The Bullet Generation Of Kashmir!!!

Ahmad Kashmiri

In the trouble torn Kashmir Some months back CRPF personnel thrashed a boy at MA road Srinagar without any provocation by the boy and soon after this ‘routine’ incident the by- passers witnessed CRPF personnel being beaten up by some youth on the spot and next day the same was carried by newspapers on their front pages.

Baltal land grab case consumed 6 lives and bruised more than a thousand people till victory and the historic fact remains that it evoked a stern Hartal in Kashmir, people give many reasons for this kind of a unique and historical Hartal. Utmost reason given is the gravity of the issue that is this time Sarzameen-e-Kashmir (Land Of Kashmir) was being snatched slanderously in a ‘made-legal’ way. Another reason given was the unification of two Hurriats. But there is much more reason to analyze about this kind of a hartal where the saying ‘birds fear to fly’ was likely to happen, such was the situation. Now what is that reason?

Historical Halt:

This time there was the real Chaka Jam, complete shut down even at places like Gulmarg and what kind of tightness there was not. Blockades were kept on every stop, curve and crossing of the roads and above all youth were very much present on chowks, roads and lanes with alertness and keen observation and with the ambitious zeal for the success of their program. At many places police officers, for indulging into road opening, faced the beating and brunt of these boys. Hospital ambulances were only allowed to move when the hospital heads expressed the concern and made repeated appeals. A teacher told that he while travelling on his bike at some place was stopped by some boys, one among them was his student, and the teacher was told to move back, on expressing his emergency he was yet told to surrender his I-Card before these boys though the student bowed down his head in respect but did not compromise with duty, he with his fellow boys, was performing at that time.this was not only a hartal but a Historical Halt. Now the question is who are these reasoned boys, who did not tolerate beating of an innocent boy at MA road and resorted to counter-beating upon CRPF personnel, took processions this time even to Phahalgams and Gulmargs,  streamlined law enforcing officers, gave lessons to their teachers! Which generation they belong to?

Ragda Ragda:: August month for last 18 years has been vague and tense in Kashmir particularly upto 17^th  as fear-psycho prevails till this date  as 14^th is the independence of Pakistan and it needs no elaboration with respect to the situation in Kashmir, 15^th the day of the independence of India, and 17^th date too, for many years, remained  affective here for it is the death anniversary of Gen Zia ul Hague, the assassinated president of Pakistan and the legendary leader of Muslim Ummah in the 20^th century. As a result of which there has always been lesser movement of the people outside their abodes as compared to the hustle and bustle of the rest months of the year. But the August month of 2008 took a U-Turn and recorded not only the greatest number of people outside their homes but on four occasions only i,e, 11^th, 15^th, 18^th and 22^nd of August   for Muzaffarabad, Pampore, TRC(Near UNO Office) and  Eid-Gah respectively on an average fifteens hundred thousand people thronged  at these venues demanding the fruit of the sacrifices of one hundred thousand martyrs. And  a lifetime lesson must be learnt from the 2008 uprising of the mass movement when people of Kashmir irrespective of age and sex on Aug, 22 reached Eid Gah Srinagar and tuned it into a whirlpool of ‘people’s tsunami’ for want of an achievement of their sacrifices, yes nothing less than Azadi! The hallmark of this uprising was the outburst of the sentiments of the 4^th generation who invented an innovative protest-pattern- Ragda Ragda. Though it is not known that who coined this Ragda Ragda actually, but just after its inception it became the expletive of the wrath of the youth. In this unique way of protest the youth with their right hand forward would raise a slogan like National ka janda keun ragda, PDP ka janda keun ragda…..Bharat ka…..with this they would make a viscous circle extending their arms on the shoulders of each other and would go berserk with the rhythm Ragdo Ragdo Bharat Ragdo. Although this ragda resulted in the reactionary torture of youth latter on by the ‘state forces’but analysts comprehend that this type of belligerent protest is not any kind madness but the ‘volcanic eruption’ of the anger and hatred that had been accumulating in the hearts of these youth.

