My Life and Disputed Figure
Officials say more than 40,000 people have been killed in Kashmir in the 17-year
Muslim separatist revolt against Indian rule. Human rights groups put the toll at
around 60,000 dead or missing. I guess it is over 100,000. But, whats the difference
it makes to me. None of my family member is in the disputed figure anyways. I don't
see the conflict affecting me or my family directly and indirectly I don't know, my
knowledge about economics is very poor. My dad couldn't afford to buy a car or some
other electronic luxury but i guess he was lucky enough to survive the on going
conflict along with his wife and two sons. Today, we are better off, we have a car
and other things, thanks to the new world order. I have had a nice childhood full of
chasing butterflies, catching frogs and dragonflies, flying kites, had a pet dog,
tommy, who would bring back my pharen ( traditional winter garment of kashmir) from
the playing ground, played with toys first then saw the real soldiers with polished
guns and that too at the age of 10 and above all there were numerous Monday mornings
when my grand mom would take me and my brother to the same picnic spot: Mughal Gardens.
i am happy thats pretty much of it. So what, I have spent half of my life thinking is
my brother and father coming home from the days work or do i have to be brave enough
to receive that stupid phone call, break the news to my mom and then comfort her while
she'llbe mourning. Thank heavens that never happened and i am pretty sure that similar
thoughts would have crossed my dads or my brothers mind. But, still we worried less
than the only lady in the house did. Poor creature, had to tackle the Asthma as
well. Thank heavens again, we are all safe and now her asthma has subsided as well.
I don't even want to know that thousands of boys and their dads and brothers, and
sisters, and mothers, who went through similar thoughts like me and my family were
not too fortunate and had to go through the fact that my family survived. It hurts
sometimes but what to do, we are safe and that matters at the end. Forget about
being patriotic in Kashmir or somewhere else. It looks good on 70mm and world is
much bigger place than that. Around 100,000 people died in kashmir, six times more
than that died in Iraq and many more than that died during two world wars. Who gives
a damn. Its the turn of Muslims now, so be it. The only difference is some of them
would be counted as mere numbers, while very few by name in newspapers. Revolution
needs direction and the literate and illiterate people of Kashmir don't seem to have
one. Kashmir has a population of over one crore and i believe half of them,
particularly people living in Jammu and Ladakh, were and are not interested in the
revolt. About the rest of the portion, well, there are also divided views, some
follow The Separatists, some have very strong psychological proximity with the
neighboring country, Pakistan, and rest want freedom. But, there are people like me,
who saw it all and decided to go out of Kashmir in pursuit of standard living
and write about a place they call home.
