Conflict

There is this dada I had in school. Not taking names. I have known him since I was in Class II. He is a year senior to me. Now in JU. He excels in Indian Vocals (and I believe popular Western as well), and as well as theatre. He is an awe-inspiring actor, with tremendous stage presence, and the good looks. He should have been a person riding on self esteem and ego, bigger than the Shahid Minar. But he chooses otherwise and is probably one of the most humble persons ever. He has been actively vocal in social and political conditions, where there has been an unrest. And he is, rarely wrong.

There is this girl I know, from Facebook, whom I have never met in life. She brings the strength of logic and fair reason in every social debate. Her endgame is simple, yet ambitious: equality. Be that her age, or lack of the right mentor, I find her directionless in her quest. In her search. She has the will, but, not the right means. Thus, susceptible to objective and biased views, her mindset is imbalanced. Yet, it is rare she is wrong.

There is this junior I have. Girlishly-tomboy in school, a lady in college. An authoritarian at school, a communist in college. She has her left leaning agendas, but somehow she rises above the banner of leftism and with pure concern and pure intentions she voices her opinion regarding issues that cause upheaval. Seldom, she is wrong.

Since 9th of February, a fire has been stirred, caressed. Now, the fire sweeps across the country like wildfire. The Student community, at large, is at loggerheads with the Government. Again, the Government is in a bull-battle with opposition, the Student community faces opposition in itself. The concepts of 'nationality' and 'nationalism' are at stake here. Here, is in India, where out motherland is nothing less than a Goddess. Bharat Maata is what she is called. The state-student status quo is being put to trail, as some believe what their mother had done to Afzal Guru is undemocratic. 

I do not condone terrorism, no one should. I do not condone terrorism even more when it serves religious purposes. No one should. But neither do I support, a religiously blinded social wing of a political party beating down students who have the Right to Dissent and therefore, a right to discourse. 

I personally am in favour of making Kashmir independent from India, I believe Kashmir, this beautiful a place, deserves better than Indian or Pakistani politics. How this mammoth feat is feasible is a completely different debate altogether. But a spectacle of this nature has been achieved before, as history shows. So we cannot rule out the seemingly impossible probability. 

I like Pakistan. I have always been a Wasim Akram fan. I have been in conversations with Pakistanis over Facebook. It has never been uncomfortable anyhow. But again, I do not like the fact that Pakistan harbours terrorists in a big scale. And this fact cannot be denied. The Pakistani person I conversed with himself agrees, that yes, his country has problems. And I know, so does our country. I am not sure if Afzal Guru was a terrorist, nor am I standing by his acts. But there was once a time when Bhagat Singh and Kshudiram were labelled terrorists and hung. They are now martyrs, shahids. Their modus operandi was not accepted by the Bristish. 

I just raise a question. I don't intend to provoke anybody in any sense. Is this revolution in want of freedom for Kashmir, giving birth to a new line of Shahids?  Killing British or bombing the Parliament under Bristish rule is still seen as a glorious past by most of us, the Indians. My question is: How, stranded in the intricate democracy of the so-called largest democracy of the world, can we be neutral enough to judge on goings in our country? See the pattern? Let us make sure that our democracy does not give rise to further terrorists, in the heat of unrest, who can be deemed as a shahid in the future.

But this blog is not about minute rationalizations and thorough pin pointing of logic. It's about being human. When I see, my fellow students, and my friends being either being termed as 'anti-national', or as 'religious hooligans' I feel scared. Not fear of death or being harmed. It's the fear of losing friends. It's the fear of alienation. The dada, the Facebook friend, the junior have taken up sides in this state-student-terrorism struggle. And I am afraid.

My senior dada, my junior tomboy friend, and I, have spent hours long in rehearsing plays at the school auditorium. We have sat together, eaten together, joked and laughed together. But now, things are radically different.

Lennon wanted no religion, he wanted no countries. He wanted us to share the world.

We've failed him. We've failed Humanity.

In the name of Religion.

In the name of Country.