Had the national flag which the BJP wants to unfurl in Srinagar also been dipped by them to honour the memory of the hundred young Indians who were shot dead in the valley last year, Kashmir would be a very different place.
Jammu and Kashmir is a part of India but the people of Kashmir can be forgiven for believing their country has forsaken them.
Throughout the summer of their most recent discontent, when a hundred young men and women lost their lives in police firing, leaders from the ruling and opposition parties acted as if nothing untoward had happened. Six months earlier, the mere threat of violence in Hyderabad led the Union Home Minister to declare the government had agreed to the formation of a separate state for Telangana. In Rajasthan, the blockade of national highways by agitating Gujjars produced an instant offer of dialogue and negotiation. But in Kashmir, the corpses kept piling up while the government, the Opposition (with some honourable exceptions) and civil society in the rest of India reacted with the kind of detachment reserved for death and destruction in faraway lands like Darfur and Iraq.
The fact that the public mood in the valley began to soften slightly only after an all-party delegation visited Srinagar and condoled with some of the victims' families underlined something quite unpleasant about ourselves. That the indifference of mainland India to the suffering of the ordinary Kashmiri is as much a factor in the alienation of the State as the politics of separatism and the violence of extremist groups operating with the tacit and sometimes overt backing of the Pakistani military. With characteristic indecisiveness, however, the Manmohan Singh government failed swiftly to capitalise on that initiative. When a group of interlocutors was finally appointed with a fairly open-ended mandate to listen, talk and report back, the mood in Kashmir had once again begun to harden. The fact that Dileep Padgaonkar, Radha Kumar and M.M. Ansari have still managed to make some headway in their interactions is more a result of their own personal commitment to changing the terms of New Delhi's engagement with the valley than with the attitude of the Centre and of Political India, which continue to send mixed signals.
One day, the Union Home Secretary tells reporters the government is prepared to pare down the presence of the security forces in Kashmir, the next day this statement is bluntly contradicted by the Defence Minister. The Prime Minister and Union Home Minister speak of amending the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act while the Army Chief announces publicly that he will never accept this. In the Machchil fake encounter case, the same general declares that his soldiers — who are accused of kidnapping and killing three young Kashmiri men — can never get justice in Kashmir, as if the State is not a part of India. Only the Army, he said, will be allowed to investigate the matter. Of course, in the Pathribal fake encounter of 2000 — where the Army has taken the Central Bureau of Investigation all the way to the Supreme Court to prevent its officers from standing trial for murder — the Army has not seen fit to even proceed against them under its own authority. Surely such a cavalier attitude to justice ought not to be tolerated in an integral part of India?
The Government of India rightly protested when Beijing began treating Kashmir-born or Kashmir-domiciled Indians differently from the rest while issuing visas for travel to China. But the same government does not mind treating Kashmiri Indians differently when it comes to issuing passports for them to travel. A Srinagar-born colleague of mine whose family left Kashmir to live in Delhi as part of the forced migration of Pandits from the valley in the 1990s was recently told by the Passport Office that she had to provide additional documentation that other Indians are not required to do in order to obtain a passport. As for Kashmiris applying for Indian passports in Srinagar, a recent documentary film by Ashvin Kumar, Inshallah Football, documents the heartbreaking experience they have to endure before the country which so emotionally claims them as its own will allow them to travel abroad.
Hoisting the flag
As the Centre's three interlocutors plough a lonely furrow through the infertile and even hostile soil of distrust and alienation, patiently listening to and cataloguing popular grievances, the Bharatiya Janata Party wants to rekindle a sense of estrangement by staging a provocative and high profile yatra to Srinagar in order to hoist the Indian flag at Lal Chowk in the heart of the city's commercial centre on January 26.
There is nothing patriotic or noble about the BJP's plans and intentions. Instead of a reassuring voyage of solidarity and empathy aimed at reassuring the people of the State that the party will fight for the sacred values of truth, justice and inclusiveness which the flag embodies, the party is planning an expedition based on the flawed belief that meaningless symbolism is all that is required to win hearts and minds and cement Kashmir's status as a part of India.
