Srinagar, Oct 24:
Reiterating that Kashmir was not an integral part of India, noted writer and Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy Sunday accused India of launching "a protracted war" to suppress the ongoing movement in Kashmir by its military might. She said it was high time for Kashmiris to set goals for Azadi and achieve them systematically.
"I believe Kashmir is not an integral part of India. It is a historical fact," Roy said at a seminar titled 'Whither Kashmir? Freedom or Enslavement' organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society here. "By describing the pro-freedom leaders in the Valley as separatists, India in a sense has already acknowledged that secession has taken place," she added. Roy who has been vociferously advocating the cause of Maoists and Kashmiris minced no words in accusing India of waging war against minorities. "In Nagaland, the troopers have been targeting Adivasis, in Telangana Dalits and in Punjab, they target Sikhs. India is an upper caste Hindu state that is certainly at war with minorities. It has waged a protracted war in Nagaland and Kashmir to force inclusion of people into its system," she said.
Maintaining that the ongoing movement has highlighted the aspirations of Kashmiris, Roy underscored the need for initiating a debate on Azadi. "Resistance is a beautiful thing. It is high time for Kashmiris to set goals for Azadi and steer the movement," she said.
However, she cautioned that there is an elite section in Kashmir which is allowing the oppression. "Your struggle has raised the consciousness about Kashmir dispute and the oppression you face. But you must decide what type of society you have in mind once you are allowed to decide your future," she said.
Elaborating she said imperial colonialism is fast being replaced by corporate colonialism. "Kashmiris will have to make a choice whether or not they want the Indian oppression to be replaced by a future corporate oppression of the local masses," she said.
Roy stated that Kashmiris recruited in the army and paramilitary forces are being used to suppress the voices of dissent in the Northeast and other states. "I was heart broken when I saw Kashmiri BSF personnel in Dantewada. Mothers in Nagaland recalled their kins who were posted in army and other security agencies. I urge Kashmiris to ensure that they are not used to as tools of suppression," she said.
Hailing the role of Kashmiri women in the ongoing movement, Roy asked them to contribute to the struggle in one way or the other. "Kashmiris have been breathing and inhaling through the barrel of AK 47."
Roy said during her visit to southern India state, she asked her a friend to show her the grave of a Dalit who was killed in Kashmir. "An SP accompanied us and showed the grave in a garbage dump. He said the people did not allow the body to be carried in front of their homes saying it will pollute them. One should not have any expectation from a country whose Prime Minister (Dr Manmohan Singh) has not been ever elected," she said.
She said India has been using the façade of democracy to cover up the rights violations. In New Delhi she said 3000 bodies were recovered in recent past besides 20,000 children disappeared. "But nobody asks the questions as people in Delhi are not fighting for freedom. Democracy has become another form off tyranny," she said.
Prominent human rights activist Gautam Navlakha said the gun has played an important role in highlighting the Kashmir dispute. "Gun kept the Kashmir issue alive. Now the stone pelters have taken over the mantle. Now the stones have the power and there is no need of guns. Azadi is not round the corner but you have fight for it. Whether all party delegations and interlocutors will visit Valley, talk and go back. But it is the Kashmiris who have to decide their future,"
Navlakha said there has been criminalization of dissent as all voice in Kashmir have been suppressed.
Navlakha impressed upon the civil society to establish its own institutions. "Their foundations have been laid in past four month and it is high time to give it a practical shape. The students should start exhibitions like draw paintings on what their concept of Azadi is," he said.
Criticizing the Kashmiris who give vent to feeling through Facebook, Navlakha said battles are not fought from drawing rooms. "I am not against the face bookers but it is a shame on them. They have to openly support their fellow Kashmiris. Mere slogans can't fetch us freedom. But if we maintain unity, steadfastness we will achieve Azadi and sacrifices will not go waste," she said.
Noted Trade Unionist Ashim Roy underscored the need for strengthening trade union movement in the State saying it will help garner support for Kashmir cause. Ashim said he was privileged to organize a trade union conference in "three countries comprising Jammu and Kashmir, India and Pakistan."
"Trade Union movement in Kashmir has the potential to garner support for the just cause in India. So we should promote and strengthen the movement," he added.
Senior journalist Zahir-ud-Din said the Trade Union Movement in Kashmir was the oldest in the World. "On 29th April 1865, Trade Union Movement was launched in Kashmir after 28 shawl weavers were killed at Zaldagaar. 20 years after the incident, the Movement started in Chicago which is celebrated as May Day," he said.
Prominent filmmaker Sanjay Kak said it is high time for Kashmiris to what he said push the curtains on their victim hood. Pertinently Kak, a Kashmir Pandit shot into prominence for his documentary 'Jashn-e- Azadi' in 2007 depicts the ground situation in the Valley during the last two decades.
"The perception of majority of Indians in changing towards Kashmir issue. I was surprised when Jashn-e-Azadi was received well by the Indian audience. At least there is a ten fold change in India's attitude towards Kashmir due to protests on Kashmir streets," he said.
