What is so divine about Music? September 17, 2013 11:40 pm Zubin Mehta’s musical concert, ‘Ehsaas e Kashmir’ in Srinagar, at Shalimar garden, on 7th September 2013, reminds one of a passage from Salman Rushdie’s 2005 novel, Shalimar–The Clown. The conversation over dinner table goes as, “One day even beards will be the subject of ideological disputes.” preceding to this part of conversation another statement reads, “the boundary line, the ceasefire line, between private life and public arena no longer existed. “Everything is politics now.” “How about soup?” …. “Is your mother’s chicken broth politicized too?” Twin events happened in Kashmir on 7th September, one the musical show and the other muscle show. In the first category there were two art-and-aesthetic-shows of music and culture in Srinagar and in second category the killing of four youth in Shopian. One was the show of ‘spirituality and divinity’ and other of ‘martyrdom’. The timing and venue of first kind was already decided and chosen, but who conducts such shows a common Kashmiri can never be anticipated. While as the time and venue of other event could not be anticipated, but who will do it every common Kashmiri knows it. A common thread between ‘Ehsaas e Kashmir’ or ‘Haqeeqat e Kashmir’ shows (read road shows) is their occurance on September 7. One was organized by so-called ‘state’ otherwise an autocratic regime, imposed by Indian state through its institutional ‘coercive’ apparatuses, be it political parties (NC, PDP or Congress) or elections, democracy and most importantly military machine. Second, was organized by so called ‘civil society’, a conglomeration of few self-parroting individuals working as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), legitimizing themselves through capitalizing on ‘emotional’ apparatuses. Be it through sympathizing with the victims, and selling their ordeals of victimhood as a commodity. But why was Zubin Mehta concert opposed by people of Kashmir? The fundamental apprehension, which also is a reality, of people of Kashmir is: what could be its ramification on the Kashmir issue, which is an internationally recognized political dispute. The acute political and historical sense which people have, in Rushdie’s words, “Everything is politics now.” needs to be examined. First, an internationally reputed classical musician and conductor with international media coverage, is intended to give a wrong message about Kashmir which depicts it as ‘normal’ zone where ‘all is well’. If it is a place where such events and concerts can be organized, it is safe for any other thing, perhaps next time a cricket match, Hollywood shooting, some international summit on the banks of Dal lake etc. By this India is able to generate a world opinion, which perceives Kashmir as a ‘normal’ zone, while ignoring the fact that there are more than seven lac military men, who are stationed to occupy it by force, with legal amenities like AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act.) at disposal to give them a free hand in handling the ‘miscreants’. Second, this show will be used to create an illusion about the Kashmir as an almost resolved issue, where only a fringe element is against the ‘peace’. Peace, which is defined in terms of how consensually and efficiently ‘soft’ military occupation exercises are conducted. Third, Indian state brandishes the show ‘for people’, while as it is meant for elite class of collaborators in Kashmir – be it politicians, armed men as police and army or top bureaucrats for whom the show is meant in reality. Even if victims of conflict form the major chunk of audience should that justify the show? The happening of concert in this kind of context can never be justified, because their victimhood is not meant to be entertained by this. Fourth, it was meant to generate an event of melodious tunes which will be used to undermine the wails and sobs of oppressed Kashmiris, to amplify the tunes of guitars only to dampen the decibels of body piercing bullets and bombs, to create the symphony and harmony of nodes only to dampen the cries from torture centres and mourning of widows, half widows, and rape victims and orphans. Fifth, it is the faith which Kashmiris have on humanity that they share a responsibility to resolve the issue, and hope that world public opinion will show solidarity with human tragedy of Kashmiris. It is those people who have been historically deceived and deprived of their legitimate right, the Right to self-determination. It is this hope from humanity and especially west which they rely upon. So, people of Kashmir do not want in any way world opinion to get vitiated through fraudulent measures of Indian state. Sixth, reason is the theocratic and cultural perspective which Kashmiris believe in, that the ongoing conflict is one of the battle fronts of their world outlooks. In the imperialist design of homogenizing people’s distinct identities of religion,
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 11:30:59 +0000