Preface
This is a story of a pretty girl called Mira. She lived with her old father in a beautiful village. She had two cousins, Indra and Islam, who lived in the same village, on either side of her house. And both of them had an eye on her. Mira, however, wanted to marry Azad, a charming young man who had recently come in their village. When the cousins made their proposal, she politely declined and said that she loved someone else. This refusal infuriated both, since each wanted to have her. Both used to brag around and claim that it was he whom she loved, and quarreled with each other. She had become a question of honor for them. "How dare she like someone else?", their fists clenched.
One night, mad with passion, Islam broke into her house to abduct her. Her poor old father woke up and cried for help. Indra immediately rushed in and offered his hand, on a condition that Mira would have to marry her protector. Helpless with anxiety and terror, the old man acquiesced. And what happened that night was to haunt her for years to come.
Everyone in village had guessed that marriage will settle everything. But marriages hardly ever settle anything. Marriages that are labeled successful just serve to hide and quieten things. This marriage, however, was not even successful, and so things were not hidden or quietened. Even 10 years after that fateful night, Mira was unable to forget her old love, even if her husband found her sentiments for Azad disgraceful and ridiculous. But her fondness for him was still there, at least partly, due to her husband only who never had any feelings for her, except that of an ownership. And in order to protect this ownership, he had kept her confined in a house, which was fenced by barbed wire and guarded by armed men, who felt free to do whatever they like if she tried to run away, or in alibi of the same.
Meanwhile, Islam, seething with insult and jealousy, and aided by his brother's enemies, sneaked around and threatened to gate-crash. This gave Indra quite a presentable reason to keep his wife immured, in name of her security.
The real reason, however, was dark and sinister. With time, the distrust and enmity between the two brothers had grown so much that Indra was afraid that Islam and his goons might try to intrude upon his land and property. Mira kept him well occupied, and thereby served as a buffer between the two sides and bore the brunt of Islam's aggression. What hurt her more, though, was Indra's indifference.
Meanwhile some kind-hearted women had visited the chief of village and raised their concern for poor Mira. As soon as this was made an issue, old graves were disinterred and Islam jumped in to make the most of it - to play the legal game and try his luck again. On the other hand, for every question asked, Indra had a ready made answer - Mira was legally married to him and so she was an inseparable part of his family. Most of the folks, especially Indra's kins, found this argument beyond any doubt or debate.
The case still goes on. The shrewd chief uses this case to manipulate the brothers and to meet his own ends. Mira still lives in that house with gloom and despair. But when she sleeps, she dreams of walking freely again some day, out in open, with Azad by her side.
One night, mad with passion, Islam broke into her house to abduct her. Her poor old father woke up and cried for help. Indra immediately rushed in and offered his hand, on a condition that Mira would have to marry her protector. Helpless with anxiety and terror, the old man acquiesced. And what happened that night was to haunt her for years to come.
Everyone in village had guessed that marriage will settle everything. But marriages hardly ever settle anything. Marriages that are labeled successful just serve to hide and quieten things. This marriage, however, was not even successful, and so things were not hidden or quietened. Even 10 years after that fateful night, Mira was unable to forget her old love, even if her husband found her sentiments for Azad disgraceful and ridiculous. But her fondness for him was still there, at least partly, due to her husband only who never had any feelings for her, except that of an ownership. And in order to protect this ownership, he had kept her confined in a house, which was fenced by barbed wire and guarded by armed men, who felt free to do whatever they like if she tried to run away, or in alibi of the same.
Meanwhile, Islam, seething with insult and jealousy, and aided by his brother's enemies, sneaked around and threatened to gate-crash. This gave Indra quite a presentable reason to keep his wife immured, in name of her security.
The real reason, however, was dark and sinister. With time, the distrust and enmity between the two brothers had grown so much that Indra was afraid that Islam and his goons might try to intrude upon his land and property. Mira kept him well occupied, and thereby served as a buffer between the two sides and bore the brunt of Islam's aggression. What hurt her more, though, was Indra's indifference.
Meanwhile some kind-hearted women had visited the chief of village and raised their concern for poor Mira. As soon as this was made an issue, old graves were disinterred and Islam jumped in to make the most of it - to play the legal game and try his luck again. On the other hand, for every question asked, Indra had a ready made answer - Mira was legally married to him and so she was an inseparable part of his family. Most of the folks, especially Indra's kins, found this argument beyond any doubt or debate.
The case still goes on. The shrewd chief uses this case to manipulate the brothers and to meet his own ends. Mira still lives in that house with gloom and despair. But when she sleeps, she dreams of walking freely again some day, out in open, with Azad by her side.
Freedom: Theirs and Ours
We often need some degree of impartiality to see the truth, and literature provides us that. As story readers, we are in a better position to see the human side of a situation than the characters; as in case of Mira better than her husband and her husband's kins, whose sights are blinded by passion and selfishness. The story of Mira is just a preface to this article, and just an attempt to prepare the reader to approach the presented perspective with more patience and tolerance. Ananya Vajpeyi, the writer, tries to sensitize us, the Indian readers, towards Kashmiri people and urges us to look towards their pains and their sentiments for Azadi more sympathetically, which is not easy to come by otherwise.
Though I do not subscribe to everything that has been written there, and I have strong reservations against some of the arguments, I would still admit that this article gives us a new perspective to look at the old problem. The writer unsettles our thoughts and compels us to question our long-held assumptions and beliefs. What is a nation - land or people? - or an agreement that holds a group of people, who cluster together because of some unique commonalities? Should breach of this agreement - demand to make a separate nation - be permitted? Permitted by whom? Why should someone have rights to control others' freedom? And when? There are too many questions. We'll have to think, and we have to think about our thinking. We'll have to ask ourselves - what are the principles we live by, and we have to assess whether they are consistent with contemporary social context as well as with eternal human values. We have to think to save what is human in us - for what are we left with if we lose our soul?
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