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Nov 26, 2021
Vijaya Dar

Is Jammu and Kashmir Returning to Normalcy?

From the reports in media, it appears that the rift between Pakistan Army and Prime Minister Imran Khan is real and widening. The question on everyone's mind in India should be on how the country reacts to this development on its Western flank? But, before we get to grips with that question, it may be instructive to acquaint ourselves with the history of Indo-Pak relations over the last three-quarters of a century. Even from the time of its birth it has been difficult to define Pakistan as a nation or a country in the conventional sense of the term. It is an abominable abortion, performed by a retreating imperial power at its nadir; savagely wanting to wound the people it had so ruthlessly ruled and exploited for over two centuries! The desire to inflict everlasting humiliation and instigate perpetual conflict among the former colonies was something the erstwhile rulers just could not resist. Although, aware that the partition of the sub-continent would lead to a bloodbath, yet the British, in their haste, did not for a moment let this awareness deflect them from their divisive policy. Enough and more has been written on this subject, and there is little purpose served in adding further to it here. Pakistan's Army has dominated its political ideology almost from its inception, even though there have been brief intervals of "controlled democracy" to please its allies in the West in order to keep the aid pipeline open. Its ideology makes the Army the defender of the nation, and by extension a defender of Islam. Pakistan sees itself as the protector and propagator of Islam throughout the world. The Generals see themselves as the new Caliphs of the defunct Turkish Empire, and through their control on the Madrassas, exercise control on the minds of the ordinary, mostly illiterate citizenry. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan gave Pakistan another opportunity to continue deceiving its Western allies and furthering its aim of developing nuclear weapons. It had no hesitation in going to bed with the Chinese, to whom it ceded a part of occupied Kashmir. In short, Pakistan took very little time to become the hub of international terrorism, and its Army and the ISI masterminded, executed, and aided in carrying out most terrorist attacks across the globe. After the collapse of the USSR, it turned on its allies in the West and soon began spearheading terror attacks in America, the UK, and Western Europe. It sheltered Osama Bin Laden for 9 years in a fortified mansion just a stone's throw from its Military Academy in Abbotabad. Almost all the masterminds of 9/11 and 26/11 found refuge in Pakistan. It is the same mentality that denies the existence of a known, Interpol-notified criminal like Dawood Ibrahim within its borders. The whole world knows his whereabouts and even his address in Karachi, but Pakistan will continue to deny any knowledge about him. The same consciousness viewed an ordinary event like the marriage of the Indian Tennis star Sania Mirza to the Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik as some kind of a victory over India, with celebrations in Sialkot touching absurd levels of exhibitionism. The same absurdity was seen recently when Pakistan defeated India for the first time in a World Cup cricket match, forgetting the 12 times that India had beaten them in the past. We also came to know that every time Pakistan lost to India, its demented and depraved citizens exacted their revenge on poor Hindu girls through abductions and rape. That it turned out to be a pyrrhic victory was confirmed when it lost comprehensively in the semi-finals! Right from its first invasion of Jammu & Kashmir in 1947, till today, Pakistan has not reconciled to the idea that the Instrument of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh on 26th October 1947, merging J&K with the Union of India, as a fait accompli. It has mounted many military and terror operations singly, and in cahoots with local political leaders, to somehow wrest this crown from India's head. It succeeded in driving the non-Muslims out of the valley through intimidation, terror, and plain murder. Today, the valley is almost 100% Muslim, and yet, Pakistan has not succeeded in its nefarious designs. Jammu continues to be solidly with India, even though the demography of this region was being surreptitiously altered through the resettlement of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, and through the infamous