[Assam] [Assam Society] Home and Away by Pradeep Magazine

Fri Aug 29 07:40:01 PDT 2008

What do you think of it, Utpal?

At 7:09 AM -0700 8/29/08, Utpal Brahma wrote:
>To be a Kashmiri and a Hindu can be a painful 
>experience these days. To which side of the 
>divide do we belong? The answer is taken for 
>granted and in this fight between 'us' and 
>'them', between Hindu and Muslim, I am supposed 
>to articulate the agony of exile, the religious 
>persecution of 'us', minorities, and fight for 
>my homeland from which we have been thrown out 
>through 'violent' means.
>These are questions that are not easy to answer, 
>especially by someone whose father migrated from 
>the Valley in the early 60s to better his 
>economic prospects. I am a migrant like a large 
>number of Kashmiris who had been moving out of 
>the Valley into mainland India for many decades 
>now, as there were not many jobs back home for 
>want of any economic development.
>I understand the trauma of those who had to 
>escape from the Valley in the late 80s as a 
>result of a mass movement by the majority 
>(Muslims) against the Indian State. A large 
>number of Hindus are now scattered around the 
>country - although, I must confess, they have 
>been looked after well, have been provided dole 
>and jobs. A lot of states have been generous 
>enough to provide admission to their children on 
>a quota basis in professional training 
>institutes. It is being said that Kashmiri 
>Hindus are the most pampered community-in-exile 
>anywhere in the world. This could be true. But 
>is it compensation enough for those who did not 
>want to leave their homeland?
>
>I have been reading and hearing endless debates 
>that, for the first time now, are confronting 
>the real issue: should Kashmir be allowed to 
>secede from India? Is the Army an 'occupation 
>force' that treats the Kashmiris in the Valley 
>as enemies and uses brute force even against the 
>innocent?
>I am afraid I will have to agree with my people 
>on the 'other side of the divide' when it comes 
>to believing that the Army/police, and even the 
>top echelons of the administration, are 
>unsympathetic - even insensitive - towards them. 
>I say this on the basis of my own experience of 
>the Valley when I went there a couple of years 
>ago after a gap of almost 25 years.
>My childhood memories of the place have created 
>a special place in my heart for Muslims, 
>especially for the elderly Ramzan, sitting on 
>whose shoulders, I, for the first time, glimpsed 
>what the outside world looked like. In my 
>memory, Muslims were everywhere - except in the 
>kitchen, where they were not allowed by orthodox 
>Hindus. They were the providers - the milkman, 
>the sabziwala, the meat-seller - they were all 
>Muslims, but were not to be treated as social 
>equals. My cord with Kashmir broke in 1964. 
>After that, I was an occasional visitor to my 
>home during summer holidays. That, too, became 
>impossible after Kashmir became out of bounds 
>for us.
>Our abandoned ancestral house in Karan Nagar, 
>like most of the Hindu houses in that area, had 
>been occupied by the Border Security Force. With 
>things having improved, I had a chance to go 
>back with my family in 2004, although we stayed 
>at Gupkar Road, an area fortified by the Army 
>and generally safe and insulated from what goes 
>on in downtown Srinagar.
>The visit to my house and Karan Nagar was 
>revealing. One could see the hatred on the faces 
>of the armed CRPF men towards the locals. It was 
>only when they saw a bindi on my wife's forehead 
>did the armed men relax and ask us what we were 
>doing among these "bhe".
>It was not possible to enter the barricaded 
>Hindu housing colony that looked more like an 
>Army garrison. Only after much persuasion and 
>several futile visits were we granted 
>'permission' to enter our house. It was in ruins 
>and I had to recreate it from my memory to 
>explain to my daughter where I had once lived 
>and played.
>Once outside the barricades, despite his sagging 
>skin and wizened face, I could recognise the 
>milkman sitting in his shop. When I introduced 
>myself, he looked at the gunmen in front of the 
>barricades and said, "Why did you do this to 
>us?" I understood that the chasm was almost 
>unbridgeable. I, the Hindu Kashmiri, represented 
>the State and the gun to him.
>On one of the evenings that I spent at the 
>fortified Gupkar Road, I had my fill of Scotch 
>with some senior administrators. None of them 
>was Muslim. In their utterances, it was clear 
>that they, too, had a clear anti-Muslim bias 
>that bordered on hatred. I savoured the 
>delicious Wazwan, prepared for the senior 
>members of the bureaucracy by their Muslim 
>cooks. Unless they were deaf, the cooks must 
>have heard all that was said in the room.
>I have not had a chance to go back again. It 
>looks unlikely now, given the turn of events. 
>But these days, I wonder who the 'real' culprits 
