Jammu 101

  When I moved to Chandigarh, it was the very first time that I actually got to know what 'inside' people feel about the 'outside' Jammu and Kashmir. And let me tell you, majority of the people were wrong. Not just about the Kashmir part but also about its capital, Jammu. I remember learning during my childhood from my grandfather that India was infamous in the outer world for being the land of snake charmers and poverty. Presently, similar comparisons are drawn for this State as well. You see, India in those days suffered because the third world countries were devoid of any platform to communicate. Likewise, its deja vu all over again for the so-called disturbed state.

Often when I was bombarded with what I concluded were stupid questions about Jammu & Kashmir (J&K),two thoughts would cross my mind. First was that how can people be so ignorant and that also about something that IS an integral part of their country. And the second would be that am I the only one who has observed the trend that people are all but correct about J&K! And so I checked with my other migrated friends who have crossed the Lakhanpur border. It was then that I realised that each one (literally) had gone through the same thing. 

Since a long time, I wanted to highlight these myths about my city . But something was holding me back. Now that today again the same questions were asked to me by a friend from Delhi, I decided to take my blog as the platform and disseminate accurate information to 'all Indians who are my brothers and sisters' about  'a country within the country'.

Vela(y) thought

Jammu &Kashmir is no doubt a single unit. Having said that, it is important to mention that the state is not entirely a valley. Jammu city is cosily placed in the foothills of Himalayas and quite far away from Kashmir Valley. Would you believe that the distance between the two capitals of the state is approximately 300 kms! Yes, 300. Hence the demographics also differ.

Snowfall! Where?, When? 

 No people, It doesn't snow here in Jammu. Guess what, It never has! Twenty revolutions around the sun completed but, believe you me I have never seen nor heard from my forefathers about snowfall in Jammu. I fail to understand the relationship between Kashmir's 'real' snowfall and Jammu's alleged. Its certainly not a complementary thing.

Dangerous place

Stop for a minute. Remember the last time you were out and how crowded the market was. Jammu is no different. Terrorists equipped with guns DONOT patrol the streets here. Fact of the matter is they donot even exist here. And about the security angle. Its as safe as any other city in India. Yes, agreed its sensitive to communal issues. But tell me which place in India isn't.

Media has played a significant role in injecting these myths in the minds of Indians. I have many a times seen seasoned journalists referring to Jammu city as the valley. Also, the government has to also share the blame. All you Jammuites let me ask you a question. Have you ever seen a tableau showcasing Jammu's culture. The answer to this question would highlight how ignorant the State government has been towards its winter capital.

The lost paradise

(Book Review: Curfewed Night: Basharat Peer) 

Debutant novelist Basharat Peer’s Curfewed Night is a firsthand account of a Kashmiri youth in the turbulent times. Overall an emotional and poignant tale, it talks of the medieval city dying in a modern war.

 A young Muslim boy who was born and brought up in the beautiful valley returns as a journalist from Delhi years later to realise its degradation into a breeding ground of insurgency.

The book has been divided into two parts. In the initial part, the author takes us through his childhood artistically describing his scenic native place Seer, Anantnag. The increasing disturbances in the valley compel him to leave in search of greener pastures. He meets people of different backgrounds in Delhi and notes their reaction towards the problem in Kashmir.  

Drawn back to his homeland, he returns to Kashmir. Through his search for stories, he paints a harrowing picture of people who came in the line of fire. He describes the lives of others who were scarred by violent experiences. Peer describes the turbulent times, the atrocities and injustices that Kashmir witnessed and suffered.

He gives an account of empty streets, locked shops, angry soldiers, boys with stones and common people tortured for information. In a few words, the book aptly describes the mutilated condition of Kashmir, ‘a several thousand military bunkers, four golf courses and three bookshops’. The author talks to survivors of traumatizing experiences like the Gawakadal massacre, torture house Papa 2 and to the people who have lost their loved ones. The teary eyes of these people are still in search of their loved ones.

Basharat Peer’s debut attempt on not-so-often-written ‘Kashmir’ is appreciable. It is quite evident from his emotional reporting that every word has come from heart. Though there is confusion when there is an abrupt jump from one story to another, but it is acceptable. There is so much to tell which is impossible to cover in a short book. It is correct that there are heart wrenching details in the book but these accounts capture the unheard cries of a more or less misunderstood community. An insider’s glimpse Curfewed Night a must read.