Saturday, July 26, 2008

It is hard to keep up with death sometimes

I just wrote about the suicide of 38-year old Kuldeep Kumar in Jammu (see post Kuldeep Dies... Amarnath Controversy Lives) and now it seems life is having a hard time going on.  A day after Kuldeep died and reignited Jammu, a grenade blast killed 5 members of a family in Batamaloo (Kashmir) and serial bomb blasts have hit the cities of Bangalore and Ahmedabad, claiming numerous innocent lives.  

Thirty-two year old Rubina and her four children--12-year old Khushboo and her three brothers Ajoob (8), Qayoom (5), and Adil (4)--died in Batamaloo.  Mohammad Afroze, the husband and father is now left behind to bear the anguish of his calamitous loss.  The news cycle is fast and it is relentless.  Mohammad Afroze and his devastation will soon be forgotten and those who perished in Bangalore and Ahmedabad will become statistics.  Politicians are already blaming each other--Syed Ali Shah Geelani of the Huriyat Conference has blamed the Batamaloo blast on "Indian agencies" trying to bring disrepute to the "movement" in Kashmir, referring to the separatist movement that, as we know, has had a violent history.  On the other hand, the BJP has criticized the Indian government for essentially not dealing effectively with terrorists.  With news that a little known organization called Indian Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the serial blasts that have now claimed almost 40 lives, there is bound to be increased tension between the Hindu and Muslim communities.  As usual, cynical politics will find a way to sustain itself with terror acting as a feeding tube.

In all of this what I wonder about is the character of the person who actually ended up lobbing a grenade or detonating explosives.  Who is this person who leaves shattered lives in his wake?  What is he made of?  What does he want?  What ideology does he serve?  Who does he serve?  Can he hear Mohammed Afroze wailing or is he numb to the daze that Afroze is in?  What about those who were obliterated by the white light and the deafening roar of the bombs of Bangalore or Ahmedabad or Jaipur or Delhi?  Does the bomber feel any of it?  Is there a life behind the mask of death?

More innocent lives will be lost.  More statistics will pile up.  Death will flow.  It is just life that seems to be in short supply.

Until next time...

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Kuldeep Dies...Amarnath Controversy Lives

The Amarnath Yatra has claimed another victim.  That is the news coming out of Jammu where protests continue against the revocation of a land deal transferring forest land to the Sri Amarnath Shrine Board or SASB (see earlier post Amarnath Yatra Controversy).

Kuldeep Kumar, a young man in his thirties passed away, apparently committing "suicide" over the Amarnath controversy.  Kuldeep was a husband, a father, a son.  He is dead, some say because he was upset by Omar Abdullah's speech (see excerpt) during the parliamentary debate on India's nuclear deal with the United States (see earlier post Indian Muslims in the Nuclear Crossfire).  I can't find anything in the speech that would make me kill myself.   But, Kuldeep did find something objectionable or that's the story we are being told by the organizers of Jammu's protests.  It is such a tragedy.  

I have no doubt that some people in Jammu have decided that the Amarnath Yatra is a powerful issue that can be used to settle scores with Muslims or with those who don't believe in the Hindutva causes that the BJP and its ilk espouse.  I say to them that Kuldeep's death is an opportunity to help stop the insanity in Jammu.  There has been enough loss of blood and treasure in both Kashmir and Jammu.  Fanning the flames of hatred will probably take an even higher toll and we will be further away from mutual understanding.  But perhaps that is not the goal of the protest leaders--it rarely is in Jammu and Kashmir.

For anyone wishing to follow in Kuldeep's footsteps, please don't do it.  It helps no one and makes life much more difficult for those you leave behind.  The yatra will happen, the yatris will be taken care of.  But we need to do this sustainably, without harming the environment and without hurting the sentiments of those who have facilitated the yatra for over a century. We can do all this but it needs an open mind and a will to engage in civil discourse.  Please, we don't need anyone else dying over this issue.  Life is plenty difficult as it is.

Until next time...

Friday, July 18, 2008

Indian Muslims in the Nuclear Crossfire

Hours away from a parliamentary showdown in India, I am dismayed by an abject lack of principles Indian politicians have displayed over the last few weeks as India's ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government fights for its survival.  I am dismayed but not surprised.  Politicians are selling themselves for whatever they can, some to the ruling combine or to the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or with the communist parties.  All this is an unfortunate part of India's polity and it will take more time to eradicate such a culture of brazen corruption.  

However, what troubles me more in the immediate timeframe is that the debate over India's nuclear deal with the US has already been used to create divisions among India's people.  It is not sufficient for Indian politicians to make personal gains; they must gain from others' problems.  In this case, I speak of how some politicians have ridiculously claimed that the India's nuclear deal with the United States is anti-Muslim.  Why?  Why is it anti-Muslim?  Is it because the US is "anti Muslim" and partnering with such a country is "anti Muslim" (by that logic, much of the Muslim world is against itself)? or is it because this deal may hinder a potential Iran-Pakistan-India energy pipeline deal?  If these are reasons for Indian Muslims to take offense, then I think their priorities are misplaced.  But, I am positive that Indian Muslims don't view this deal from the US versus Islam perspective.  Most Indian Muslims, like most other Indians, probably want a good and decent life.  They don't have ambitions or pretensions to worry about some high flying nuclear cooperation deal that does little for their children's education or health or nutrition.