>are. What is the road ahead? For them, as well 
>as for us
>
>
>__._,_.___
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety/message/1750;_ylc=X3oDMTM1aTZyNWE3BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRtc2dJZAMxNzUxBHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3Z0cGMEc3RpbWUDMTIyMDAxODk2MwR0cGNJZAMxNzUw>Messages 
>in this topic (2) 
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxczR1cDI1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRtc2dJZAMxNzUxBHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3JwbHkEc3RpbWUDMTIyMDAxODk2Mw--?act=reply&messageNum=1751>Reply 
>(via web post) | 
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJmZHVzNDU2BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNudHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyMjAwMTg5NjM->Start 
>a new topic
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety/messages;_ylc=X3oDMTJmdmtkZ2d1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNtc2dzBHN0aW1lAzEyMjAwMTg5NjI->Messages 
>| 
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety/files;_ylc=X3oDMTJndTU1ZWthBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNmaWxlcwRzdGltZQMxMjIwMDE4OTYy>Files 
>| 
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety/photos;_ylc=X3oDMTJmNnI3YTJpBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNwaG90BHN0aW1lAzEyMjAwMTg5NjI->Photos 
>| 
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety/links;_ylc=X3oDMTJnOTRqbDExBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNsaW5rcwRzdGltZQMxMjIwMDE4OTYy>Links 
>| 
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety/database;_ylc=X3oDMTJkcjlkMGZpBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNkYgRzdGltZQMxMjIwMDE4OTYy>Database 
>| 
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety/polls;_ylc=X3oDMTJnNzVrZmNyBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNwb2xscwRzdGltZQMxMjIwMDE4OTYy>Polls 
>| 
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety/members;_ylc=X3oDMTJmNThwMDhlBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNtYnJzBHN0aW1lAzEyMjAwMTg5NjI->Members 
>| 
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety/calendar;_ylc=X3oDMTJlNWFrbjhrBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNjYWwEc3RpbWUDMTIyMDAxODk2Mg-->Calendar
>We appreciate your contribution to Assam Society of America!
><http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJlc2Q5c2RhBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNnZnAEc3RpbWUDMTIyMDAxODk2Mw-->
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety/join;_ylc=X3oDMTJnMDRudXA5BF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNzdG5ncwRzdGltZQMxMjIwMDE4OTYz>Change 
>settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
>Change settings via email: 
><mailto:AssamSociety-digest at yahoogroups.com?subject=Email 
>Delivery: Digest>Switch delivery to Daily Digest 
>| 
><mailto:AssamSociety-traditional at yahoogroups.com?subject=Change 
>Delivery Format: Traditional>Switch format to 
>Traditional
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety;_ylc=X3oDMTJla2UwMTdoBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNocGYEc3RpbWUDMTIyMDAxODk2Mw-->Visit 
>Your Group | <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> 
>Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | 
><mailto:AssamSociety-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com?subject=> 
>Unsubscribe
>
> 
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AssamSociety;_ylc=X3oDMTJmZW91YmltBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEyNjA5NDk4BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA5ODEwNwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzEyMjAwMTg5NjI-> 
>		Visit Your Group
>
>Ads on Yahoo!
>
><'"http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13oek3uak/M=493064.12016308.12445700.8674578/D=groups/S=1705098107:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1220026163/L=/B=NIanAkLaX.I-/J=1220018963203987/A=3848643/R=0/SIG=131q47hek/*http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/arp/srchv2.php?o=US2005&cmp=Yahoo>Learn 
>more now.
>
>Reach customers
>
>searching for you.
>
>Special K Group
>
><http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13pj6kkv5/M=493064.12016300.12445692.11323196/D=groups/S=1705098107:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1220026163/L=/B=NYanAkLaX.I-/J=1220018963203987/A=5170420/R=0/SIG=11b5gu1oe/*http://new.groups.yahoo.com/specialKgroup>on 
>Yahoo! Groups
>
>Join the challenge
>
>and lose weight.
>
>Food Lovers
>
><http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13of51ni5/M=493064.12016243.13036160.8674578/D=groups/S=1705098107:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1220026163/L=/B=NoanAkLaX.I-/J=1220018963203987/A=5379225/R=0/SIG=11gatb1qb/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/hellmanns/>Real 
>Food Group
>
>on Yahoo! Groups
>
>find out more.
>
>
>
>.
>
>
>		__,_._,___