Whither our Kashmiriyat?

Budgam, Oct 5 (ANI): All eyes are on Jammu and Kashmir again. The political establishment seems to have gone on the backfoot over a slew of charges and counter-charges on issues that have raised the hackles of the people.

The conflict in Jammu and Kashmir is more than two decades old. In recent years, the deafening cry of the commoners against actions taken by security forces to maintain law and order, has affected the social fabric of the region, governance and development.

The question however is not one of political or strategic exigencies alone. Nor is it of governance and development agendas, which infact have over the last few months been taken up in concrete ways.

It goes deeper, into the people of Kashmir's perception about themselves, their historical roots, their culture, the values that over time, have been handed down and been preserved.

After all, this is a region which has seen the full expression and expansion of major religions, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, with all the cultural, artistic and literary ethos of each leaving an indelible mark on Kashmir's common heritage.

So what is the picture of this region with its spectacular natural beauty, its rich religious and cultural influences today? Why is it the hotbed of events, trends and developments that mar rather than uplift the human condition?

In Kashmir, there is a deficit of self-worth amongst the people. There is an erosion of values that binds society together and knits it into a harmonious whole. What is the reason that in this 'paradise on earth', evils like drug abuse mark society? Not only is it destroying the youth, their health, their opportunities for the future, but also spawning a culture of illegal sale of charas, brown sugar and even abuse of medicinal drugs known to have psycho -tropic.

This is not to say that no voices are being raised against such regressive trends in society. Some two years ago, some women in Kashmir began a movement against such elements in society.

This was however, put down with a heavy hand by the government, which in effect broke this nascent movement. Probably, it had not gathered the momentum that is required to sustain such an effort, the deep roots within society that act as a reservoir in the face of counter-moves to quell such voices.

There seems to be hardly any check. The sale and availability of all such psychotropic substances is rampant, in shops, hotels, bars, and clubs. The people who run these are not from outside, they are Kashmiris themselves. I wonder if they stop to reflect, not on their immediate profit but on the havoc it is causing society, already under duress.

Today, some of university and college students openly sell and consume drugs. Student life is a most precious time, a foundation for a future of new opportunities and hope. The scourge of drugs is casting its shadow not only on the sanctity of these institutions, but the future of Gen Next.

Is this the society that we visualise as ideal for our people, for our children, many of them orphaned, for our women, many who are widowed, the elderly who have lost their grown-up sons? All these human tragedies are the human face of the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir. Yet we do not seem to have the impetus for transformation, to rid the evil from within. In many rural areas in Kashmir, people live in poverty, in deprivation.

Development and governance stands compromised in several areas, which have witnessed conflict, where people have lived in fear, a deep sense of insecurity, often caught in the cross-fire, a victim of militancy, reflecting its human condition. Ironically, during the height of militancy, the sale and usage of drugs was frozen, perhaps it was the sheer terror that was at work here. The few wine shops in Srinagar were shut down during the period.

The nation has witnessed a ground-swell of anger and outrage against corruption which has permeated our polity and society in insidious ways, robbing the impetus for good governance, clean administration. In J and K too, the situation is bleak, though there was no vocal support from within society. Corruption and deal-making is part of the culture, but is hidden. There are no social movements or public outcries against what is wrong.

We owe it to our culture, our heritage, our inherited values from the religious teachings handed down the ages to script a cleaner, brighter Kashmir story. Why cannot the common man or woman pledge not to give or take a bribe, to shun alcohol and drugs, to lend a shoulder to the weak, the vulnerable, the down-trodden? Why should we all await a solution from the top? After all, our lives, our society is a reflection of the choices we make, between good and evil, between right and wrong, between what is beneficial for society and what is detrimental. Is this so difficult?

The time is right now, here in the Kashmir Valley; this is a wake-up call. Change is always from within, which then reflects in the way we respond to the challenges of our society, the way we are governed, the way our leaders envisage and lead our people to peace and prosperity.

We need such leaders, who are fully aware of the pitfalls and the negatives within society and take the struggle to forums, which could firm up the impetus for a transformation within the society and polity of Kashmir.

According to Charkha Development Communication Network, there is a deficit of self-worth amongst the people in Jammu and Kashmir, and the Valley needs leaders, who are fully aware of the pitfalls and the negatives within society and take the struggle to forums. By G.A Parray (ANI)