But for a common man Kashmiriyat is synonymous to dignity. A small gesture of replying back of salute means a lot for that 4-5 years old child. He goes back home and narrates to everyone that a soldier of Indian Army has saluted him.
(d) Community Development: The last sentiment echoed by a common man is the improvement and development of their community living in terms of basic amenities being provided/ extended to them. He is very well aware that it does not come in the charter of military domain but still in the hope believes that a word from an organization like Army, may be listened by civil bureaucrats who are at the helm of affairs. Further he revers Army way of living & wishes that his kids should imbibe such culture. The most sacred place in the military garrison for him is MMG – Mandir, Masjid & Gurudwara. The secular nature of Indian Army inspires him day in & day out & may be the reason he does not believe in the ill concept of Aazadi.
Breaking the Barrier
Barrier made of lies and deceit in the garb of religion, false promises of freedom fabricated at training camps of terrorists and propaganda factories of neighbouring country’s political circles. He looks back at those who tried to create the divide between him and his country. A country with worst possible political turmoil, where violent non-state actors have subdued the legitimate government. Each province is struggling with increasing number and intensity of protests. The gulf countries discarding the popular belief of forever supporting them. A government rather than working towards welfare of population is hatching nefarious plans to create instability in neighbouring countries. He feels sad for his relatives in PoK whose land was snatched by Pakistani government and given as a gift to Chinese company. Pakistan a country with absolute intolerance for minorities and where frequent killing and abductions is common. His tech savvy children show him the COVID state of Pakistan on YouTube where Pakistani citizens are waiting for India to donate COVID vaccines.
He sighs and feels safe, he is aware that India is on its way to become a $5 Trillion economy. Stability in government has ensured welfare measures for the population. He recently witnessed a small part of world’s largest COVID vaccination drive in his village where he and his wife got vaccinated with other village elders.
Many other Kashmiris like him have seen the reality and they have helped many more to break the barrier of lies & propaganda. Now they won’t allow any anti-national activity in their backyard. The vigilant eye of Kashmiris is providing valuable HUMINT to security forces which are resulting in elimination of a big number of terrorists. They are no more scared of threats issued by various terrorist outfits urging them to boycott elections, now Kashmiris are fearlessly using their democratic rights of voting & choosing their representatives. Kashmiri children are making vigorous progress in the fields of sports, academics and national integration activities. Kashmiris have opened their heart to the fellow citizens of the countries from various state, economy is making steady progress, increase in tourism has created employment opportunities. Kashmiri handicrafts have found their place among the prized possessions of many people.
Old Eye with a Smile
Now we know, what those old eyes want is self-respect, secure future employment, opportunities for young generation and a peaceful environment free from violence. Such small steps taken in the right direction will stem the feeling of national integration in the heart & mind of Kashmiris. Kashmiris will be immune to lies & propaganda and ready to thwart any malicious plan of anti-national elements.