If a sense of national belonging can be instilled and solidified by the mere hoisting of a flag, 60 years of official ceremonies in Srinagar ought to have ended the sense of alienation that is writ large over the valley. Even if the BJP goes ahead with their mindless yatra, it will not alter the realities on the ground one bit and would actually make the situation worse. Whatever we may say or do or wish, surely Kashmir will be an integral part of India in a meaningful sense only when the residents of Srinagar themselves throng to Lal Chowk and hoist the tri-colour themselves. The challenge for the Indian polity is to create the conditions for that to happen one day, however difficult that may seem today. But the BJP's proposed flaghoisting is not just an exercise in naivette or cynicism. It is the product of a mindset that considers Kashmir to be terra nullius, an empty landscape to be coveted and possessed rather than a land with a people and soul who acceded to India in 1947 on the basis of a covenant which must be respected in full measure and who have as much right to a life with dignity as those elsewhere in the country do.
A politician can drape himself in the national flag but it is the texture of his politics which will determine whether he truly cares for the nation and its peoples or not. Today, the Congress politician and businessman Naveen Jindal is known not for fighting a landmark case over the right of ordinary citizens to fly the flag but for his endorsement of the obscurantist tradition of khap panchayats. Ministers and officials will preside over flag hoisting ceremonies on Republic Day throughout India even as their policies and actions in the preceding year have bled the hallowed earth on which they stand dry. Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel and the people of India know this only too well. If the BJP really wants to do something for the country, let them take their yatra to Karnataka. There is a large plot of land in that State which the party's chief minister signed over to his relatives. Let the process of safeguarding this country from those who are undermining its foundations begin by planting the national flag there.
Keywords: Kashmir unrest, separatism, BJP, national flag, Ekta Yatra
All the points made by Siddhartha are true..even though the last para just came out of the blue ;)
Havning said that, If the BJP wanted to hoist the national flag, Congress shouldn't have opposed it, instead it should have given enough security to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk. It was a win win situation for Congress, but they missed it badly.
Your article largely makes sense. It is perhaps more important to reach out to the Kashmiris than hoisting the national flag in Kashmir.
However, your last paragraph is nothing more than just political rhetoric--the same kind that we have been used to every day. I mean, from where did Karnataka land scams came into picture here? I am not saying there are no scams or that BJP is clean in Karnataka, but what was the relevance of it in this article, if not for rhetoric!
Sir, I agree with most of your analysis that the Indian political system has to be sure and take strong steps in making the Kashmiri people part of India.
Having said that, I don't see unity in Kashmiri people's viewpoint. People themselves don't know what they want and this is giving everyone including Indian politicians, Pakistani military and separatists means to exploit their situation. Kashmiris need to unite themselves and decide what they want and unfortunately will have to strive for it. In a way you can say Indian politicians are not taking Kashmiris seriously because Kashmiris are not taking themselves seriously.
Whatever happens, whether Kashmir stays as an integral part or not, I hope Kashmiris are able to lead a normal and happy life.
With all the drama unfolding from the BJP in the last few days i was just waiting and was surprised there was no article or editorial regarding this subject.Atlast what a masterpiece.One day should come when every Indian should feel that he is also a part and parcel of this great country.For that to happen we need more Dileeps and Siddharths and not the Jaitleys and Sushmas.
Anything the BJP does is always viewed suspiciously and branded as a gimmick. It is hard to believe that the very same people of India who claim Kashmir is and has always been part of their country complain about a simple and natural act such as unfurling our flag there. At least this attempt would throw light on the issues there and bring them into the open, which the Congress has always tried to sweep under the carpet and look the other way. Obviously, this is not enough and much more has to be done to integrate Kashmir with the rest of India. But let us at least assert our acceptance of the region as a well-loved part of our country through simple symbolism for now. The Congress is afraid of doing even this.
BJP is creating a bad name for itself by stoking the fire.There is no need to go to Kashmir to hoist the Flag.I have not seen a BJP member say we will go to Nagaland,Manipur,POK,Aksai Chin to hoist the flag.This is pure stupid politics.There are burning issues in this country that a responsible opposition should take part and resolve, not get into idiotic behaviour. Kashmir has a government, the people over there, for right or wrong reason have been going thru misery.Some sections of the Kashmir soceity still feels isolated and cannot blend with the rest of country understandibly.We have a divided state with part with Pakistan and part with China.
