Kashmir Valley Lost Diversity – This Day That Year

Kapil Dhar

Each year we remember the horrors of that night when radicals ran loose the terror from the loudspeakers of mosques. Besides the bloodshed, the loot, there is much greater loss that our motherland for the generations suffered. It lost diversity and traditional inclusion. 

The diversity in Kashmir valley, and Jammu and Kashmir in general is analogous to the diversity of India. There is diversity of geography, languages, cultures, traditions and above all the diversity of thought in India that the country prides itself for. For me, personally, it is shocking that the nation is not yet enough conscious of the loss of diversity and inclusion in Kashmir valley for more than three decades now. 

Even today, if the muted majority of the valley does not wake up to the loss of diversity and inclusion, their progeny will ask them the uncomfortable and unanswerable questions, especially when they see the diverse global India and even the inclination of their idol, modern moderate Middle-East. 

Or, has the muted majority made a choice already to sing along the radicals and eat the pie of genocide survivors while it can pose as deaf and dumb. There is a proverb in Kashmiri (“mot lagith tott khyon” – i.e., pose as detached dumber and eat the feast), that was the prominent behaviour of majority where the spirit of humanity was defeated that horrible night by narrow material greed decorated shamelessly with radical sentiment. 

Today, the radical narrative has reached such audacity that even the whole episode is termed as imagination or worse still “a propaganda”. When last year Kashmir Files depicted on screen a tip of the iceberg of terror that was unleashed that ominous night, and the whole winter and spring that followed, or shall I say all the seasons and years since that night, the overground elements of the radical underground masterminds called for boycott of the film. Isn’t this like saying, “Get killed politely and don’t call out the killer.” 

The radicals could not evolve even in 21st century, they are still callous enough to keep the diversity off the boundaries of the valley. Sometimes, it looks like the radicals have a stronger machinery in the larger democratic system where their case is wrapped articulately with liberal values and put forward to sound as legitimate as it can get. What an irony, they think they’re doing favour to their community or religion when they’re depriving them off great future, great values of 21st century world which we all had dreamt in Kashmir, my beloved motherland. 

I wish diversity returns to Kashmir valley with all the real values of Righteousness (Dharma).