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Homeward bound!

Mohammed Yakub

Despite everything, despite the glamour and glitter that Bombay offers, these lads are definitely not enamoured by the city. Twenty-odd days into their stay in the megalopolis and they are already preparing for their trip home.

For one, they have not got used the grime and dirt that is so intrinsic to the city of Bombay. And, according to them, there is no shortage of basic amenities in Kashmir. In fact, people do not beg on the streets there like they do in Bombay.

The family income in Kashmir is supplemented by the women who are chiefly involved in creating the fine Kashmiri embroidery. Life, for a young Kashmiri woman, is similar to that of any young Muslim woman brought up in a traditional Muslim household. Except that, for her, the parameters of a normal and sane life veer as the violence ebbs and flows. So much so that several Kashmiri girls are also known to be involved in the militant movement and can use the AK 47 as expertly as their male counterparts.

Overtly, though, the normal family rules apply. Smoking and drinking are not allowed at home. "Even if somebody drinks," explains Yakub, "he does not go home for at least two days."

Certain other things, that now constitute part of the normal life in Kashmir, still remain the same. The daily curfew that begins at seven in the evening and ends at six every morning still continues. This curfew first made its appearance in 1989, when the militancy problem aggravated in the valley-state.

Curfew means that most people cannot even think of venturing outside the confines of their home during this period. In the event of an emergency, any visit anywhere after 7 pm means trekking to the nearest bunker where the army or the BSF is housed. After being checked thoroughly, and depending on availability of an escort car and "a sympathetic inspector in-charge", you may or may not reach your destination.

What has also not changed are chilling accounts of BSF "atrocities" and the ultimate fear of being caught in an army cross-fire.

Mohammed Ashraf, 20, who has been in the handloom business since the last 10 years, says, "From the moment I leave my home every morning, my mother keeps her fingers crossed, desperately pleading with God that her son returns home safe and sound at the end of the day."

Disruptions also occur when the army conducts house-to-house searches, normally after reports of unknown people firing at the police. According to the three, any kind of firing at the army results in an intensive house-to house search. Every male member of the locality is then rounded up and made to stand outside on an open ground until the identification process of the likely persons involved is complete.

"The army which rounds up people even opens the plasters of wounds to check if the injury is real. During this period, nobody is allowed to even lift a leg. You have to even urinate standing. In the night, gun shots or rifle shots are heard and next morning we learn that 10 people have been shot dead. Nobody is even sure if the people were involved," they say.

Ashraf and Yakub say that several youngsters in the age-group of 8-15 have been lodged in jail due to suspected involvement with terrorists. Ashraf, who was once jailed for four months, says that he was picked up when four terrorists forcibly got into the auto-rickshaw that he was driving, which was later nabbed by the police.

When reminded that the situation in Kashmir was after all abnormal due to full-blown terrorism, and it was this situation that necessitated such harsh measures, he shrugs his shoulders and clams up. So do the others. They appear bored with the quizzing. It was Id (an important Muslim festival), they were missing their families and were keen to call home and speak to them.

Last year, Id was not celebrated in the whole of Kashmir. The army, suspecting a major insurgency drive, had ordered a bandh (forced closure of shops and establishments). They are not sure if Id will be celebrated next year, they only hope that some kind of celebration will take place.

In fact, Kashmiris do not have too many occasions for celebration. Or, to be more specific, let's only refer to the Kashmiri Muslims. They, we are told, do not celebrate either Republic Day or Independence Day - a pointer to the fact that they do not consider themselves a part of this country.

But their love for Kashmir is great - and intense. Whatever the cost, personal or otherwise, these three boys are not willing to quit their state. For them, there is nothing in the world more beautiful than Kashmir; there is no other place they can call home.