Curfewed is perhaps an erroneous word made up by Basharat Peer for his maiden non fiction, Cufewed Night (Random House, India 2008) to convey a point. Once into the book, you won’t find his stance out of place; in fact you will find it purposely relevant. Since Kashmir has become a wronged reality, why shy away from it. So, how right he is, to use a wrong word for a place he belongs to – and clearly dearly loves – that has seen nothing right for a very long time indeed. On target? Fair enough!
For most Indians, Kashmir is like a dream, an obsession, a God like head that sits atop our great nation which can’t be traded for anything. The deep rooted hatred of Indians for Pakistan, who seems to be infatuated by their love for the land, too, just like the Indians, doesn’t seem to make the ordeal of the innocent Kashmiris, any better. As they pray, hoping peace will return some day, the soldiers from India, Militants from Pakistan, Kashmiri boys who routinely become militants by crossing LoC, informers, State Police and the Paramilitary seem to be existing just to have enough reasons for the conflict to go on. It is tragic that one of the most beautiful of the places on the earth has to put up with so much pain, insoluble grief and abject misery.
Basharat takes the reader through the Kashmir he has seen since his birth, through penetrating observations and a reporter’s pragmatism. He has studied school in Kashmir (Anantnag), politics at Aligarh and Media in the US. There is pain in his voice for all that the Kashmiris had to endure, revelations in his narrative of a place that has been loved by so many in the past and a passion in his story that dreams a future of peace and happiness. He has travelled far and wide in Kashmir and other places in India to understand the pain of the people, to be beside the graves of the strugglers gone by and has listened to the torture tales of the captured militants. The militant for him is not an enemy; he is sometimes a next door neighbor, a school friend or just a relative. Basharat’s Kashmir is a beautiful place but certainly not a paradise it used to be. He describes the people as simple human beings who love their feasts, live amicably with the nature and wish to lead ordinary lives, watching Hindi films and dancing to the tunes of its hysterical songs.
The book is sure to bring a tear or two in the eyes. It is not the kind of book that hits hard. It is the kind of book that gets under the skin and stays there as a silent reminder of the pain many fellow human beings have had to face. Basharat has closed his story with a wave of his hand at the visiting POK Kashmiris who crossed the LoC in 2005 when the bus service to Muzzafarabad and Srinagar started after half a century. There is hope in his voice. I think that sentiment makes him closer to his Indian counterparts; people like us who are equally hopeful. I have never been to Kashmir. It is not that I am scared. It is just that I don’t feel like. This is not to be construed as a disowned neglect for the place. Far from it, I also want to be there one day. I am also hopeful, that a day like that will some day take me there.
For most Indians, Kashmir is like a dream, an obsession, a God like head that sits atop our great nation which can’t be traded for anything. The deep rooted hatred of Indians for Pakistan, who seems to be infatuated by their love for the land, too, just like the Indians, doesn’t seem to make the ordeal of the innocent Kashmiris, any better. As they pray, hoping peace will return some day, the soldiers from India, Militants from Pakistan, Kashmiri boys who routinely become militants by crossing LoC, informers, State Police and the Paramilitary seem to be existing just to have enough reasons for the conflict to go on. It is tragic that one of the most beautiful of the places on the earth has to put up with so much pain, insoluble grief and abject misery.
Basharat takes the reader through the Kashmir he has seen since his birth, through penetrating observations and a reporter’s pragmatism. He has studied school in Kashmir (Anantnag), politics at Aligarh and Media in the US. There is pain in his voice for all that the Kashmiris had to endure, revelations in his narrative of a place that has been loved by so many in the past and a passion in his story that dreams a future of peace and happiness. He has travelled far and wide in Kashmir and other places in India to understand the pain of the people, to be beside the graves of the strugglers gone by and has listened to the torture tales of the captured militants. The militant for him is not an enemy; he is sometimes a next door neighbor, a school friend or just a relative. Basharat’s Kashmir is a beautiful place but certainly not a paradise it used to be. He describes the people as simple human beings who love their feasts, live amicably with the nature and wish to lead ordinary lives, watching Hindi films and dancing to the tunes of its hysterical songs.
The book is sure to bring a tear or two in the eyes. It is not the kind of book that hits hard. It is the kind of book that gets under the skin and stays there as a silent reminder of the pain many fellow human beings have had to face. Basharat has closed his story with a wave of his hand at the visiting POK Kashmiris who crossed the LoC in 2005 when the bus service to Muzzafarabad and Srinagar started after half a century. There is hope in his voice. I think that sentiment makes him closer to his Indian counterparts; people like us who are equally hopeful. I have never been to Kashmir. It is not that I am scared. It is just that I don’t feel like. This is not to be construed as a disowned neglect for the place. Far from it, I also want to be there one day. I am also hopeful, that a day like that will some day take me there.
6 comments:
Sounds very interesting, will look for it. Currently I am reading "Dreams from my father" by Barack Obama! :)
Thanks Asha! As Indians, I guess anywhere in the world, the actual world that makes most sense to all of us is what is happening to the places and people we love - people who are our very own.
Obama's book: Yes, I too would like to pick a copy soon and read. He is the one now ( Matrix istyle dialogue) who is going to save the world now from the, shall we say, 'AGENTS'. Best!
looks like a nice read.
Yes 007. It is actually the kind of viewpoint us Indians are not used to hearing.
Whats up on your front, friend?
I loved the book...it had a strong and sincere voice all along...!
It is one of the better books on Kashmir.
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