If Mayawati, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, or other such politicians who claim that the Indo-US nuclear deal is anti-Muslim, care so much about Indian Muslims, then perhaps they could explain why they don't spend as much energy on some key issues affecting India's Muslim community.  A report commissioned at the request of the Indian government lays out a pretty sorry state of affairs as far as socio-economic conditions of Indian Muslims are concerned.  Indian Muslims need better health and education and support to benefit from India's growing economy.  They need reforms to help their children compete in this modern world and become more productive members of society.  In many ways, Indian Muslims need what Indian Hindus need and what Indian Christians need--what all Indians need.  They need a fair shot and that's all.  What Indian Muslims definitely do not need is the help of unscrupulous politicians who will pay lip service to their concerns, make their concerns look special when they are not, and then then, at the first available opportunity, use them as leverage for petty personal gains.

Until next time...

Monday, July 14, 2008

P.S. Learning from Bihar?

This may be too much for Kashmiris to swallow but apparently things are beginning to improve in Bihar and we may have something to learn from that state's progress.  At least that is what a new NDTV.com story suggests.  Click here for the story.  Basically, the story suggests that good governance is helping Bihar change in a positive direction.  It is still too early to declare victory but at least there are some hopeful signs.  Now, if only we in Jammu and Kashmir could learn a little bit from the Bihari example.  Sacrilege!

Until next time...

Amarnath Yatra Controversy

Let us talk today about a semi-contemporary story: the recent trouble over the Amarnath Yatra (click here for background) in Kashmir.  For those who are less familiar with the story, the overall picture is one where religion and politics mix and a less than pleasant concoction emerges.  Here's an executive summary of the events so far:
  1. Hindu pilgrims visit revered site of Shiva in Kashmir every year.
  2. They have been doing it for 150+ years.
  3. It is a month-long affair.  Attracts hundreds of thousands from all over.
  4. To facilitate the pilgrimage, state (Jammu and Kashmir) government sets up an organization (Sri Amarnath Shrine Board or SASB) under the chairmanship of the state Governor to facilitate the Yatra (or pilgrimage).  
  5. Fast forward to 2008, news breaks out that SASB managed to acquire a big chunk of land to build temporary shelters and other conveniences for yatris (or pilgrims).
  6. That is a big no-no in Indian Kashmir because Kashmiris are sensitive about land acquisition (fears of cultural onslaught from India etc.).
  7. Kashmiris are up in arms (both separatist parties and mainstream-or non separatist political parties), government ministers from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) who signed some of the land transfer orders as well as coalition partner Congress party not sure how all this went wrong.  
  8. Five Kashmiris die during the protests.  I want to scream at these 5 for getting killed and leaving a void for their families to ponder.  But, they are dead, so screaming at others will have to suffice.
  9. The former state governor is accused of playing a part because he is "communal" or anti-secular or whatever.  From all accounts, let's just say that he was behaving more like a yatri than the head of state (who needs to be impartial).
  10. The new governor requests that the land order be revoked; government is only too keen to oblige (it is all cooked this way). PDP withdraws from the coalition government (possibly to curry favour with the Kashmiris and to control the political fallout) while the Congress Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad can't figure out what he did wrong.
  11. Once the order is revoked, people in Jammu (who are mostly Hindus) get annoyed, to put it mildly.  They want the land to be transferred to the SASB to facilitate a Hindu yatra.  So, anyway, the government is in a no-win situation.  It falls.  Muslims in Kashmir are quiet and happy about "people power"--even as they keep repeating they are not against the yatra (after all, Kashmiri Muslims have been supportive of this event for the longest of times).  Of course, not all Kashmiri politicians are supportive because it is a Hindu event but they don't mention this openly.  It doesn't look nice.
  12. The government takes over all arrangements for the yatra--that seems to be fine with pretty much everyone, although some hardliners in Jammu are not pleases with that.  They want the government to withdraw subsidies for Indian Mulsims who perform the Haj every year (sounds reasonable--but may need some research to see what type of subsidy it is).  Also, why should Kashmiris have a Haj House to facilitate their travel to Saudi Arabia for Haj while Hindus can't have some land that no one lives on for building temporary shelters for yatris, many of whom cannot afford the basic necessities of life?  Sounds like a reasonable question.
Anyway, what you have from this summary that turned into a longer piece than intended is that it does get a trifle murky when religion and politics mix.  I think here is some food for thought:
  1. Who will foot the bill for the yatra?  I am assuming it will be Indian taxpayers since they fund much of the state government's budget?  Is this good value for tax rupees or should the government stay out of the business of conducting religious events?
  2. I am not sure about the ecology of the area but I understand it is a nice place with potential for environmental damage?  What plan exists to make the yatra as green as possible or is that too sensitive a topic to be raised?
  3. Shouldn't we have a clear sense of the government's involvement with at least the major religious institutions of the state (Muslim Auqaf Trust, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, SASB etc?)
Until next time...

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Starting out

Welcome to KashmirGlobal.  This is one more blog among perhaps millions out there.  The goal here is to express thoughts and ideas about Kashmir, Jammu, India, Pakistan, the world, whatever.  Yes, as the name suggests, this blog is inspired by Kashmir--more by Kashmiri society and ways in which that society can be better integrated with what is going on in the rest of the world.  That's where the global part comes in.  But, our (there are a few of us writing here and we will invite others to post here as well once we figure this out a bit better) thoughts will wander from politics to sports to music to humour to anything else that catches our fancy.  And, it won't be all about Kashmir.  There is a lot going on all over the planet.  

It is hard to start out but others have done it and we hope to contribute as well.   So, do join us from time to time to participate and share your thoughts.  We hope the debates and discussions will be fun and, of course, we hope you will come back.  But, this is not about having an audience as much as it is about seeking an outlet for expressing ourselves.  So, if there's no one on the other side, that's just as well.  In the meantime, if you are concerned about the recent Amarnath Yatra flap in Kashmir or the controversy over India's nuclear deal with the US or the impact of recent food and energy price increase on Africa's poor, then stay tuned.  There will be stuff on all those things out here.  

Until next time...