Hi Manish, Mharaj, Sandeep and our latest visitor Aastha,
I must say I have a very good chance of being in the Guiness Book of Records for being the blog-admin who had taken this long a hiatus (professional and personal reasons kept me away). Apologies for the same. I am sure in between, there have been discussions / arguments and at times slanders thrown in either direction which is not acceptable.
Now onwards, I promise to be a bit more regular. Since it’s day 1 after a long break for me, so I may not be able to respond to many comments but still would like to express my point of view on some of the questions raised or some comments posted here by visitors.
I have always encouraged healthy discussions on this blog but it does seem to me, that quite often this blog is used by some people to just vent out their sentiment here – whether or not it makes any connection to the post. That is what has been happening of late, many of us indulging in mud-slinging and I must say in certain cases, things mentioned could not be far from the reality.
I do not necessarily have to agree with everyone’s views and have really liked people sharing their views even if it doesn’t conform to the stereotyped image. For example my last post which was about the influx of non-Kashmiri labourers to Kashmir, the discussion was quite a healthy one and surprisingly one Kashmiri Muslim (who had this strange fantasy of working in Srinagar Airport) while hitting the keys from the land of Uncle Sam was vehemently opposing every thought of asking Bihari labourers to leave Kashmir.
Fair enough, if he is indeed a Kashmiri he is entitled to have his opinion as I do. And he has a right to say whether or not he wants Bihari migrants to set up their abode in Kashmir, Now whether or not it happens is entirely a different story.
But the same post has been totally hijacked by some blog visitors and all they have been doing is posting material to demean the other community and then in the same breath comment how the quality of this blog has gone down. I would like to remind them, a place visited by everyone is as good or as bad as the people who grace it by their presence. Once something is public (as I am happy to say this blog is with no restriction on the relevant content you want to post) it stops being an individual responsibility. One who likes to just spew venom, may he kindly excuse the fellow bloggers here.
One of our bloggers opines that carrying Trishuls in hand is not an offence at all – I guess it suits him that he calls himself an avenger. I wonder why he needs one. Needless to say I am not sure that post can stay long. If you want to avenge, please do so, but not here.
Hopefully, the avenger sees reason in discussing and not avenging. An age old saying .. An eye for eye leaves the whole world blind… A Trishul for a gun, though no match but damages equally.
Till we see each other again.
Juz A Kashmiri
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I am surprised to see you back and looks like ready to take off from where you left blogging. I don’t know why you used my example to say that people use this blog of yours to vent their sentiments…. If you think I am one of them you are grossly mistaken. I was just trying to make a point and trying to do so logically by replying to or rebutting your claims which largely seemed to stem from your xenophobic and exclusivist ideology. How else can you fail to see the simple fact that you want “ kashmir for kashmiri’s” and cry hoarse when “ Mumbai for marathas” (or lately “ Quit Jammu” ) agitation is launched are at odds. You try to use petty tools like job losses, social impact of bihari influx and the taxes you pay and the money you spend to make Mumbai more prosperous etc , etc. Like i have said before they would not come to Kashmir if people really did not want them to. You might want to talk to some klin owners, fruit growers and farmers etc to get a peek at some ground realities. I also remember you mentioning imposing some sort of restrictions or regulations but I bet you wont be happy if the same restrictions or regulations are imposed on you in the rest of India.
I don’t know why my being a Kashmiri and a muslim surprises you……..Am I supposed to parrot your xenophobic rants to prove myself to be one? Yes I do have opinions and I do vocalize them but it seems what you have are not opinions but ‘ double-standards’ you want to work in Mumbai or elsewhere in India, but you don’t want people to come to Kashmir to work. Now you may try to spin it whichever way you want, it is the strark reality and the sooner you see it the better coz you know what, people are losing lives because of this rhetoric unleashed by psuedo intellectuals like you (the latest killings at the Batamaloo bus stand, to remind you).
Regards
Sajad
Sajad,
Nice to see you back. I am sorry to say this but I am a firm believer of the fact that things which are far too obvious need not be mentioned, otherwise you start making fun of others’ intelligence. But your comments have made me realize that not all are equal, so there I have edited the post to clearly put in words what should have been implied.
