Come out of the Shell

A K Kaul Editor Koshur Samachar 2006

September 14, this year, marks the passing of yet another year in the lives of the hapless Kashmiri Pandits. It is appropriate that while we pay homage to our martyrs on this "Balidan Divas" we take a stock of the situation. There is hardly any improvement in the situation in Kashmir and any chances of return of KPs seem to be remote. The KPs continue to lead a life of refugees with progressive decline in the government's interest in their affairs. A situation of near total neglect is existing. Except for a few KP organisations, no other entity in India has apparently bothered about the KPs. We too seemed to have failed to espouse our cause effectively.

There is a feeling that we have totally internalised our struggle for survival and in the process isolated ourselves. Umpteen seminars, symposia or public functions held by us all these years have been such in which the audience constituted of KPs and speakers/participants too were KPs. We have mastered the art of pouring our woes to ourselves and then retire to our routine. The most visible sign of this all is the disinterest shown by the media in our affairs and plight. Continuing human rights violations against the community do not bother the media. The political elite of the nation has milked dry our cause and now they find no use of espousing the KP cause. Add to this the growing disunity in the community which is manifested in mushroom growth of organisations. We have been caught in an ambush syndrome where most of the time is spent in deriding each other. Community journals are full of these tales of woes to be read by the community members only. Everybody wants to give his or her version of the situation in Kashmir. None has come up with a solution. This overdose of recent history has disoriented our thinking and we have come to believe that nothing except Kashmir and KPs is important. We refuse to see beyond our noses.

It is not appreciated that Kashmir trouble is related to a larger game plan against the Indian polity. Some of us are so obsessed with our own plight that we don't see the greater dangers looming on the horizon. Let us not adopt the attitude that says "to hell with the rest of India." We have to, per necessity, come out of our shell and join the larger Indian consciousness. We have to remove the ignorance of the mass of Indian nation about Kashmir and its impact on future of India. Our interest lies in kick-starting an all-India movement in which KP cause is properly appreciated as an overall part of the national integrity and security. Let us look beyond our small world and help mobilise robust public opinion in favour of a strong and assertive India. In short, we must embark upon the job of externalising our struggle and making it a part of the national awareness and awakening. We are immensely positioned for that.

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Courtesy:  A K Kaul Editor Koshur Samachar and September 2006, Koshur Samachar