Submitted by Mousumi Roy…
Wish all Indians and Pakistanis a very Happy Independence Day. In 1608, the British came to the subcontinent under the pretext of trade and established their rule. Our ancestors faced much hardship and created a separate country for us. Now in 73rd Indian independence Anniversary we are still facing poverty. It is the great poet’s stirring words “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,” remind us what a hugely inspiring and prophetic figure Tagore continues to be, when his deeply sublime words appear so relevant, how freedom has always been non-negotiable.
India is merely an experiment and the only one of its kind on earth where multiple native populations came to accept a common identity, some wholeheartedly, some with deliberations, some not accepting it at all, and some even going against it too. India surprisingly seems to continue to have a place for all of them, 72 years and counting.
To the countless innocent humans who lost their lives, who turned homeless, who turned poor overnight losing their all, who lost their families to decisions that they didn’t take for themselves, may today’s Kashmir find solace and heal soon. I’m very hopeful that Kashmir will have a bright future, will turn into a safe, peaceful and thriving region in the days to come if the dialogue begins and a firmer decision arrived at.
Please remember to stay informed about all sides of the story, yours, others’ and the actual truth, and not get carried away with lopsided discourses and propaganda. It’s only those who haven’t learnt from history that will continue to repeat their own mistakes. We have had our learnings and may we not repeat them and make the mistakes more costlier than ever in the days to come.
There may be a thousand arguments placed in the way in which the Kashmir issue is viewed and debated about. The only thing I always wanted is all long standing status quo be broken in any issue, which is how one gets to see what’s on the other side of the hard wall. There seems to be not many taboos in 21st century compared to the 20th and we are now at the very beginning of an era where artificial intelligence is already setting up shops to rule human race.
As always Nehru and Patel are impressive. Nehru and Patel, their differences not withstanding, walked more in lock step on Kashmir than is commonly understood. Nehru tries to keep Patel informed and seeks consent. Sheikh Abdullah, treated with due deference by Nehru, Patel and Gopalaswami Ayyangar tries to play all three. Then got arrested.
Kashmir would have gone to Pakistan if not for the perseverance of Nehru and his passion for his homeland. What began as a mere move resulted in gory and corrupt run which has lasted until 370 & 35A abrogation. A 1963 speech by Nehru refers to the ‘Erosion’ of Art 370. He was ok with it. As for the much discussed ‘no one not a Kashmiri can buy a land in Kashmir’ Nehru is supportive of it more to preserve the pristine beauty of the state from rapacious greed taking over. It’s no different from what any country has done to precious natural beauty. Of course that alone was not the motive…
The challenges with Article 370 and the attaching and grossly restrictive 35A which doesn’t just make Kashmir unique in the sub-continent, but also a magnet for trouble from outside and within. Everyone who opposed the move of the central govt to abrogate article 370 have had one point in common. The way in which the whole plan was executed in a matter of 48 hours disturbs them. I wholeheartedly accept that and respect their thoughts.
A human conflict would requires machines to solve them in future and we better try to have the least number of conflicts because we don’t know how AI would solve certain things when we know ourselves that we are bad coders and developers and leaving so many issues open-ended would be a recipe for disaster.
I say this not from just any ideological, political, religious or economic standpoint, but from a larger picture that I get to see from where we started in 1947 to where we have come today in 2019, taking into consideration the urging compulsions the other world nations today have, and the eagerness to involve themselves in the conflict in the name of solving it.
There are news that are hidden from plain sight and enormous light thrown on issues that don’t really matter to a commoner and that’s how technology and media is used to exercise control over the uninformed. The only counter measure is to stay somewhat informed, if not thoroughly, and not let any religious or ideological hysteria or brainwashing hold you hostage to its evil nature.
Kashmir valley is still in Zamindari times under the Abdullahs. To move out the Abdullah dynasty, a new generation of Muslim leadership can easily be bred and fed. I’m very sure the Abdullah dynasty is in its sunset in spite of the local support and the NC MPs getting elected. The rollback of 370 & 35A could eventually be their wrap up.
Happy Independence Day!
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