Kashmiri people synonym of love, sympathy, hospitality,help, respect, empathy and courage. We all from our infancy have heard a couplet of great poet and philosopher, Amir e Khasru and which was later after two centuries repeated by Mughal Jahangir that,” agar Firdous bar roo-e zameen ast , Hameen ast-o ,Hameen ast-o Hameen ast.” Have we ever realised why he tail this couplet? Was it for the physical beauty of Kashmir? No, surely not, he wasn’t only influenced by the beauty of mountains and lakes nor he was influenced by the ornamental gardens but it was actually the enthusiastic,warm and kind nature of kashmiri people which compels him to make such gestures. We have often heard from our elders that “Praani lokh aasi sidd saada aasa” means that they were less envious,they were helpful,if anybody was in pain and loss this grief was felt by spine of another neighbors and relatives. It was we kashmiri people who were laurated with awards of hospitality,kindness, sympathetic nature,courage and strength. We were popular for “Kashmiriyat” and “Insanyat”. The words in itself narrates help for others,kind for creation and hospitable for guests. The word kashmiri was seeming the synonym of the word cosmopolitan.
In the past our ancestors were opressed, betrayed and deceived but despite of these holes in their body there atmosphere was filled with aromatic smell of love, brotherhood,help, respect and sympathy. They were not holders of the heaps of wealth,they were not recognized for their luxury owning but the whole world recognized them for the jewel of “Insaniyat”. It seems that the substance of humanity were injected in their blood .it seems their veins and artries carry the elements of love,help, respect, philanthropy rather than haemoglobin.
Now we should realise are we carrying the same substances with which our ancestors were bestowed and beautified. Why we are lacking the traits of our ancestors? Why our blood carries envy, jealousy and greed? Doesn’t we belong to our ancestors? Or any other thing has weighed upon us. Yes, we are opressed. The fuses of our brain and heart had melted but how can we deprive ourselves from the wealth which belongs to our ancestors. How can we give up the inheritance of our ancestors. Apart from monetary and luxury belongings we should also take the treasure of loving nature, sympathetic and kind heart and other traits from our ancestors.
Today we are on the edge of destruction. We have lost our civilization for which we were recognized by the whole world. The warming nature is now transformed into spine chilling cold look, love into hatered, sympathy into envious, respect into jealousy and hospitality into greed. we are now transformed into wild animals who don’t have traits of care . We were considered as the protectors but our society is on the scale where father rapes her daughter, husband burns his wife,dowry has become matter of pride . The evils of corruption, domestic voilence and drug addiction have infilitrated and annexed our society. Today society have become filthy with dust of immorality , adultration, greed, opression, envy and mannerless nature of people. Now the people are only limited to their personal interests . They only feed their needs , aspirations, and wishes while neglecting the society.
We all now that we are betrayed, deceived and opressed. We badly need the lap of each other . If we don’t put our hands to each other than whom can we appeal and whom can we approach. We are in dire need of each other . How can we revive our dead civilization? If we continues to neglect each other . Our vision has blurred , we have become distracted one’s.
From the last few years our entire state especially Kashmir region is witnessing worse of worst. Rapes and molestations are moving and echoing swiftly in our state. Few days ago the most tragic incident was reported when father rapes her own daughter . Another bone chilling report came which claims 30 year old rapes 3 year child. The worst of these is that nobody in Kashmir raise his voice against these nuisance crimes. It seems to be none of the business of people. Whole valley pays deaf and dumb to such henious and barbaric incidents. From my elders I have heard that, when not only in Kashmir but anywhere in the country and it’s neighbourhood any crime was done whole valley boils in furnance of rage . People claim Justice for victims although they don’t belong their religion, ethnicity or land. The question is why the modern generation of Kashmir lacks the traits of their ancestors? why we lack the guts , warmth to help others,courage and strength? The one and only conclusion can be drawn that is either we have red water in our veins with no warmth or is it selective propaganda not to speak.
(The author can be contacted at [email protected], The views express are authors personnel)