"You have to see what you can offer to Indian people. You have to show them the strength of Azadi. We have to understand that the stone pelters on streets of Kashmir are not pleading but demanding the rights of Kashmiris. We want somebody else to fight the battle of Kashmiris. Arundhati and Gautam have earned their right to call spade a spade by struggling for it. So have the Kashmiris to do," he said.
Kak said the Facebook has emerged as a powerful tool for Kashmiris to give vent to their aspirations.
"The Facebook has a diversity of opinions on Kashmir and nobody can neglect them. I want to maintain that what we see on Indian media regarding Kashmir is not opinion of Indian people. Corporate media outlets are driven by their own compulsions," he said.
Najeeb Mubarki, the Assistant Editor of the Economic Times said the Kashmiris have achieved a moral victory due to the ongoing movement. He accused the Indian media of delegitimizing the struggle of Kashmiris. "After 9/11, there has been a tendency to link every thing in Islamic context. Indian media sometimes states that there are militants among the protesters and blame Pakistan for fomenting trouble in the Valley. This is done to delegitimize the struggle of Kashmiris," he said.
Pervez Bukhari, noted journalist said a big part of Kashmiri's population is silent due to fear and highly militarized presence. "The troopers are making efforts not only to suppress but make Kashmiris their part. The aspirations of Kashmiris surfaced on the streets. Due to crackdown unleashed to crush the protests, the whole generation has gone underground. It is a horrifying thing. People are reluctant to even talk on phones as most of them are tapped. This has made the people vulnerable and silent," he said.
"Ironically, I see the new generation protesting lonely. It is responsibility of each Kashmiri to share their views and give support to the cause. Ways and means have to be developed for giving space to the silence majority of Kashmir," he added.
Pervez Imroz the chairman of JKCCS said the civil society has an important role to shape up the opinions in Kashmir. "At a time when seven lakh troopers besides cops are leaving no stone unturned to suppress the movement, it is the responsibility of the civil society to give vent to aspirations of Kashmiris. We have invited those people to speak in the seminar who are considered to be enemies by India for speaking for the Kashmiris," he said.
Imroz accused the Government of India of holding the media hostage and spreading misinformation about Kashmir. "Many NGOs have been formulated who portray false picture of Kashmir. These NGOs have intruded into our society. If we have to achieve freedom we have to ourselves fight for it. We can wait for others to fight for our cause. We have to shape up our future ourselves," he said.
The seminar was followed by an interacting session in which the people from different walks of life interacted with the speakers.
Arundhati Roy has issued this statement from Srinagar
I write this from Srinagar, Kashmir. This morning's papers say that I may be arrested on charges of sedition for what I have said at recent public meetings on Kashmir. I said what millions of people here say every day. I said what I, as well as other commentators have written and said for years. Anybody who cares to read the transcripts of my speeches will see that they were fundamentally a call for justice. I spoke about justice for the people of Kashmir who live under one of the most brutal military occupations in the world; for Kashmiri Pandits who live out the tragedy of having been driven out of their homeland; for Dalit soldiers killed in Kashmir whose graves I visited on garbage heaps in their villages in Cuddalore; for the Indian poor who pay the price of this occupation in material ways and who are now learning to live in the terror of what is becoming a police state.
In the papers some have accused me of giving 'hate-speeches', of wanting India to break up. On the contrary, what I say comes from love and pride. It comes from not wanting people to be killed, raped, imprisoned or have their finger-nails pulled out in order to force them to say they are Indians. It comes from wanting to live in a society that is striving to be a just one. Pity the nation that has to silence its writers for speaking their minds. Pity the nation that needs to jail those who ask for justice, while communal killers, mass murderers, corporate scamsters, looters, rapists, and those who prey on the poorest of the poor, roam free.
-Arundhati Roy-
October 26 2010
தமிழில் : நான் இதை காஷ்மீரில் இருக்கும் ஸ்ரீநகரிலிருந்து எழுதுகிறேன். காஷ்மீரைப் பற்றி அண்மையில் நடத்தப்பட்ட கூட்டங்களில் நான் பேசியவற்றுக்காக நான் கைதுசெய்யப்படலாம் என இன்றைய செய்தித் தாள்கள் கூறுகின்றன. இஙிருக்கும் லட்சக்கணக்கான மக்கள் தினந்தோறும் சொல்வதைத்தான் நான் சொன்னேன். பல்வேறு அரசியல் நோக்கர்களும் பல ஆண்டுகளாகச் சொல்லியும் எழுதியும் வருவதைத்தான் கூறினேன். நான் பேசியவற்றின் எழுத்து வடிவத்தைப் படிப்பவர்கள் அவை அடிப்படையில் நீதிக்கான அழைப்புகள் என்பதை உணர்வார்கள். உலகிலேயே மிகவும் மோசமான ராணுவ ஆக்கிரமிப்பின்கீழ் வாழும் காஷ்மீர் மக்களுக்கு நீதி கிடைக்கவேண்டும்; தங்களது தாய்மண்ணிலிருந்து விரட்டப்பட்ட துயரத்தோடு காஷ்மீருக்கு வெளியே வாழ்ந்துகொண்டிருக்கும் காஷ்மீர் பண்டிட்டுகளுக்கு நீதி கிடைக்கவேண்டும் ; தமிழ்நாட்டின் கடலூர் மாவட்டத்தில் குப்பைகளுக்குக் கீழே மறைந்துகிடக்கும் புதைகுழிகளைப் பார்த்தேனே காஷ்மீரில் கொல்லப்பட்ட தலித் ராணுவ வீரர்கள் அவர்களுக்கு நீதி கிடைக்கவேண்டும்; இந்த ஆக்கிரமிப்புக்கான விலையைக் கொடுத்துகொண்டிருக்கும் , இப்போது போலீஸ் ராச்சியமாக மாறிவிட்ட நாட்டில் பயங்கரங்களுக்கிடையே வாழப் பழகிக்கொண்டிருக்கும் இந்திய நாட்டின் ஏழை மக்களுக்கு நீதி கிடைக்கவேண்டும் என்றுதான் நான் பேசினேன்.
