This story first appeared in Greater Kashmir

They say silence is the most powerful scream. If it’s so, why do people feel the need to shout? If silence is so discreet, shouting seems senseless.

However, realities in our world are otherwise. Shouting is gradually becoming more necessary. People believe that if they don’t shout, they won’t be heard.

The reason is that people are increasingly turning receptive to loudness. Being noisy is compelling.Noted poet and lyricist, Nida Fazli, wrote a beautiful line, “Awazoo Kay Baazaron Mein Khamoshi Pehchanay Kaun….Mouh Ki Baat Sunay Her Koi…..”

In a world, full of diverse dogmas, the rigidity of thought has become an unquestionable norm. People are not ready to budge an inch from their perspective positions.

People take stanch standpoints and pursue them doggedly. Blustering is taking shapes of fanatical discourse and dreaded drama.

People comprise a multitude of commoners, ranging from a bunch of politicians, a group of thinkers, policymakers to mob provocateurs.

Perhaps it’s because people have taken in flawed interpretations of ideologies they adhere to. Everyone thinks that the other one is wrong.

This prejudiced binary of “us” and “they” has dominated the discourses along all planes. Some feel suppressed, and that’s why shout. Some feel terrorised, and hence shout.

Some feel voiceless, and explode to shout. Some feel vulnerable, and dash to shout. Some feel subjugated and surge to shout. Some feel progressive, and flatter to shout.

There are umpteen reasons for people to shout. From a small sting to a big bleeding wound, humans usually groan and grumble when hurt. And there are countless explanations for not keeping mum. More and more, people are turning their back on silence and are not willing to be bullied into stillness.

The trend is trending. The world is moving into an era that is full of shouting, and as rightly said by someone ‘there are times when silence is the best way to yell at the top of your voice’. It is happening. As of now, shouting is a rite of passage.

Silence is not always anti-social or dangerous. Sometimes silence is actually a sense, wisdom; and an answer and display of ingenious power. Somber Jaun Elia sighs …

Undeniably, the loudest of mouths are heard. In the market of voices, it is an immutable reality. But far more powerful reality is the force of certain arguments. Even if uttered out at the top of your voice.

From the communication point of view, when noise creeps in any communication process, it cannot yield the desired result. ‘Noise’ can have both internal and external causes.

Internal noise is attributed to the psychological makeup or intellectual ability of communicators. External noise is attributed to the environment.

Thus, noise includes distractions such as a loud siren; personal factors such as prejudices; and semantic factors such as uncertainty about what another person’s words are supposed to mean (Gamble, M & Gamble, T 2005, Communication Works).

Therefore, apart from plain noise emanating from environs, the other ‘noises’ have a probable role in de-shaping the message people want to put across.

If such ‘noise’ interferes in the shouting, then shouting is reduced just to meaningless noise. It cannot be communication that will reveal the truth in its chaste form, and latch on a profundity to reckon with.

Still, if shouting has come to stay as an extension of the public sphere, let everyone get a chance to shout. That is the reviled upshot free speech entails us to tolerate.

So, from streets to newspaper columns, television studios, courts, universities to parliaments—let shouting prevail lest it proves to be an occasional storm in a teacup. Or just a litany of shrill histrionics, decoded differently by different communication receivers and senders.

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This story first appeared in Greater Kashmir

In addition to trash—like the packaging of processed food and wet wipes—humans who put their foot on the moon, also discarded packets of their urine and excrement on the surface of the moon.

There is also a plaque on the Apollo-11 landing module that reads: “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”

Today it is 53 years since Neil Armstrong became the first one to leave his boot-prints on the moon. It remains a great feat for mankind.

It also reminds us of the commitment and the mind-prowess humans have been bestowed upon by the Almighty. Nonetheless, polluting the surfaces and atmosphere remains integral to our behavior despite technological advancements. Sadly.

The surface of the moon is not excluded! Merely 24 persons have visited the moon so far; and yet it does not look like a preferred destination for humans in near future. Instead, we seriously need to save our planet earth from dying out.