It will take time and sincere effort on part of central government and the rest of citizens to bring the people of Kashmir to be part of the greater Indian society.
BJP should learn from the past mistakes.
It is rightly said that Kashmir can be ours if we are able to instill the sense of belonging and trust into the hearts of Kashmiris. From 1947 onwards, they are living in a very hostile enviroment.
By trying to hoist the national flag in Lal Chowk on 26th January,BJP is trying to show their so called nationalist sentiments to the people of India. But I believe, 'We' all are educated enough to see through such gimmicks.
I have no qualms against BJP nor I am in for the ruling party. I believe that BJP could have sent a public delegation to Kashmir to understand their sufferings and present the case to the Centre.
The comparison here is not a correct one. Demands made by elements in other states are not comparable to those being made in Kashmir. Secondly, the blame for Amarnath Yatra controversy lies squarely on the shoulders of the Kashmiris as well. If they could not give a piece of land to their bretherns in India for setting up religious facility then all the talk about Kasmiriyat is a farce.. And people who are shedding tears for the Kashmiri muslims and their so called rights should go and look at the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits.. I agree two wrongs do not make a right, but skewed and unrealistic viewpoints and analysis like above do not help either..
A masterly essay. Thank you for it.
An Excellent & timely write-up by S. Varadrajan. The need of the hour is to inform people in India through such honest writings as to the injustices & humiliations perpetrated on Kashmiris on a daily basis. Following Kashmir's accession to India with a limited purpose of fighting tribal raiders from Pakistan, Nehru promised a right of self-determination to the Kashmiris at the same place where BJP wants to hoist a flag. In his own words, the promise was not only to Kashmiris but to the whole International community at large that a plebiscite will be held to determine the will of people. Since then Kashmiri Muslims are being killed, maimed & raped for their act of reminding Indians to honour their promise. Let me assure Indians, a majority of whom are secular, tolerant & compassionate that ordinary Kashmiris love them a shade more than they love their neighbors on the other side but at the same time it does not behove of a great nation Like India to renege on the promises made by its Prime Minister. Let well meaning Indians take up the matter of solving Kashmir with an open mind & in right earnest and then see the dividends flowing from the exercise.
On this 26th January, I wish to extend my felicitations to all Indians. Let them make progress by leaps & bounds. But let them also realize that their Military & security forces have incarcerated us in a beautiful prison called "Kashmir"
The easiest way to hide corruption is to claim yourself as patriot, use some bad words against Pakistan.
I don't think that writing against this "ekta yatra drama" will actually compel BJP to introspect. We should isolate them who intentionally try to create enemity between Kashmir and rest of the India.
"It is the product of a mindset that considers Kashmir to be terra nullius, an empty landscape to be coveted and possessed rather than a land with a people and soul ... "
Well said. Since Yeddy's mess-up, BJP has diverted attention from corruption and now this gimmick. Why Lal Chowk ? As Omar Abdullah asked why not Chattisgarh ? Or why not Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh ? There are seperationist movements running in three of them and China has claims over a fourth.
This is one of the very few articles on Kashmir that precisely describes the Kashmiri sentiment. I compliment you for bringing out this piece.
It was indeed a State violence that led futuristic, liberal Kashmiris to rethink and question their identity as Indians.
For the information of Mr. G. Sivakumar (above), the author here is referring, not to the armed Kashmiri struggle, which is a thing of the past but to last year's agitation was one led by educated, unarmed youth.
It was stones against bullets (though both represent violence), but come on, stones against bullets!
Stone-pelting incidents have been reported time and again from the rest of India, but killings on this scale-never. Stone-pelting never killed any soldier but 117 young Kashmiri men died and countless suffered grave injuries. You seem wise enough to decide who was stronger and who was weaker.
I have always liked Siddarth Vardarajan for his transparent, clear and concise views, and most importantly fairness in dealing with a complex subject like J& K.
