Paroxysms of rage

Sundus Malik
“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” rightly said by Derek Jeter. But what If the people want to work hard but could not because they are cut off from the rest of the world. Students, teachers, preachers, budding entrepreneurs, job seekers and ofcourse young athletes who train intensively, whether specialized or not, can make it happen but what if they cannot access the right opportunities out there. Learning culture has changed dramatically over the past years. It has come a long way. From online learning to getting selected from resumes and interviews given online but what if there is no internet to do so.
Yes, we people, atheletes, students, learners from Jammu and Kashmir do not have 4G internet access since August 5, 2019 till now. For a students, atheletes, artists, dreamers of achieving something great, who have grown in an area like kashmir, it’s all a challenge. From deciding to become an athlete or artist to persuing the dream. From grabbing the few opportunities to make revenues out of them. From preaching the modern culture of careers to absorbing the subtle jibes from those who are hellbent on a stereotypical ways of earning money. From job seekers to entrepreneurs. But we take a decision and standby it. We go out of box and face the world. We may handle the agony of not be able to access the entertainment part of Internet but the paroxysms of rage is from deprivation of basic human rights. We may also accept the challenges faced because of internet shutdowns only if they were advertently for our benefit. On grass root level we cannot see any of the pleasing benefits that could help us improve our hardwork towards our dreams. A person who wants to do something great and has dreams to make true, in today’s world is actively available on internet to learn new techniques, teach students online, explore the world by touring through browsing. The internet is probably one of the greatest inventions so far. The accessibility of the Internet has opened the world to people by stripping away geographical barriers and sharing information instantaneously. But we are being deprived of this boom. We cannot access anything. We are facing problems that are affecting our mental health. And what good an athelete, student, artist is if he has mental health issues.
Speaking of mental health issues, the novel Corona virus is hitting us hard. Like no other part of the world , we are being held in our homes. We are playing our part by self isolating ourselves. And our mental health, which is already at stake because of the prevailing conditions of the place we live in, living with slow internet speed is adding fuel to this brutal fire. When everyone is learning online, our students cannot even load a video of few MBs. When all are keeping themselves busy by watching entertainment, taking part in healthy challenges, interacting with there friends, exploring their talents, we here are stuck at the same place as 5th August. Only difference is we have 2G speed internet and our phone calls are working. Obviously this lockdown can not be compared with post 5th August traumatic experience but we are still in that situation plus the Covid 19 one. Ofcourse the effect has diluted a bit but not much.
High speed internet is what we deserve, it’s not something to be demanded. It’s a basic human right. Plus we are paying for 4G speeds and get only 2G.
” I wish we could be treated as first class citizens” and what makes me think so? The repetition of same humiliating orders on internet speed every now and then. Everytime we hope to get what is innately our basic right. And if we are being deprived of it, makes one think either they donot consider us as humans or they are making us suffer on purpose. We would have accepted the ban on 4G if the situation was asking for it. In today’s world where each and everyone of the human race is going through mental breakdowns or mental health issues because of the forced lockdown due to Covid 19, why can not ours be considered. Everyone is dealing with the crisis this pendemic has bought on us, in thier own ways just to feel a bit normal. We also want to feel normal, and by normal I mean the normal normal not the forced definition of normal which suffices limited brains of the society. We also want to get out of our mental states that are turning to anxiety and depressions. Internet blockade is not helping us at all.
So, let us feel normal. Let us live like normal humans. Let us experience what a normal human being could. Let us be a part of the morden world that has become a global village now. Let us access 4G.
(Author is a freelance and a human Rights defender. Views are his own)