We are losing it to pollution, climate change, and wanton neglect. Given the level of destruction wrought by our actions, the scope and scale of climate change impacts are turning daunting.

From shattering storms, difficult droughts, growing global temperatures, and swelling sea levels, the way our planet is transforming is not for the better.

Coming to Kashmir, where the environment appeared pristine, untouched by humanity, the ecological plunder is now quite visible. The splendid mountains and undefiled water bodies that seemed ancient gateways to another world are now exposed to human pollution.

The unorganised adventure sports and recreation tourism has battered the purity of places. All around, the valley seems scarred with patches of plastic and litter.

Bulldozing nature to build thruways, mansions, and hotels, the so-called ‘eco-socialism’ is on a rampage. The roads untraveled have been navigated by debris and dirt unleashed by human foray.

Of late, a sadder image emerged because of freakish weather. In March, when soothing sunshine used to announce the arrival of spring, the sweltering heat is bringing in a forbidding message.

They say it’s not the real blossom; it’s a mere illusion. Since certain catastrophic climate changes are becoming increasingly common, we may be in for more dire developments. Already sinkholes and rising water levels are twirling as unattended red flags.

There are stark climate troubles that wait; and many crises that will reshape this place given the devastation we have brought upon ourselves through deforestation, urbanization, encroachment, water pollution, and everything unscientific and unorganized under the garb of various economies and industries.

Interestingly, many studies suggest a strong correlation between conflict and climate because people living in conflict zones are among the most vulnerable to the climate crisis and most neglected by climate action, in both developed and developing countries.

As per the 2020 ICRC report, out of the 25 countries deemed most vulnerable to climate change, 14 are caught up in conflict. The natural environment is directly attacked or damaged by warfare that can lead to water, soil, and land contamination and release pollutants into the air.

Even explosive remnants can contaminate soil and water sources, and harm wildlife.

Even if we don’t consider climate change as an imminent threat, we need to confess that the planet Earth is gradually being consumed by it; and eco-degradation is now an indisputable problem. Lest earth turns uninhabitable, it is our responsibility to make it better for our children because in near future there is no hope that we populate any other planet.

So, rather than dabbling in the race of occupying extra-celestial bodies, controlling even outer space, the world powers should enter the chase of being the first to save their own planet—from slipping into eternal darkness and annihilation.

We should remember that ‘none of us own the earth. We just belong to it. This land is what makes us who we are’. Hence, stop environmental plunder. March never blazed like summer.

Sizzling spring was unheard of….Ab Kay Kis Rang Main Aye Hai Bahaar… The blossom there can prove to be a figment of imagination.

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Popularly known as the British Raj, it is the period of British rule over the Indian subcontinent from 1858 until the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947.

General distrust and discontent of people of Pre-Partition India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) with the leadership of East India Company gave rise to the widespread sepoy mutiny in 1857.

To continue their sham supremacy and gain political mileage, the British viciously reframed the organizational structure of governance in India. The British Parliament unilaterally began to impose its maliciously manufactured laws and policies to bring India under its direct control.

Though the British Parliament declared that the British Raj was intended to increase the involvement of Indians in governance and development of the Indian subcontinent, it under the garb of India Acts gradually extended its writ and power across the pre-partition India; colonizing most parts and institutions.

British governors and army officers infiltrated everywhere; thus regulating and controlling most of the subcontinent to their grit. To the extent that the Jallianwala Bagh massacre was carried out by troops of Gurkha and Sindh Rifles on the order of British Colonel Dyer.

During British Raj, Indians ever more felt powerless and betrayed. People couldn’t decide anything on their own without the approval of British rulers, and this snowballed into an extensive nationwide independence movement.

Even as the British government developed education, railways, ports, universities, courts, medical care, sanitation, irrigation systems and other infrastructure in the Indian subcontinent, the seething discontent was palpable. Historians opine that the developmental works during the British Raj primarily fostered their colonial interest, and the actual motivation was domination rather than development.