Take for example your this comment
“I don’t know why you used my example to say that people use this blog of yours to vent their sentiments…. If you think I am one of them you are grossly mistaken
I fail to understand how you have come to the conclusion that you have been criticised in this post, If you happen to read it again (even without the now inserted explanations) you will get the facts more straight (How I wish you did it in first place). In fact, I was pointing to other comments about the post with no reference to the subject – everyone seemed to be so much against Kashmiris who have been desiring something which in civilised societies can be considered to be a basic human right.
Without being too obvious I had complimented you for being different than the stereotypical Kashmiri Muslim (which I am happy to be to some extent).
I have no idea as to why you are questioning me about the blast at the Batamaloo Bus Stand, To me it seems a question from one of my fellow Indian friends who are totally unconnected to the reality.
Xenophobic rants – For the uninitiated, “Xenophobia is a fear or contempt of that which is foreign or unknown, especially of strangers or foreign people”. Fear or contempt… Can you show me one example where in I have mentioned that throw out Biharis because I hate them or I fear them. I had given point by point rebuttal to your assertions, If you have again failed to understand the obvious, Allah knows what you’ll not.
Ya how can I miss it, Restrictions on Kashmiris. I have no reason to doubt it now, that you are living in some dreamland and commenting about things from there. Isn’t it always very easy, just like our dear Omar Abdullah speaks about mosques being used in ’90s to drive out Pandits.. he too wasn’t in Kashmir that time and yet seems to give almost an eye-witness account on the situation as it was then.
Next time you come from US and happen to be in Delhi, try to get a room in a hotel in Delhi without mentioning you are from the land of Yankees, You’ll realise what being a Kashmiri means in India. Tariq Dar, have you forgotten him? That is a Kashmiri in India for you.
Juz A Kashmiri
Interseting read. I do not normally habitate these forums, but I was looking for a very old friend from kashmir on the net, and happened to chance on your blog.
I did not read or hear Omar Abdullah’s interview, but I am surprised that you, with your numerous assertions of being logical, are ready to contradict him.
I was there. December 1990. We were an enclave of five hindu families surrounded by saffron/paddy fields with some villages at a distance. One day, (the offices, schools etc were all closed by then) we heard a large mob shouting slogans (religious and threatning to hindu communities). We were sure that there was a large mob coming to attack us. The sloganeering lasted the entire night, while all of us were cowering in fear. The same was repeated the next night and the night after that. It was only after a few days we came to know that the slogans were pre-recorded and were being played on the local mosques speakers. Our “friendly’ neighbours came over and advised us to leave as an attack was imminent. We were forced to leave in the back of a truck, in the middle of the night.
I guess you would call us cowards, but when you have young girls in your family, you don’t take chances.
TO, MR SAJJAD,COOLY SPEAKING IF BIHARI WHETHER THEY ARE HINDUS OR MUSLIMS I DO NOT CARE SETTLE IN LARGE NUBERS IN KASHMIR THAN IT IS THE RIGHT OF KASHMIRIS TO FEEL ALARMED.HOWEVER BLANKET BAN ON THEM ONLY SERVES TO HIGHLIGHT XENOPHOBIC ISLAM OF OUTSIDERS WHO HAVE THEMSELVES COME FROM OUTSIDE AND ARE DEMANDING THAT NO ONE ELSE OTHER THAN MUSLIM HAS THE RIGHT TO SETTLE IN KASHMIR.THEIR IS NOTHING WRONG IF KASHMIRIS WANT TO MAINTAIN PARTICULAR CULTURE BUT THAT NEED NOT BE FORCIBILY THRUST ON KASHMIRIS. IDEALLY AMERICA IS A DEMOCRATIC STATE AND LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE CHANCE TO GO THERE.MAY BE THEIR IS UNWRITTEN RULE THAT CHRISTIAN DOMINATION SHOULD BE MAINTAINED BUT IT IS NOT DONE IN SUCH A WAY THAT OTHERS ARE MAINTAINED TO LOOK OUTSIDERS