All is not lost! The flood has taken lives. It has destroyed livelihood. It has demolished public and private assets. It has devastated the state economy. It has doomed the state government. But the flood that shook every foundation in sight has laid a new foundation: That of rebuilding the Kashmiri nation. Not just literally but metaphorically. With the devastating flood, the new next generation of Kashmiris has come of age. The youth have taken control. They are in charge. And how! What this has done for the rest of us is to restore our confidence in our own abilities. It may not have yet secured our future; but it has certainly given us hope. Of course, as we stand today here amidst devastation, there are only notions of home, work, and safety; there is the reality of shock, grief, stress and exhaustion. But then there is also a new spirit of concern, compassion and camaraderie. This spirit is being demonstrated on the streets of Srinagar as elsewhere on a daily basis by the young volunteers. True. These qualities are not unique to us and our community; these are human traits, exhibited by people all over. Yet there is more to it. What we all saw goes beyond humanitarian volunteerism; the young volunteers were flood “Fidayeens.” In the face of death and destruction, these youngsters have breached many boundaries – religious, political and communal -- by the sheer force of nationalism or identity. It is this that is driving the spirit of humanity in our case. The hidden helping hand is that of ethno-nationalism. We have so far responded to numerous social and personal tragedies as individuals; now we have responded as a community; as a people with a past, present and a future. Indeed, the trait of selflessness – the cornerstone of national building -- has been asserted and expressed with renewed commitment and belief in a social context. This behavior is remarkable because the Kashmiri nation has been politically fragmented and socially divided. We had of late made a habit of excluding people. This changed for a week. Hopefully it would have changed forever. This is important. For how does this society, that can come to the aid of flood victims so generously, be apathetic and look the other way when it comes to the silent tragedy of our very existence? The weeks and months will pass and the thousands flooded homes will be put once again to rights and people will move back in to their houses. But this tragedy should make us think how traumatic it is to feel afraid and unsure of today and tomorrow. And how it is to be unable to seek remedy against unlawful injustice and intervention, or to have no control about decision making in our own lives. This has been the unstated reality of our existence for many years now. As citizens and as a people we must ask how such things can occur in this state, and how we can change it. From now on, now that all of us are experiencing “homelessness” – personal and political -- we have to fight the battle for people who stand dispossessed and disempowered. Our youth have to rescue our nation with the same creativity and commitment with which they rescued people from the floods. This is the new agenda.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 16:46:21 +0000
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