Roshni Act. The Abdullahs and the Muftis have constantly flirted with Pakistan, but their motivation was always to enjoy the fruits of power, and not merger with the Muslim Ummah of Pakistan. They knew they would be supplanted in a trice and real power would move to Islamabad. The people were happy as they created a Muslim land and benefited financially from various quarters. All that changed from 5th August 2019, though the foundation of this tectonic shift in the fortunes of the region was laid in 2014 with the decisive mandate that Modi received in the General Elections. With the state getting bifurcated into two Union Territories and put in the charge of a Centrally appointed Lt. Governor, the old political families were suddenly put to pasture. The huge structure of patronage they had erected came crumbling down. Though they still controlled the bureaucracy through their amassed wealth, it became difficult for the minions to discharge their obligations without being called to account. A whole new administrative paradigm was coming into existence in which the earlier political masters had no role to play. Kashmiris have made a lot of money during the 30-year siege. Money has poured in from India, Pakistan, Islamic countries, and other entities who were happy to keep the pot boiling in the state. A huge amount of counterfeit currency was pushed into the state by the ISI. Demonetization, of course, removed the last of these sources. Sadly, nothing significant was spent on development. Money went straight into the pockets of political dynasts, a corrupt bureaucracy, and the Terror infrastructure. However, a certain trickle-down effect landed substantial amounts into the pockets of ordinary Kashmiris. You can see this wealth in the booming construction activity all around Srinagar. Paddy fields and apple orchards have been converted into residential areas where huge mansions have come up. Kashmir's original æsthetics have been replaced by consumerist sensibilities, resulting in a sight offensive to the discerning eye. The famous Dal Lake has been reduced to a dirty pond, significantly shrunk due to indiscriminate filling and reclamation for residential properties. Shopping malls and high street shops have multiplied, selling all kinds of consumer goods. The number of cars on the roads has increased many times and traffic is a complete mess. All this I witnessed during my recent visit to Srinagar for a week, in the month of October. I saw a remarkable change in the attitudes of the Kashmiri people in the valley. This visit was exactly after a gap of ten years. In 2011 Hurriyat and the separatists were largely in control of the minds of the local populace, especially the youth. Pakistani propaganda was at a feverish pitch and symbols of radical Islam were prominently visible everywhere. A whole generation of young Kashmiri boys had missed out on education and meaningful employment. These were the cadres that Pakistani proxies recruited for stone-throwing and other terrorist acts in the state. Most young men were illiterate and had a vacant look in their eyes. Abdullahs, Muftis, and the Congress had no interest in bringing the state back from the brink. All they cared for was personal pecuniary gain through corruption of gargantuan proportions. 2014 changed it all; and I would not hesitate to endorse Kangana Ranaut's statement that India became really free in that year. Although the BJP tried to experiment with a coalition government in the state with Mehbooba Mufti, it was an exercise in futility. It had to collapse under its massive contradictions and 5th August 2019 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of not only Jammu and Kashmir, but also of the subcontinent. With the corrupt dynasts out in the cold, Central rule in the two Union Territories has begun to turn the tide. Ladakh has already moved ahead rapidly, and development work in Jammu is proceeding at quick speed. In the valley tourism has bounced back to almost record levels, the recent killings of a few resident Kashmiri Hindus and Bihari migrants, notwithstanding. The death and funeral of S. A. Geelani, till now the face of Pakistan in the valley, went unnoticed and unlamented. There is open resentment against the erstwhile political dynasties, as also against the current Mirwaiz. There's no sympathy for him being under house arrest. Ever since Art 370 was consigned to the dustbin, replacing a corrupt state government by Central rule, people have understood that the dream of "Kashmir banega Pakistan" is never going to be realized. The withdrawal of