This refers to activist Arundhati Roy's remark that Kashmir was never an integral part of India. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India just like any other State, although it came into the Union in a unique manner. Every State has its detractors. Does that mean no State is legitimate?
The Kashmir tragedy is a creation of Pakistan. Separatist forces exist everywhere in the world. With the necessary funds and attention, one can fan the sparks to flames. This is what is going on in Kashmir.
Srikanth Ranganathan,
Stamford
I agree with Ms Roy that Kashmir was never an integral part of India, on principle. But what makes up most of Kerala and many other States, too, were never an integral part of India. India was not a typical nation-state in the 18th and 19th centuries. The only thing the erstwhile states of Tranvancore and Cochin had in common with other parts of Kerala was slavery to the British.
What we all have in common are our deficiencies. No matter how troubling our past and how unjust the system, we can look to a shared and better future. The Indian state apparatus might have done terrible things in Kashmir, but that cannot be a reason for the State to sever its connection.
Sreeraj Menon,
Thrissur
None of the princely states was an integral part of India. In fact, the very concept of a single nation called India did not exist when many parts of the country were brought under the direct rule of the British Queen. A reading of recent history will show how an attack on Kashmir by Pakistan in October 1947 and the systematic demographic engineering of the State by it led to the present situation.
A. Ramachandran,
Kochi