Republic day is a day for celebration; taking stock of the progress our country has made and the areas we need to concentrate on the future. Without any doubt it was Shri Vajpayee's personality and actions that spoke volumes when he initiated steps to tackle the Kashmir problem. But for the last minute hitch Shri Vajpayee would have gone down in history to achieve the impossible and credit would have certainly shared by Shri Vajpayee and General Musharaf.
"The Fabric of belonging" is a master piece of literature and a well argued thesis to suggest that the action by the BJP is not in keeping with the current atmosphere in the valley after a turbulent period just a couple of weeks ago. We need peace all round. Terror has destroyed homes and made many families destitutes. No wonder the Prime Minister has cautioned the parties that this is not the time for scoring browny points. Nationalism is not required to be worn on the sleeve. Without exception, all citizens of India irrespective of the region, religion, caste or creed want to live in peace and and wish to see our country go places.
I commend Sidharth Vrdarajan for a balanced and a beautifully crafted piece of literature.
Very very nice piece. It's good to know that there are still some voices in the Indian media who are not afraid of calling a spade a spade. Surely, BJP's yatra is only going to allienate Kashmiris more and more.
We were forced to hoist Indian flags on the top of our houses and all sort of vehicles plying on the roads for so many years by the Indian Army. And if anyone would have failed in doing so, their boots and kicks were waiting. So this whole yatra fiasco seems too irrelevant now. But I dare them to take such a yatra to Itanagar.
Very well articulated article. Instead of focusing on the real burning issues, BJP is indulging in petty politics again. Advani is a habitual offender who didn't learn from his past.
Does hoisting a flag make someone more patriotic than other. This guy indulgeS only in symbolism. And last, a country is made by its people and not by symbols.
BJP is a divisive force whose credentials have been well established over the years. Siddharth has made an excellent comment that if at all the national flag needs to be hoisted, it is in Karnataka where compassion, inclusiveness and corruption has violated the spirit of the national flag. If the BJP thinks that the route to power at the centre lies in furthering its divisive approach then it should prepare itself for a perpetual opposition place in the Indian polity.
I like this article as it is simple and genuine in nature.On the surface level I agree with all my co Indians that hoisting the flag in Lal Chowk by BJP is a right of democracy but can't neglect the cries of Kashmiris who have always made it obvious to us that they need Justice.They also need the free air of democracy as it exists in other parts of country. So I feel need of the hour is to address all those issues of a common man, win back his confidence and create an atmosphere for basic foundation of democracy that is unity and fraternity. Let the world know we all are one. JAI HIND!
I agree flag hoisting is for political puposes. But every Indian has a right to hoist the tricolour.Its easier to blame BJP for this but harder to make Kasmiri's(except for Pandits)to salute the flag.If a fight breaks out between a goonda and a civilized person, people ask civilised person to calm down and let Goonda have a upper hand.
Finally, someone in India who realizes how badly Kashmiris are being treated! And Mr.Sivakumar, anyone who is an Indian citizen has the right to a passport. And by denying them the right, you are subjugating them to the status of lesser citizenship, just because their neighbour is hostile?
Should the Govt. of India not supply you water just because your neighbour hasn't paid his taxes?
Comparing with Telengana & Rajasthan is not apt as the other reader is saying earlier. The situation at Karnataka is something BJP has to fix but does that mean they cannot raise this issue? Kashmiris have to be won over and they have to see it is in their benefit (economics,stability et al) to be in the Indian Union rather than a Pakistan that seems to be disintegrating. Hoisting a flag will not do it but symbolism is powerful. How would you explain the Pakistani flag being hoisted in Lal Chowk by unruly elements? This particular effort of BJP's has elements of rabble rousing (there are better ways of showing patriotism - raise it in your houses, join the State in hoisting it etc) but this puts the issue out on the fore front.
To accept whole heartedly ones right to difer is the essence of Democracy. To treat the all the actions of the principal opposition party as danger for the country will lead to intolerant dictatorship. Will some one from the advocates of the Separatists of the Kashmir take up the case of the Kashmiri Pandits who have been driven out of Kashmir.
BJP is trying to make situation in already volatile valley even worse,they should first try to bridge the trust deficit which has widened every passing year with Kashmiris living in valley; they should start with a Party Office in Valley which will help them to have a closer understanding of the condition there.
