Vikram Balraj Singh
History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children.
Nelson Mandela
The eyes of 14-year-old Morik Mehraj from Bandipora have been awaiting the return of his father. His father, late Mehraj Din Reshi was killed by the terrorists in 2010. Morik's world turned upside down as his father was the only bread earner in the family. His voice trembles as he recalls that fateful day when he lost his father. His mother had to send him to an orphanage as she had no source of income to take care of her only son. Since then, a local NGO, Universal Education Trust, Bandipora, run by Farookh Ahmed Bhat has been supporting Morik's education and upbringing. Today he aspires to become a professional footballer and make his mother proud.
Sadly, Morik’s story is not a unique one and has been repeated in different forms through troubled childhoods of thousands of children in Kashmir growing up under the shadow of terrorism. The terrorism that started in 1989 had devastating effect on the normal lives of people living in Kashmir which was once called ”Paradise on Earth”. The biggest brunt was faced by the underprivileged in the society and orphans were among the worst affected. Multiple surveys and studies over several years have shown that out of the many orphan or semi orphan children in Kashmir, only a fraction have access to any relief or support through the institutional channel funded by government while a majority are at the mercy of society at large or a few good Samaritans like Mr Farookh Ahmed Bhat.
Most of these orphan or abandoned children of conflict and terrorism in Kashmir are forced to survive in this harsh world on their own without any support system, with nowhere to go, no one to love and at times even no idea where to get food from. Losing their parents at such a tender age has a huge negative impact on their mental health. They are predisposed to various psychiatric illnesses such as anxiety and stress related disorders which affect their growth and development as an ideal citizen.The kids suffer from various phobias – fear of darkness being the most common. Psychologists say that it comes from the idea that their parents are in a dark place, the grave. The children have genuine emotional needs and most of them suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Orphans in Kashmir are emotionally more vulnerable and loss of a parent exposes a child to psychological disturbances which sometimes also lead to criminal tendencies in them.
This however does not mean that the children lack ability, dream and a will to succeed. If given a healthy atmosphere and a support system, many of them would be able to harness the forced toughness they have gained due to the unfortunate circumstances they come from to excel in whatever fields they choose. The need of the hour are modern well-funded orphanages which are able to give a fresh start to these children and provide a strong support system to make them feel secure. These kids deserve sympathy and affirmative action in some form, if only from the voice of conscience that resides deep within us.
Coming to Bandipora where I have first-hand experience, there are several good Samaritans who have taken upon themselves to come to the service of such underprivileged children. Universal Education Trust located in Bandipora, has been providing free education including free books and uniforms to 200 orphan or semi orphan children. Jammu and Kashmir Yateem Trust, Bandipora is another shining light in this noble effort. It was established by late Ghulam Nabi fondly called ‘Dada Sir’ by the children. The trust has been working relentlessly for the last 29 years for providing nourishing environment to the orphans in the area. The trust’s selfless service has also contributed towards the education of orphan girls. The famous Darul-Ulm-Rahimiya Madarsa also runs an orphanage to support children and impart theological knowledge to them.
The Indian Army has been at the forefront of identifying such children from weaker sections of the society and providing them with basic necessities such as books, stationary and sports kits while also organizing cultural events for them to showcase their talents. A few exceptionally talented children from extremely weak background have also been granted scholarships for furthering their studies and excellence.
There have been some efforts over the years by the government to work for the betterment of orphans and the underprivileged children but terrorism affected uncertain atmosphere had precluded any sustained concerted efforts. It goes without saying that the day terrorism is uprooted from Kashmir the speed of development will multiply and shall pave way for a better life for orphans in Kashmir and mold them into good citizens. With the rapid pace of development in past one year and the rate at which terrorism is being rooted out, a ray of hope for a better future for these orphan children and the orphanages of Kashmir is a reality.
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