The narrative of development and welfare, at the cost of identity, was not acceptable to the people. The rising signs of imperialism and subjugation, flag symbolism, deceit and imposition of the supremacy of British rulers further alienated the masses who decided dignity over sham development.

In his book Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India Shashi Tharoor reflects how the British Raj systematically purged India’s riches, destroyed its institutions and created divisions among its people.

The Army and the Civil Service were the main instruments of British power, staffed by only a small number of European officials who held the top positions. This imperial service became a large vested interest of the educated upper-middle class. By 1913–14, almost 65 per cent of the total budget was spent on the army and civil administration (British Imperialism: 1688–2000 by P Cain and A G Hopkins).

The native Indians in the Civil Service became the bridge by which the British governed India and, as Lord Macaulay known for Macaulayism held—“we must do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, opinions, in morals, and intellect”. The propaganda was floated and the history, economy, society and culture of the Indian subcontinent was interpreted as chaos from which only British rule would be able to save them (The British Empire: Themes and Perspectives by Sarah Stockwell).

For the continuation of the imposed British control in India, the British wooed some important sections of the Indian people; and a policy was evolved to seek the loyal cooperation of the princes, landlords, and government servants who were under the direct control of British rulers. The Britishers, by all means, succeeded in achieving the loyal support of several natives.

The majority of the population of undivided India disapproved of the illegal occupation of their land by British rulers. Many prominent freedom fighters Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Subhash Chandra Bose, Rani Lakshmi Bai, Bhagat Singh to name a few, led the freedom struggle.

Some freedom fighters also opted for armed struggle and violence. In one such event, Khudiram Bose, along with Prafulla Chaki, the two armed rebels of the Indian independence movement hurled a bomb on the carriage of a British judge Kingsford.

Since he was seated in a different carriage, the explosion resulted in the death of two British women. Shaheed Khudiram was hanged for the act of “terrorism” and “murder” of the two civilians.

In his newspaper Kesari, the nationalist Congress leader and journalist Bal Gangadhar Tilak condemned the use of violence but wrote.

“The rulers who exercise unrestrained power must remember that there is always a limit to the patience of humanity”. This was followed by the arrest of Tilak by the British government on charges of sedition, and Jinnah fought the case as his defence lawyer (The Story of our Independence: Six years of jail for Tilak, Daily Hindustan Times—August 2015). Interestingly, the book Gentlemanly Terrorists: Political Violence and the Colonial State in India, 1919-1947 by historian Durba Ghosh, who teaches at Cornell University, examines the interplay between India’s militant movement and non-violent civil disobedience.

Bottomline: Despite the might of the British Empire and its lies, the 200-year-old colonial rule in India ended. The courage and valor of millions of Indians prevailed. In 1947, Indian history saw the lowering of the Union Jack, the symbol of enslavement and oppression, and raising the flag of Independence. To quote Shaheed Bhagat Singh, “It is easy to kill individuals, but you cannot kill the ideas. Great empires crumbled, while the ideas survived”.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.

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Mission Kashmir (2000). Hrithik Roshan starrer movie that was screened at Stockholm International Film Festival, narrates the story of a Kashmiri boy Altaf whose whole family is accidentally killed by cops.

Set in the early 1990s, Altaf was adopted and brought up by a police officer who held himself responsible for the killing of his family.

The movie tries to focus on the tragedy and agony that the children in conflict suffer through intense levels of violence. The colossal impact of conflict is such that Altaf resorts to armed violence and becomes a rebel to seek revenge against the killers of his parents.

Though the movie adopted the genre of fiction, there are scores of real incidents in Kashmir that resemble the toxic plot of Mission Kashmir in one way or the other.

One such case reported widely was about a boy described as a budding cricketer who joined militancy at the age of 15 after his brother was allegedly assaulted by security men in 2010 (Barkha Dutt, Nazir Masoodi, Sheikh Zaffar Iqbal, July 09- 2016, NDTV).