BJP is a political party and it is politically correct about its ekta yaatra; may not be so correct ethically. Congress government has also tried its best to capitalize on this yatra. It seems that congress purposely publicized this by its overwhelming opposition. Congress seems to be in better position politically. If it succeeds then it will get the credit of maintaining law and order; and if it fails then also it will blame BJP for it and get away with its experience in politics.
As far as issue of hoisting tricolor at lalchowk is concerned, by opposing it on the basis of disturbance of law and order we will give message that we accept kashmir is a disputed area, which we have not done in last 63 years. It will again boost morale of separatists, sitting in India and across the border.
If on the contrary congress would have allowed this to happen the situation would have been much better. First this issue would not have got too much media coverage and any outrage if at all provoked would have been easily manageable. Secondly by preventing outrage and violence we would have given message that Kashmir is integral part of India, and kashmiris accept it.
I would like to attract authors attention towards his reference of "new delhi" and "kashmir". I would request intelligentsia of this country that please try to avoid such references. It sends poor message, magnifies feelings of separatism.
I am sure, not many kashmiris favor its accession to pakistan, what they want is minimal interference of army (i would request media not to use phrase INDIAN ARMY). It is two way process. 100% demilitarization is not possible as it is border state. Yeah we need to take steps to minimize impact of militarization on day to day life of common kashmiris. If people of kashmir want more autonomy and less interference of army then also there is no reason that a flag hoisting should provoke outrage. It is possible only separatists are quantitatively more. If it is so then it is not good sign. We should concentrate on curbing separatists feelings by social development and progress. I would like to repeat that opposing flag hoisting will do nothing better than boosting morale of separatists.
I agree with most of your points Siddharth!! But, whoever it is, whatever might be the reason, call it Pseudo Patriotism, the reality is, one should not be stopped while hoisting the tri-color... That's the symbol of national integrity... I am saddened and disappointed by the politics in this country...
Not that BJP deserves a praise for the drama, the government of the day at centre is giving a wrong message in preventing the yatra from hoisting national flag at Lal Chowk. Extremists and hardline factions in Kashmir will make it a point that Lal Chowk, Srinagar and the Valley cannot be used to hoist Indian flag. The sovereignity of India over Kashmir can be contested. It would have been much more prudent if the government deployed much more forces at Lal Chowk and let BJP do the hoisting as any other routine event. The government's panic reaction has created hype over a normal affair. BJP would not have scored anything if government just ignored the yatra.
It is true that Kashmiri must be given right to have their own identity but how can this be possible when Kashmiris have given their mutual consent to kick out Kashmiri Pandit from Kashmir.
The author makes a very clear point about how our own apathy is the reason behind the feelings of resentment. The story is the same in most such places. Kashmir and the North eastern states are treated as if the people there dont have beliefs of their own. I have lived large chunks of my life till now in both these places and people in rest of the country are planinly ignorant about them.
I agree with each word of yours sir.
If this move is to challenge the separatists, the BJP will only end up giving the separatists an issue -- separatists have to be isolated only by proving to the ordinary Kashmiris that the separatists' fear-generating paranoid claims against India are untrue.
Remember, the separatists successfully exploited the Amarnath Board issue last time by telling the ordinary Kashmiris that India is conspiring to make Kashmiris a minority in their own land.
We need to embrace the ordinary Kashmiris in every possible way socially, politically and economically and generate enough trust in them that we are not against them or their identity within the Indian Union which the Article 370 of the Indian Constitution guarantees -- the best guarantee for India to retain Kashmir in the Indian Union in the Long-term is to win the trust of the ordinary Kashmiri.
The "Ekta Yatra" is characteristic of mob-culture and it breeds mob-culture on either side.
The BJP is unnecessarily diverting its focus from the battle against corruption which can bring it to power at the Centre.
Why does such an intelligent columnist overlook the main significant
difference between Telengana/Rajasthan and J&K (not just Kashmir)-
the role of a hostile neighbour organzing and facilitating infiltration by well trained terrorists? Does this not matter? Or, are the police/army simply using this as an excuse while they quench their
bloodthirsty instincts by gunning down hundreds of innocent youth?
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