It fascinates how liberals respond to trolling on social media specially about Kashmir when soldiers die in militant attacks. Kashmir is, has been since 1947 and will forever be a disputed territory between India and Pakistan - unless sincere, mature and mindful moves are made by politicians of both countries as well as J&K to resolve the Kashmir issue. A living testimony to this is that a part of Kashmir is not under Indian control and no one has ever done anything to bring it back despite some wars with Pakistan.
Anyone who contests this by saying that Kashmir is an integral part of India needs to read history better. Un-fortunately, non-partisan and dispassionate analysis of historical works on Kashmir exists in English and the Bhakts have still a long way to go before they master English. Moreover, where do they have the time to do some serious reading when the motives of their demagogues are being served by jingoist comments, bantering on social media and chest beating in 'paan ki dukan' chhap un-parliamentary language full of low innuendo, double entender and even unsavory hurling of abuses.
Needless to say that the vested interests focus on securing the vote banks by dividing a sentimental nation on lines of religion and region. They may not have learnt English from the British but have learnt their policy very well.
I wonder what does this 'bharat Mata ki jai' crowd closing fists in the air envision as a final refrain to the vicious cycle of killings in Kashmir? Any sane individual is equally pained at the martyrdom of an innocent Indian soldier just as much as at the brutal killing of a 15 year old Kashmiri civilian succumbing to pellet gun injuries. Neither the army covered under AFSPA is parsimonious nor the common Kashmiris' patience with three decades of armed occupation of their streets, muhallahs and bazaars is unquestionable. Both are human and weak in the flesh.
So will a genocide in the valley give Kashmir back to India without any claim of separatism and militancy? Or an invasion of the PoK to facilitate a reunion between Kashmiris on both sides of LoC? Or a carpet bombing of all four states of Pakistan - a nuclear power, to achieve the utopia of Akhand Bharat?
Does it all come without a cost? The Indian armed forces are fighting a battle in Kashmir and in any battle there is loss on both sides. 100,000 Kashmiris and 100s of security personnel have died in the blood bath of militancy and native Kashmiri Pandits have been displaced - to the avail of no national good. Ghetto like settlements for Kashmiri Pandit families is all that the government is promising them after years of exile. Don't they deserve better in their own homeland?
So will the bhakts now start enrolling for the army leaving their cushy corporate chairs? Will all the Indian American Modi fans cheering for him at the Central Park in New York city come back to India and fight with Pakistan? Will all the politicians now go to the border without their Z security covers and pick up the gun in the holy war?
Difficult to answer eh?
OK give me just one objective answer. It's easy. How Many Indian politicians' sons are in the Indian army, navy or air force? How many of their daughters are married to captains and generals?
It takes a law like the RTI to get that sort of data and it was not gifted to the nation by the RSS but by liberals in the Civil society who understand the nuances of public good and the plight of the Indian masses. Meanwhile consider this: infighting suits them - politicians on both sides, so that they enjoy life and keep the public consciousness diverted from the real issues.
If a well read journo, thinking film actor, or a condescending writer is worried about intolerance, killing of stone pelting civilians and beef vigilantes it's worth more than a mock or a scorn by an anonymous coward on social media who will not even reveal his true identity and location. Liberals have an Idea of the past, they have not swallowed the sugar coated bitter pills of hate campaigns given by political hate mongers and they are concerned about the future of their beloved nation. They are Patriots if not nationalists.
Liberal journalists are not journalists like Arnab Goswami who merely sit in studios and pass verdicts high on the singular merit of decibel. They are highly educated and active liberal Indians who travel across the length and breadth of their country to intermingle with its mind boggling diversity of peoples and understand their view point.
Liberal actors are not actors like Gajendra Chauhan who after dishing out flops over flops become jesters for the ruling government and occupy positions of power they do not deserve by any claim to contributions for the performing arts. They are hardworking self made artists who have the caliber of raising millions of rupees in aid funds for relief of tsunami hit people when they move a leg in a charity concert.
Liberal writers and scholars are not like Chetan Bhagat who are reduced to writing paeans for the king after having wasted public funds over their subsidized education in world class IITs and IIMs. They are writers and intellectuals with a heart and mind brave enough to follow their dreams of changing the world with the power of their pen. They bring international awards and accolades. They bring respect to country.
Yes, the Kashmir issue is complex. It needs a multi layered treatment too. Simplistic 'do or die' rhetoric, us Vs them jingoism, heroic nationalism and shifting the blame conveniently to the other - read punching bag (Pakistan) in this case, is unfortunately what is signified by hate mongering on social media. But even more troubling is the fact that this proposes no durable and long-lasting solutions in near future. Hitler had his fiery speeches laced with such identity based inspirations for ovsrzealots to Nazi Germany. Rest is history.
Autonomy to a unified Kashmir, delinked with Laddakh and Jammu under a confederacy with the sharing of the triumvirate - India, Pakistan and Kashmir is what C Raja Gopalachari had proposed in the 1950s. This famous 'Raja ji formla' ironically is buried in the annals of history as it serves no one's vested interest and promises a win win situation. Had Nehru, Gandhi, Ambedkar and Sheikh Abdullah lived together and longer this may have been achieved.
Anyhow, Manmohan Singh regime did achieve some years of cease fire and peace in the valley by his vision of a 21st century SAARC in which borders would become meaningless.
Sadly, post July 2016 in NaMo's India we have receded 10 steps backwards. The past of wars, penury and suffering may again become our present if we fail to learn from the past.
Today Kashmir is not about settling scores. It's about moving on with as little baggage of history as possible.