the Super Powers from Afghanistan has reduced Pakistan to a pauper state, and this realization has now dawned in the consciousness of the Kashmiris. After 30 years of gun-culture the ordinary Kashmiri is now willing to settle down to a normal life and spend the money he has made on daily comforts and on improving his lifestyle. Most educated youngsters had already emigrated to more peaceful parts of the country and overseas. Their parents now realize that these young people will not return as they have made their careers outside the state. Along with the estimated 4 lakh Kashmiri Hindus, a substantial amount of Kashmiri Muslims have left, probably never to return. There's talk of building old-age homes for the elders who have stayed behind and many fear that they may have no one to care for them. Kashmiris have become indolent and are no longer seen working on construction sites or other labour-intensive jobs. These have been left to immigrants from other parts of the country, mainly from Bihar, Jharkhand, and Bengal. So much so that Kashmir is now getting its vegetables from Jammu. I was shocked to learn that a Kashmiri green, locally known as Hāk, once a staple dish in any Kashmiri home, is now being sourced from Jammu. There are no farmers willing to toil in the fields to grow these vegetables. People are growing Broccoli, and other exotic vegetables in their fields, not only for export to other markets, but even for their own consumption. These vegetables were unknown to us when we used to live in Srinagar. Even the famous saffron is now being imported and sold as local produce It's now for India to reclaim the state as the atmosphere is conducive to bringing peace and genuine prosperity. Central rule has removed the corrupt filters in a large measure and people are, by and large, happy with the current state of affairs. They don't want to see the dynasts back in power. But, as of now, there's no real political leadership that could take up the reins of power. The BJP has not yet thrown up a significant leader behind whom the masses would rally. I think Amit Shah, who was in the Union Territory, has also assessed the situation correctly. That's why he said that the question of statehood and elections would be taken up after the completion of the delimitation exercise. Holding elections at this time would be suicidal, as the old dynasts would come back in the absence of a genuine political party and leadership that could replace them. As of now, they have the organizations and the money to influence election results. In my opinion, the UT must continue to be ruled from the Centre for as long as necessary. Lately, there have been some voices coming from Jammu that demand a separation from Kashmir. This is extremely mischievous, and will result in the loss of the valley to retrograde Islamic elements. In my opinion it will be as catastrophic as was the bifurcation of Pakistan. These voices from Jammu are coming from self-serving, politically ambitious entities who want their grubby hands on the reins of power. They could also be sponsored by Break-India forces, just like the ones behind the Khalistan agitation. These voices must be ignored and not allowed to go out of control. Meanwhile, when Imran Khan gets discarded, India should not repeat the mistake of going euphoric when he was "kicked upstairs" by the Pakistan Army. Instead, we must keep all our guards up. Wait and watch is an admirable policy when there is so much uncertainty in the air. Knowing PM Modi, I am sure he will not be rushing to catch a plane to Islamabad, like he did with Nawaz Sharif, only to be betrayed at Pathankot. Let us watch from the wings the coming apart of the last of Churchill's dreams of continuous Imperial rule on the subcontinent through its surrogates in the Congress and the Muslim League. Image source: The Financial Express

Nov 26, 2021
Neela Ranganathan

Ādi Kavi Vālmīki