Roll in Mission Frontline (2022). Rohit Shetty in his OTT debut show for a Discovery+ episode, released this January. Rohit spends one day with J&K Police’s Special Operation Group (SOG), promising on the ground insight into the lives of its armed forces.

Besides acquiring firsthand experience with the newest weapon technology used in counter-insurgency, Rohit becomes an anchor of two parallel poignant tales running in sync. In the show, Rohit asks one of the cops- “I have always seen that the SOG men never reveal their faces; you are always wearing up masks.

Why is it so?” The cop answers that since SOG originates from natives, they cover their faces to prevent the locals from recognizing them. In a way, it depicted the sense of insecurity they harbor about themselves and their families who are a part of the extended social fabric of Kashmir.

In another sequence, a high-ranking police officer narrates his distressing tale of losing his father to this bloody conflict. He reveals when he was just 22-years-old, he was a distant witness to his father’s killing.

He painfully recollects the anecdotal account of leaves falling on him by the hailstorm of bullets that were fired on his father. He tells Rohit that after his father’s assassination, he decided to “bounce back”, and joined the police force.

Since then, he claimed to have “lost the count of the number of operations he has done”. To this, Rohit responds with an intelligent remark- “When tragedy strikes, man can either become destructive or constructive”.

The moot point is that vengeance is an emotion leading to complex behavior. Usually, the cycle of revenge is extremely vicious, and it continues to hover all across Kashmir.

Typically, when people decide to take revenge, they are often unjust in their retaliation as their emotions overwhelm their rationale. When the motive for the revenge is emotion deeply embedded in hate, it tinkers the concept of conscience and sentiment of patriotism.

There is a famous story of Hazrat Ali (RA) on the battlefield when he was locked in a fight with an opponent whom he overpowered. The moment his opponent spat on him, he instantly withdrew his sword. When asked why, he replied that if he had killed him, it would have been for his own vengeance, not for the cause and conviction

No gainsaying conflicts get intractable because of the standpoint of settling of scores. The cycle of revulsion, reprisal and rivalry has to stop somewhere before it consumes our generations. It needs an honest and humane approach, bereft of any vendetta and recompense.

If the ‘normalization’ of revenge and violence in Kashmir is institutionalized, it will have precarious ramifications. We can’t be insensitive to the agony of the mother whose son, the sole bread-earner of the family, is shot dead because he is a cop.

We can’t turn blind eye to the wailing mother whose young son gets buried somewhere in oblivion. There is a tragedy called Kashmir that is real and somber.

Back to Mission Kashmir and Mission Frontline, it seems nothing is drastically changed. There seems no genuine connect between Bollywood and Kashmir.

As of now, it seems Bollywood and Indian media has transformed tragic stories from Kashmir, stuffed with hyperbole and exaggeration, into partisan products.

In a way, it raises concern over the pernicious impact of fervently populist or ideological rhetoric displayed in the name of art. Whether Hrithik Roshan or Rohit Shetty, the blatantly partisan messages through high-choice elites/celebrities leaves public opinion mostly unchanged but the level of political polarization becomes a formidable challenge.

American poet and journalist Walt Whitman wrote-“The real war will never get in the books”. Whitman’s proclamation makes one wonder what is the “real” war and how many of us have knowledge of the real war? Indeed, we all have some bias due to the plethora of media ‘misinformation’, taking one side or the other, but if we see away from the plausible reasons for the cycle of revenge presented in the elite visual medium, then conflict in Kashmir is certainly beyond any mission Kashmir or mission frontline.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.

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There is mayhem of minds and bodies

Pandemic is turning incurable and ultimately fatal. It has changed everything. Our world. Our life. And even our imagination. Dramatically. Covid-19 has permanently altered the concepts. We process images with words that have gathered horrible meanings. The pandemic has exacerbated the whole gamut of connotations that were already full of manifold exposition.