நேற்று தெற்கு காஷ்மீரில் இருக்கும் ஆப்பிள் நகரமான ஷோபியானுக்கு நான் போயிருந்தேன். அங்குதான் ஆசியா , நிலோஃபர் என்ற இரண்டு இளம்பெண்களின் சடலங்கள் அவர்களின் வீடுகளுக்கு அருகில் ஒரு ஓடையில் கண்டெடுக்கப்பட்டது. குரூரமாக அவர்கள் கற்பழித்துக் கொல்லப்பட்டதற்கு எதிர்ப்பு தெரிவித்து கடந்த ஆண்டில் நாற்பத்தேழு நாட்கள் அந்த நகரம் மூடப்பட்டுக் கிடந்தது. அவர்களைக் கொன்றவர்கள் இன்னும் தண்டிக்கப்படவில்லை. நிலோஃபரின் கணவரும் ஆசியாவின் சகோதரருமான ஷகீலை நான் சந்தித்தேன்.நாங்கள் அமர்ந்திருந்த இடத்தைச் சுற்றி இந்தியாவிடமிருந்து நீதி கிடைக்கும் என்ற நம்பிக்கையை இழந்துபோன, சுதந்திரம் ஒன்றுதான் ஒரே நம்பிக்கை என்று கருதுகிற மக்கள் துக்கத்தோடும் கோபத்தோடும் சூழ்ந்திருந்தார்கள். கல்வீசியதற்காக துப்பாக்கியால் சுடப்பட்டு கண்களுக்கிடையே தோடாவால் துளைக்கப்பட்ட இளைஞர்களை சந்தித்தேன். என்னோடு பயணம் செய்த இளைஞர் ஒருவர் அனந்த்நாக் மாவட்டத்தில் இருக்கும் தனது நண்பர்களான டீன் ஏஜ் இளைஞர்கள் மூன்றுபேரை எப்படி விசாரணைக்கு அழைத்துச் சென்றார்கள் கல் வீசியதற்காக அவர்களது விரல் நகங்கள் எப்படி பிடுங்கப்பட்டன என்பதை விவரித்தார்.
‘ வெறுப்பைக் கக்கும் பேச்சை நான் பேசியதாக நாளேடுகளில் சிலர் குற்றம்சாட்டியிருக்கிறார்கள். இந்தியா சிதைவதை நான் விருபுவதாகச் சொல்கிறார்கள். அவர்கள் சொல்வதற்கு மாறாக எனது பேச்சு அன்பிலிருந்தும் பெருமிதத்திலிருந்தும் வருகிறது. நாங்கள் எல்லோரும் இந்தியர்கள்தான் என அவர்களைப் பலவந்தப்படுத்திச் சொல்லவைக்கவேண்டும் என்பதற்காக அவர்களது விரல் நகங்களைப் பிடுங்கவேண்டாம்; கற்பழிக்கவேண்டாம் , படுகொலை செய்யவேண்டாம் என்ற உணர்விலிருந்து வருகிறது. நீதி விளங்கும் ஒரு சமூகத்தில் வாழவேண்டும் என்ற விருப்பத்திலிருந்து வருகிறது. தமது எண்ணங்களைப் பேசுகிற காரணத்தால் எழுத்தாளர்களை மௌனிகளாக்கி வைக்க இந்த தேசம் விரும்புகிறது என்பது பரிதாபகரமானது. நீதி கோருபவர்களை சிறையில் அடைக்க இந்த நாடு முயற்சிக்கிறது, ஆனால் மதவெறிக் கொலைகாரர்கள் ; இனப்படுகொலைகளைச் செய்தவர்கள் ; கொள்ளைக்காரர்கள்; கற்பழிப்பவர்கள் , ஊழல் செய்பவர்கள், ஏழைகளிலும் ஏழையான மக்களைச் சுரண்டுபவர்கள் போன்றவர்களெல்லாம் இங்கே சுதந்திரமாகச் சுற்றிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறார்கள்.
அக்டோபர் 26, 2010 அருந்ததி ராய்
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