Bullet Generation:

It is said that in the revolutionary movements of whatsoever kind, the youth between the age of twenty and thirty play the foremost and the vital role. Twenty years back when the armed struggle in Kashmir started for right to self determination the then twenty-thirty generation is now forty-fifty aged and the present ‘twenty’ generation was taking birth at that time and that was the time when everywhere there were bullets and bombs and how many times there might have been mere silence from shots of bullets and explosions of bombs when this generation was borne? And it is not a strange and unbelievable thing that to many of them the first very sound reached to their ears, just after their birth, was in high decibels!!! Yes only and only the sound and speed of a fired bullet(s) or an explosion of a bomb! So, this one, generation can be given the attrib of bullet and called the Bullet Generation! So this time it was the bullet generation on roads, they have reached the age of understanding and comprehension, the journey of their life so for has witnessed worst kinds of atrocities being given to their people of whom these boys are the successors, they have been observing this panorama right from the age when they were even not able to form a word and organize their idea as they could express their feelings and responses. But the series of happenings got stored very much in their minds and as soon as they attained the toy-playing age, they started the response. Over the attractive, latest and sophisticated toys these children preferred the Toy-Guns, and we all have seen them ‘using’ these toy-guns at toy-playing occasions. Even during infamous cordons and crack-downs when there was trouble and tension all around, we have seen these children taking ‘positions’ in lanes, behind walls, stones and  targeting the enemies(the enemies who were in their innocent minds). These children were not afraid of army or other forces, perhaps because of the reason they knew that the cordoning-forces were not genuine and justified.

Chameleons:

Ahead in the current year is the completion of six years, the mainstream politicians who, after every six years turn into magicians and come before people to show their magic, some promise one job in every house, some promise progress and development, some credit opening of Muzaffar Abad-Srinagar road to themselves, some vow autonomy, and now the crucial time for them has started to mug up the music of electioneering, now they may play new tunes because to their old tunes there are hardly any takers.  Mainstream politicians of Kashmir have been always playing the role of chameleons; they see masses as markets for their worldly beliefs and benefits. They see the demand of the market and raise their trade-cry accordingly. With the people having power at centre these mainstream politicians have an ‘understanding’, let me tell you the protocol of such an understanding in kashmiri, “…Be Vanai Chane Nave Te Khabar Kya Kya Vaujboon, Magar Yene  Che Thath Kun Gachak(I will tell anything bad  against you too, but don’t take it serious)”  and if some times unintentionally anything goes beyond ‘protocol’ the mainstreamer faces the brunt and at times if he happens to be in ruling corridors he is simply shunt out. ‘Interim-reliefs’ like Autonomy, Self Rule,  and Soft Boarders are their self designed things which they ask to their Aagaas  (bosses) at Delhi for the people who they befool. Once these chameleons achieve power their claims fall silent and at the centre their bosses know that their ‘convulsions’ are just for the lust of Kursi (power).

Bravado these bullet boys:

But nowthere is tough time for these chameleons ( mainstream politicians) who have have  to face the bullet generation now! Because bullet generation has matured to the age of vote-casting or election boycott. Earlier they were underage to vote or boycott. These bullet boys are much witty and bold to come under any trick and flattering by today’s ‘seasoned’ politicians. Their courage is  sky-scraping, their aspirations are soaring, this is not a mere assumption but an experimented truth after the historical halt(hartal ) done by them and earlier the landmark achievement made by them in the case of SASB land transfer order revocation and then stimulating the  ‘indigenous referendum’ for right to self determination,  by sixty lakh people at the above mentioned four occasions.  However despite this perception and the findings what will be the roll of these bullet boys in the future events remains to be seen. For the time being following their successful hartal and admirable peaceful protests they have earned the slogan- We win or we die: Bullet Generation. Bravado these bullet boys.