Tuesday, October 30, 2007

History as we read it...

I was talking to a friend today. Her dad is into real estate business bigtime and conversation somehow turned towards it. She told me how her dad's partner has observed some really profitable real estate opportunities in J&K, but their firm can't invest in that state owing to regulations imposed under Article 370. "That article is another specimen of minority appeasement and cowardice of Indian governemnt who would never learn to walk straight when under international pressure". Of course, she was quoting her dad verbatim.
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This is not some personal opinion - the sentiment is shared by millions of other Indians (including our right wing political outfits). Why, in God's name, should J&K be given a unique status? How can one even think of recognizing LoC as the International border. What is Pakistan doing over there anyways? Isn't it our land, right back from times immemorial?
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The issue is too broad to be discussed on a blog - that's not my intention anyways. Difference of opinions would exist on such a sentimental issue, after all the two nations didn't engage into four military conflicts over it for nothing, making it perhaps the most controversial territory issue after West Bank/Gaza Strip. But, why are the citizens of these two nations totally unaware of the context of the whole situation, and form opinions based purely on emotional content (a sense of patriotism in case of Indians, and a feeling of Islamic-nationalism in case of brothers from across the border). And I am not talking about the illiterate population, this is about the educated youth.
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How many of the Indians know that J&K was not a state of India before 1948, or that it was a separate nation ruled by a Hindu king with majority of the subjects being Muslims. Or that it became a part of India only when the King didn't have any other alternative at his disposal to save himself from the Paki onslaught? Or that it was the Indian premier who approached UN first on the issue (perhaps, hoping for a Nobel Peace prize) which resulted into the ceasefire around LoC and the string of regulations in form of Article 370 to ensure "status-quo" until normalcy is restored for a plebiscite to be held. Or that there was indeed a genuine aspiration for "Independence" in Kashmiris throughout the latter half of 20th century which, badly handled by Indian government and taken full advantage by Pakistan, turned violent only in 1989. The valley was peaceful before that, but how many of us know it? Or that there might be some grain of truth in the reports of large no. of rapes and civilian murders by Indian army in J&K, published by leading human rights organizations.
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Pakistanis don't need to gloat either. They would always have this view that all muslim majority regions were to be "given" away to Pakistan under the Independence Act (when few of them have actually read it) and India cheated Paksitan in the latter's infancy stage by "holding" back Kashmir. Many suggest that Pakistan whipped Indian asses everytime the two met on the battlefield and that Indians were the first movers/aggressors in each case. Mukti Bahini was a "terrorist" organization, and "Hindus" live in "dark, small houses". They would always cry about 90,000 muslim "freedom fighters" who sacrificed their lives while fighting Indian Army, but do not know iota about the 1,00,000 Kashmiri pandits forced to flee their homeland and living life as refugees all over India. Or how miserable a failue the Two Nations theory proved to be when Bangladeshis fought for liberation. Or that wars always started when a military leader assumed power in Pakistan, as the nation's premier in a coup or through an out-of-control army.
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But why such ignorance on both sides of the border? Why do people of these two nations remain oblivious to such basic facts which are well-known to rest of the world? One peep back into my school history book, and I seem to get my answer. History text books stop at 1947, and reveal nothing what happened after. So the youth forms their own image of post-independence history - aided by a biased media, opportunistic government and a pseudo-nationalistic feeling.
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Why don't the governments try and educate people on the burning issue of kashmir? GoI would rather nuke itself than admit its blunder in Kashmir and GoP won't have any other issue to milk in the next general elections or to keep the attention of Pakistanis diverted from the real issues of military dictatorship and failure of democracy. Meanwhile, the youngsters in India and Pakistan would continue reading their school history books on how Muslim League (Congress for the latter) was adamant on partition, and how their nation has been cheated (and being cheated) on the issue of Kashmir. The Kashmiris, meanwhile, would continue getting crushed between the egos of the two governments, with all the (mis-placed) sympathy of Indian and Paki populace but little translating into action.
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I just hope for some enlightenment...

2 comments:

Nishant said...

Do you think educating people OR telling them the exact history will led to dilution of their extremist feeling? The things are not rooted in minds by reading history only but by the happenings in the lifetime as well. The use of terms like "Islamic-nationalism" by you is the result of the same.Any way which govt. will take the burden or blame for it? As in politics or elections, issues can be made out of this as well. Some issues are dragged not because someone wants to make advantage of it but because someone doesn't wants to in disadvantageous position by touching it as in the case of Reservation where in its dragged though it was supposed to be initially for 10 years only.

Vc said...

Again, it's not about dilution of extremist feelings - its about wrong notions as I have detailed on.

Difference in feelings would definitely exist, the topic is as such - my issue is with completely false perceptions of the reality as I have covered through the examples.

The term Islamic nationalism is the direct outcome of the notion of Ulemma. More on it sometime later.

And finally coming to issues out of it - you have rightly pointed out the case of reservation - current political setup is a clasic example of opportunistic behaviour. The sooner the govts. shed it, the better we would be. Of course, doesnt seem feasible in near future.