“The Rāmāyaṇa is among the greatest literary works of the world. In India, it is the source of all literature, the form of all Dharma……” It follows from these words of Prof S. K Rāmachandra Rao that if we don’t know the Rāmāyaṇa, we don’t know India. Yet, apart from the Amar Chitra Katha, TV serial, and family pujas -if one is fortunate, we don’t learn the epic in schools and are hardly stirred to read this important foundation of our culture. This little book Ādikavi Vālmīki, in Kannada, by Prof Rao is an indispensable introduction to the Rāmāyaṇa. It is part of the Birla Foundation series, published by the Bhāratīya Vidya Bhavan, introducing great Sanskrit literary works to contemporary Indians. In the author’s words, “The Upaniṣads, the Bhagavat Gītā, Bādarāyaṇa Sūtras and other Śāstra Prasthānas, stand at a dignified distance, providing succour to those who can go near them. But the Rāmāyaṇa comes to the help of all, like a perennial guiding light illuminating the lives of everyone, at all times.” But, for many serious pursuers the road to this light that is the Rāmāyaṇa gets stymied. On one side, is the traditional reverence for Rāma as an Avatar, where the lofty peaks of Bhakti are indeed enthralling but are silent on the problematic parts of the epic. On the other side, is the loveless abyss with “scholars” and even some popular media flinging epithets of misogyny, patriarchy etc. This book articulates and answers the problems many of us have with the Rāmāyaṇa and inspires us to read it. This article is an attempt to present some crucial points the book makes. Folk origins of the Rāmāyaṇa According to Prof Rao, some scholars say, it was in the 7th century B.C, that Vālmīki composed this epic poem based on an already popular folklore of Rāma. From then on, and by 5th century A.D. the Rāmāyaṇa underwent several changes and attained its current form of 7 kāṇḍas (chapters) in 24,000 shlokas. Prof Rao presents several interesting observations to help us recognize these changes. The Bāla kāṇḍa (first chapter) calls the Rāmāyaṇa as Ṣaṭkandāni – “of 6 chapters”. The Yud'dha kāṇḍa, the sixth chapter, ends logically with the phala śruti which is a traditional ending to a literary work describing the effect of reciting it. The Uttar Rāmāyaṇa starts again after this, Prof Rao says, in an unnatural way disturbing the flow of the work and not matching the other chapters in style. Interestingly, the traditional pārāyaṇa /recitation of the Rāmāyaṇa ends with Rāma’s coronation at the 6th chapter itself. Further, the Bāla kāṇḍas says Rāma is an Avatar and it has the story of Vālmīki and other upakatās making many scholars wonder if these parts are by Vālmīki himself. Except the Uttar kāṇḍas the other kāṇḍas do not have the upakatās. Dasharatha’s Aswamedha, the birth of Rāma, etc that are part of the Bālakāṇḍa are not referenced anywhere else in the Rāmāyaṇa. For example, the Bāla kāṇḍas says Lakṣmaṇa married Ūrmiḷā and brought her to Ayōdhyā. But curiously, there is no mention of Ūrmiḷā when Lakṣmaṇa follows Rāma to the forest. ““When later Śūrpanaka tries to seduce Rāma, he says, “why don’t you approach my brother, he is not married yet,”- would Rāma lie even in jest?”” Prof Rao concurs with scholars who say that, if we ignore the later additions, we can see the original form of the Rāmāyaṇa. The Ayōdhyā kāṇḍa, Araṇya kāṇḍa, Kiṣkinda kāṇḍa and Sundara kāṇḍa seem to have remained as they are –having a narrative which flows unobstructed without unrelated insertions. Rāma as the ideal human being Importantly to Prof Rao, this original form shows that, Vālmīki regards Rāma as a human being and never goes overboard in his descriptions to impose a Godhood on him. ““Doesn’t Vālmīki get Rāma to say, “Ātmānām mānuṣam manye” ……. I am but a mere mortal”?” This is an exhortation to the uprooted, to begin reading the Rāmāyaṇa as the story of a literary hero who walked the path of dharma, whose magnanimous qualities and exceptional response to challenges made him an ideal man. These are the very reasons for which he became venerated inspiring countless writers and saints in countless tongues. This approach eases many of the sceptical questions that some of us tie ourselves in knots over. At present, we extend an openness towards Shakespeare that we deny Valmiki! Uttar kāṇḍa and Agniparīkṣā Much to my relief, these two most problematic portions of the Rāmāyaṇa, are categorically denounced by Prof Rao. “The Uttar kāṇḍa is a bundle of lies that would put Vālmīki to shame. Whoever wrote and added this to the Rāmāyaṇa has no sense of propriety. It makes him (the brave hero with a character worthy of emulation) do things that he is not capable of and ought not to be doing. It is evident that in the ancient popular Rāma’s story Uttar kāṇḍa did not exist.” Many scholars claim the Uttar kāṇḍa took form after the 4th century AD and is influenced by the Padma purana. It is not found in the Rāmāyaṇa translations in the Chinese and Java languages which happened before the 3rd century. The Garuda purana and Skāṇḍa purana do not have the Uttar Rāmāyaṇa or the Agniparīkṣā episodes. The author enumerates several distortions that support this view. After Rāvaṇa dies in the Yud'dha kāṇḍa his story reappears in detail in the Uttar