Rendezvous WITH NAMO December 1ST , 2013

Rendezvous WITH NAMO December 1ST , 2013

We humans gather experiences in the form of events and incidents of life and these in turn formulate our opinion which eventually leads to conduct. Being a part of this exiled community, our lives have been eventful thus experiences have never eluded us. They are part and parcel of our lives and have shaped our conduct to a larger extent. Today again was a day of yet another experience and shaping, and I must acknowledge that I had my set of prejudices connected with this rally and they were heavily loaded in favour of Sh Narender Modi, whom, in the succeeding lines, I shall address as my hero or more preferably NaMo.

I was accompanied by a person younger than my age, but much more season and experienced than anyone double my age.  He has been my mentor on issues concerning our community, but I am a kind of entity who believes in taking a first-hand experience on most of the issues. I have done it in past, am going to do this today and in future as well. Having said this, I still hold the views and opinion of this person very seriously, however, today, I decided to put his views on rally at a back burner.

As the event progressed, I could see the local BJP leaders raising their voice and concern for a horde of issues miring our state, issues regarding rights, plights, agony of west Pakistan refugee, Shia's of Kargil, Boarder migrants and people, Ladhakis , and Yes, I could also hear them speak about the gruesome murder of Sarabjeet Singh and Chamail Singh orchestrated by Pakistan in their jails. The lack lustre response of the state govt and those at helm in centre came under severe criticism. Leaders one after the other were boosting about the presence of 5000 members of Muslim fraternity from valley. Amidst all this and further swelling of the stadium, the chants and roars for NaMo were growing louder and louder. I was wondering, how could any of the leaders on the dais forget to utter even a word about my exiled community which has lived amongst them for last 23 years and who currently comprise a very important constituent of the Jammu society. My belief was thinning as the leaders one by one were culminating their address. Strange thoughts were creeping in and I was thinking if the sacrifices made by all the mentioned communities were so great and profound that an easy miss could be given to this exiled community. I was repeatedly training my mind with the thought that these leaders after all have to leave something for NaMo to deliberate upon. They are purposely giving a miss to the plight and pathos of my community, since, I had always believed that Pandit and their plight is a trump card in the hands this nation, and best is always used with care and caution.

I had now pinned my hopes upon my hero to deliver not on pandits but pass a terse message to all those who are hell bent to bleed India through thousand cuts, to balkanise India, to terrorise India and finally to those who blackmail India by keeping the bogey of separatism alive. After some while my wait came to end, and we could see NaMo suddenly appearing on the dais with Sh Rajnath Singh. The euphoria and the ecstasy of the crown was a sight which we always desire to behold in our imagination. People seemed to have gone crazy and wild. This ecstasy had enveloped me as well, and chants and yells came out of my conscious mind.

As it took a while to settle down things, I again got submerged in my thoughts. Lolz! Here is my hero, the hero for whom, I had created an event on face book and made sure it reached far and wide on social media. The hero who I believe has that innate capability to change the destiny of this nation, and putting it in the words of NaMo, transform this nation from the state of begger-hood  to Better-hood.

My cherished desire to listen to our future PM had to rest for a while as the party president Sh Rajnath ji stood up to deliver a customary speech. I found a resonance of the same speech delivered by local BJP leaders. He too boosted off about the presence of valley Muslims, was very concerned about the voting rights of west pakistand and POK refugees, discussed at length Sarabjeet and Chamail Singh. And yes, in the foot notes he did mention something about the rehabilitation of Pandits, but in a very cursory manner, seemed as if he had been advised or rather say tutored about not dabbling in detail about this languishing community. Though my confidence was thinning and my conscious mind was ringing alarm bells in my sub conscious, yet, I had pinned great hopes with the man of the moment, our hero, our NaMo to speak on issues very dear to the heart of a nationalist.

And then, our wishes were granted, NaMo stood up to deliver his address to a vast and mammoth gathering. NaMo along expected lines and in a manner befitting a person aspiring to be the PM of India covered all the aspects and issues affecting the common man, economy, unemployment, inflation, our weak-kneed approach to our ever aggressive neighbours. Every thing, I must say, but I could also see the same resonance of speech which I saw in previous speakers. NaMo too showed his concerns about Shai's of Kargil, People of Ladakh, West Pakistan and Pok refugees, Sarabjit, Chamail Singh, Gujjars, and yes! a new addition - Saba, the sister of Omar Abdullah, who lost her rights of inheritance after marrying to a non-state actor, Oops! A non-state subject.

Trying to keep myself fixed and glued to chair, and desirous of hearing at least the same 'passing remark' about the plight and pathos of Pandits, I was shocked instead by something which I least expected from my hero. NaMo started emulating Vajpayee ji by branding his formula as the only solution to K-issue. He went on to say, Insaaniyat  (Humanity), Jamhooriyat ( Democracy), and Kashmiryat , the three pillars upon which the resolution of Kashmir has to be reached. Lolz! was I hearing this farce notion again. The word Kashmiryat, reminiscent of torture, pain, heart-breaks, genocide and perpetual exiled state of this community. And my hero was trying to make me believe there is no other way out. That the Pandits must again be held up at the altar of Kashmiryat and sacrificed to uphold the Indian nationhood in KAshmir, and to further upon the plans of holding on to Kashmir through the sacrifices of Pandits. No way! This resilient Batta in me was feeling humiliated, let down, and completely shattered. Now, I was reading the events of the rally in continuity of what Indian state has been doing  post Independence in Kashmir and with Kashmiri Pandits.

I again feel it pertinent to mention that I being a Kashmiri Pandit had attached least personal {read community} with this rally, since, whatever I was doing was in a state of sleflessness, however, being a mortal, I too now began to think, when sacrifices, plight, pain of other communities can find mention in the speech of all the leaders, why this humble pandit is always ignored and forgotten. Why the sacrifices made by pandits to uphold the Indian Nation and Indian state in Kashmir amidst all odds, humiliations, conversion , mass murders and exiles are so conveniently brushed under the carpet and ignored. Are Pandits so unwanted?

But then, I got the answers from the same conscious mind which until now sitting on the edge of chair to stand up in endorsement and affirmation of what NaMo said. Buddy! You are not a vote bank, thus completely dispensable and unwanted. But again as they say, it is the poor which keeps his conscience alive. My sub conscious mind jolted my conscious one and delivered a verdict.

Let this be the last sacrifice this humble Pandit is making, Let us not let NaMo down. Let us still act selflessly caring least if NaMo remembers us or not. Still as a staunch nationalists  least caring about the self of our community, we will selflessly continue to work as his soldiers. The lines of Pablo Neruda fit in the milieu of things, "Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer; and these the last lines I write for her".