This refers to the Sunday Slice cartoon by Malik Sajad, wherein the veteran and spiritual leader of kashmiris Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been sketched under chains by the ‘little’ state(security) forces- say the Indian Lilliputians.

 This recalls me a study lesson,” Gulliver among Lilliputs” that once happened to be in the English text book of matriculation wherein the Lilliputians(tiny men) catch Gulliver who had reached their country lonely after his ship had wrecked in a violent storm when Gulliver and his people were on a voyage. During sleep the Lilliputians tie him with chains as they thought that Gulliver was a giant sent to destroy them. To rise onto his body and to feed him they used to climb on him by a ladder. By the order of the king of Lilliputians Gulliver is taken to the capital city -Lilliput on a platform and is released from chains. Afterwards Gulliver saves the Lilliputians from their enemy- Blefuscu, who want to wage a war on lilliput. Gulliver foils the attempts of the enemy and is declared the national hero by the king of the lilliput. The King wanted to make the Blefuscudians his slaves but Gulliver intervenes and brings about a just treaty. Now Lilliputs suspect Gulliver’s loyalty but on the other hand Blefuscudians invite him to their country. As in Lilliput he was declared a national hero, here too. Blefuscudians, equal in height to the Lilliputians, came to pay their homage to this hero as a thanks-giving.

The story of Geelani however in its ‘chemistry’ is different from that of Gulliver. Geelani is caught and ‘chained’ in his own country by the ‘foreign Lilliputians’ (Indian security forces). The number of these Lilliputians in Geelani’s country (Kashmir) is said to be 8 lakhs and the proportion of the Lilliputians and the Geelani’s nation is said to be 1:7.means that one Indian trooper beholds 7 kashmiris. Geelani is the tallest figure in the profreedom camp of Kashmir. He is known for the honesty, dedication and the firmness-in-stand as he never calls a poison as the elixir (Kabhi Zehre Hilal Ko Keh Na Saka Qand). Indeed, when there is devotion, dedication, decency, determinacy, honesty, firmness in causes, concerns, movements then world bows and why not? ……words evoke, voices vow and sentences suit and the reports resemble.

 Geelani, by the “Lilliputs”, is deemed as a threat to the Indian interests in Kashmir that is why he is ‘chained’ (detained) every now and then. Indeed, the veteran leader always gives a tough rime to these Indian lilliput as when he is free he is seen on the streets of the city leading the freedom processions, and when he is kept under house arrest, the protesters throng into his residence and get him out of the cage, when he is jailed either at Cheshmashai or at Gulmarg  his bad health comes to his rescue and he is shifted to the hospital and when he reaches hospital….on seeing him patients and attendants get up and raise profreedom slogans. Even the people who see their death close to them make testament before their death that their last ritual (Jinaza) must be performed by their leader (Geelani) and if the leader is under house arrest the dead-body for last ritual is brought to his residence. And now as per the news reports one-year-specific passport has been granted to the aged leader. If he visits Pakistan how people will queue there to have a look at him, remains to be seen.

 Thus the lesson in these stories is that heroes are afterall heroes whether they are in tragedy or in tranquility.