kāṇḍa and so does the birth of Hanumān. There is no connection between this and Rāma’s story even in style or narration. The story of Lava and Kuśa too, the author adds, is certainly a later addition. Kushilava-s is the name given to wandering bards in Sanskrit. It is these entertainers who took the Rāmāyaṇa to the masses in every corner of the country adding their own music, flavours, and folktales from the local culture. In the Uttar Rāmāyaṇa, when people hear the recitation of Rāma’s story by Lava and Kusha, they remark, “An age-old story has come back to life again!” indicating that the Rāmāyaṇa was already a popular story for several generations, by the time of Vālmīki. Prof Rao is unequivocal that the disturbing episode of Sīta’s Agniparīkṣā, does not align with the grace of Rāma’s character, nor of the epic. “That Rāma would doubt Sīta’s chastity and ask her to choose someone else is unacceptable and shocking to anyone!” Whoever is familiar with the characters of Rāma and Sīta and their love for each other, would find this unbelievable. ““While instigating Rāvaṇa against Rāma, Akampana says, “You will not be able to kill Rāma in battle, but if you kidnap his beautiful wife, he will die of a heartbreak on his own.”” ““That Sīta enters the fire and then Brahma reminds Rāma, “She is Lakshmi, and you are Vishnu in human form”, is laughable. There is a phala ślōka added here underlining that it is a later addition.”” Historical background to the Rāmāyaṇa “Was Rāma a historical figure?”, is not asked by the Indian mind but by western thinkers, says Prof Rao. To the Indian mind Rāma has always been, an ideal man, an Avatāra puruṣa worthy of worship, emulation, and the role model of an ideal family life. History and culture of the period invariably get woven into the epic and this part of the book dispels many common fallacies. “Our people consider the Rāmāyaṇa as poetry and the Mahābhārata as Itihāsa, leading some western scholars to think that the Mahābhārata occurred while the Rāmāyaṇa is imaginary. But tradition never questions the occurrence of Rāma Rāvaṇa Yud'dha……Vālmīki may have taken poetic liberties with the story of Rāma, but that Rāma walked the earth, was never in doubt. There are several independent narratives of the story of Rāma, including the Buddhist text Daśaratha jaṭakā”. Rāma of the Ikṣavāku dynasty, belonged to the Āryāvarta, the region above the Vindhyās, where the Vedic religion had taken root and the Ikṣavākus were its leading figures. The Rākṣasas, despite poetic exaggerations, were of human nature too. “When Rāvaṇa was killed, it was only one head that fell!” The Rāmāyaṇa shows the Rākṣasas as practitioners of Tantra, and worshippers Shiva. Practices such as cannibalism! excessive drinking and promiscuity, naturally put them at odds with the Vedic traditions and clashes were common. “Rāvaṇa kills Kubera’s emissary and asks his Rākṣasas to eat him!...... Tataki tried to eat Vishwamitra himself!” And it was then that Vishwamitra sought the help of Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa to protect the rishis. But the Rāma-Rāvaṇa battle was not a culture war. Rāvaṇa himself was a voluntary follower of the Vedic religion, performing the Vedic rituals sincerely. Vālmīki portrays him with dignity, as a brave warrior, a Mahānubhāva, who did not know who Rama was until instigated by Śūrpanaka. He fell because he left the path of dharma and joined hands with adharma. That the Rākṣasas were described as dark skinned did not mean they were not beautiful – Rāvaṇa is “sundara”, and his wife Mandodari is “surasundari”, - a celestial beauty. The Vānaras, who were forest people living below the Vindhyās, helped the princes of the north who were unfamiliar with the south, locate Sīta. That they were forest folk, loving drink and dance did not mean they were without culture. - “Let’s not forget that Hanumān, a singer, pundit and an astute minister was a Vānara.” Conclusion Prof Rao’s love for the Valmiki Ramayana helps us appreciate why this epic has inspired a whole civilisation. What greater gift can be given to an Indian than the access to the fountain head of Indian culture, that is the Rāmāyaṇa? There are, of course many ways to approach the Rāmāyaṇa. As Prof Rao himself tells us – some of these arguments presented are contested bitterly- “like the Mahābhārata war”. Some scholars argue that the Uttar Rāmāyaṇa is indeed the original work of Vālmīki and so on. Read the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa and decide for yourself, is Prof Rao’s gentle nudge. Image provided by the author.