As the viral infection surges, we find ourselves and situations around us to be among the most vulnerable. There is mayhem of minds and bodies. Everything seems scary and sickening. All those things that were taken for granted have suddenly become rare and precious. In a way, the pandemic has thrown up a lethal lexicon that is transforming the mindscape.

Oxygen that we breathe free and unhindered, without ever weighing it up, has turned into expensive manna. Every single breath is becoming pricey. People are fighting for air. The waft of the air we gulp in so casually has brought up a nightmarish realization. An average person breathes around 7 to 8 litres of air in a minute that equals 11000 litres of air per day in which the amount of pure oxygen utilized by the human body is about 660 litres. And going by the price tag of liquid oxygen in the market now, we are consuming free oxygen worth lacs of rupees daily. O2 shortage is a penalty that was due in view of mounting deforestation and acrid air pollution we wrought.  The coronavirus just paced up the scenario and translated the ugly scene for us.

Bed is a simple fixture used in a hospital space to make humans feel secure. Pandemic ruthlessly snatched its role and curved it into a catacomb. With people gasping and dying in moments, the bed became the resting place that lulled people into eternal sleep. And ironically, for many struggling to respire, even the bed went off-limits. The refuge abruptly became a space where doom awaits and all the hopes of healing dwindle fast. The horror shaped by the pandemic shaped a transition in the idea of ‘bed’ and its imprint in the psyche is now permanent.

Death is inescapable and mortality is permanent. But the way we think and see death is changed. The news about death and dying from coronavirus is dominating the front pages for a few weeks now. It is difficult to avoid all this creepy content. The daily death counts have become a disturbing feature all over in television reports, newspapers, and internet dashboards. Seems it’s a wartime situation. The only difference is that we are fighting death, which has arrived in the form of a minuscule virus, and strikes everyone strangely. Death toll is staggering by any measure. The numbers are rising. And sadly, the data doesn’t include the indirect deaths from lack of access to care, overloaded hospitals, and the mental health toll inflicted by the pandemic. People are dying not just from the virus, but from the multiple impacts of the pandemic. Those who have been stable for years have become frail over the last year, coupled with many health concerns including depression. This collateral damage is getting ignored. Death in a pandemic is happening before the physical fatality gobbles up. The life-threatening virus has reinterpreted and reconstructed the notion of mortality.

Cemetery swallows people. Pandemic depicted cemetery as a place where people saw and felt the wretched misery and revulsion besides the slaughter of their loved ones. Be it the mounds of soil or the smoke from burning pyres, the cemetery became a horror sight that converted grief into growl and bereavement into bewilderment. Writing a long read in daily The Guardian about prevailing covid catastrophe in India, Arundhati Roy talks about “the haunting image of the flames rising from the mass funerals in India’s cremation grounds” which are “making the front page of international newspapers,” and feels ironical that “all the kabristans and shamshans….. are working properly, in direct proportion to the populations they cater for, and far beyond their capacities” given the kind of political rhetoric in place. All kabristans and shamshans are telling a story that is full of poignant imagery and frailty. Are they the places where souls receive redemption? Pandemic has murdered the meanings. Ruthlessly reversed the narrative, making the significance of the cemetery so strongly empowered.

Bottomline: Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and President Biden’s top pandemic adviser says-“We are still in a very precarious place with regard to viral dynamics.” Meaning we should be ready to witness unthinkable changes in the face of unprecedented doom and disruption. Pandemic has already brought up ugliest obscurity to the forefront and relegated obvious images and concepts to the backside. While we are “doomscrolling”, skimming anxiety-inducing pandemic news on our smartphones, we are fast sliding into the worst forms of negativity and nihilism. Since everything is changing, we are becoming islands unto ourselves, trying to be self-sustaining and maintaining a personal bubble. Perhaps morphing into mechanical, unfeeling creatures; forgetting many of the favors of Almighty that we keep denying and demeaning. Tragic.

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