Missing The Point
The rape of a minor in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, followed by her brutal murder as gained the attention of India, even if it is after three months. In these three months the civil (?) societies, the lawyers, the politicians belonging to the right wing in Jammu have without any hesitation come out in public to shield the perpetrators. These facts when brought to light, the liberals of India rightly got enraged as much as they got outraged on hearing about the rape of the minor girl belonging to the Bakarwal community, a nomadic tribe.
While nothing better than supporting perpetrators could be expected from the right wing, my disappointment is with the liberals, though I believe that the protest being registered is a necessary gesture. Here I would just like to list my disappointments…
Illustration by Mir Suhail
Firstly, the case of Kathua and Unnao, though barbaric and unacceptable, are being mentioned in one breath as if they are similar. No, they aren’t, even when both of them are inhumane. The question how will be answered through my elaboration of the other disappointments.
The case of Kathua rape is not being communalized and politicized by the ones underlining the religious and political identity of the girl. The rape happened because of her religious and political identity. So if anyone brought religion and politics into this, it is not those who are highlighting the identity markers but those who perpetrated violence. The cry of some liberals requesting to not make the incident “about religion and politics,” marks their ignorance of the details in this case.
The issue of Kathua cannot be seen in isolation, distancing it from the history of rape used as a weapon by the Indian state in Kashmir and on Kahsmiri people. Had the girl been raped for being a girl alone, we could have spoken only about humanity and patriarchy. But since she was raped for being a Muslim and a Kahsmiri, let’s talk primarily about the state of minorities and the way Indian state has conducted itself in Kahsmir, especially with relation to women.
Amidst all this, I fail to understand the tweets of people like Javed Akhtar who wants to remind people of the ways in which Bakarwal people showed their loyalty to India and asking us to be in solidarity with the victim. The question to be asked is, what if Bakarwal people were anti-India? In that case would Javed sahab be okay with the rape? Are does he want us to be okay with rape?
The issue of Kathua rape and murder, for many liberals, has become a scoring point against the Bharateeya Janatha Party. I have no doubts about the BJP being a disgrace to democracy, which one needs to get rid of. But I find it morally disturbing when the issue of Kathua rape is being used to churn anti-BJP public opinion alone. If at all the Kathua incident has troubled the Indian liberals then it should enable them to see the connection between the Indian occupation of Kashmir and the rape and murder of Kathua. To see it as a symbol of the maliciousness of BJP alone is to not understand the context of the Kathua rape and murder. Restricting the discussion to the role of BJP alone is parking the vehicle mid-way and aborting the truth before one has arrived at it completely. More importantly it will be dilution of the matter. The interconnections between occupation of Kashmir and the Kathua incident exists beneath the surface and one more round of scratching is enough to reach there. Very hesitantly I make this statement: If intelligence is a slave to convenience, then it is not just a moral corruption but also a sign of opportunism.
The liberal discourse around Kathua has been reeking of poverty of understanding, knowledge, sensitivity and imagination too. In extreme conditions of history, such as this, to be a liberal centrist is to let down the victims and let violence continue on the socially, politically vulnerable.
If the Indian liberals are actually horrified, as they claim to be, then the question is if the Indian liberals will at least now acknowledge Kunan Poshpora and innumerable such rapes in Kashmir (Handwara, Shopian, Islamabad, Trehgam, Doda etc) orchestrated and conducted by the Indian army? Will they stop seeing the Kathua incident out of context? If not then the liberals need to reimagine their politics.
[Originally written for Coastal Digest web portal. Published on 16 April 2018]
A Graceful Moment in Cricket
Some moments just remain with us, for it historical significance and for its emotional weight.
The ICC World Cup tournament being sealed with a six by the the then Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni is one such moment for many a Indians, including me.
Growing up in 90s, like almost every urban and semi-urban Indian, I not just played cricket but also fancied Indian cricket team becoming World Champions. One hardly wins over the child within them, with regard to some matters. The fascination for cricket remained, though it eroded to an extent.
So when the Indian cricket captain sent the ball out of the boundary line without a bounce, I jumped and went on my knees, out of joy.
But soon the joy got eclipsed by a different feeling. It made me go silent. I sat back on the chair and looked at that one frame again and again;as the moment of Dhoni closing the match with a six was replayed.
Dhoni who had not a single half century in the tournament had promoted himself and come to the ground before Yuvaraj Singh, who had done well tremendously in the tournament. Dhoni played a captain’s innings and turned the course of the match and brought victory to the Indian team with a magnificent six. Yet in that moment of seeing the ball sail across the boundary line, Dhoni was as calm as ever. Not a single punch in the air, not a single scream! Indian cricket team won the world cup, Dhoni was the captain, it is he who had made victory in the final match possible and it was all sealed with a six! The ever silent and calm Gary Kirsten, the then coach of the team, had gotten up from his chair and had shouted loud. But Dhoni stood still, swirling his bat like a warrior, yet being so composed!
Even now when I recollect that moment, I get overwhelmed. Probably because I can never be like that in any moment, forget a charged moment like that.
Once the moment sunk in and I developed greater respects for the man MS Dhoni, I realized there was one more person in the same frame. It was Kumara Sangakkara.
The Sri Lankan team had returned home the previous ICC World Cup after loosing in the finals and yet again reached the finals. To enter the finals yet again and loose yet again must have been a very frustrating thing for the Sri Lankan players. Standing in the center of the ground Sangakkara had witnessed closely how the match had turned and slipped from the hands of Sri Lanka. Yet Sangakkara displayed great sportsmanship when he gracefully waited for Yuvaraj and the rest of the Indian cricket team to celebrate, have their moment, and wished Dhoni and others by shaking their hand. No disappointment expressed, no tears, no frustrated reaction. A defeat accepted gracefully, without loosing his calm.
Seven years have passed since the Indian cricket team won the ICC World Cup. Now, not much of love remains in my heart for the game of cricket and Dhoni seems to have lost his magic while Sangakkara has retired. But once in a while I go on youtube and watch that one moment, not for India’s victory, not for the jingoistic pride attached to the moment, but for the grace and beauty of Dhoni and Sangakkara.
Crazy Mind's Eye 