A graveyard is the final resting place for us. It is a place for eternal slumber of the mortal remains. The world is left behind for all who are buried here but ironically, the world follows them here too. Go to any graveyard and the size of the grave, its condition, its location, quality of marble used etc will tell you the social standing the departed soul had during his living years. In Kashmir, graveyards have another peculiarity in form of ‘caste restrictions’ on burial. While all Muslims are equals, in Kashmir, their ‘caste’ follows them even after death. Another thing that is ironical is the concept of ‘shaheed’ (martyr). A policeman who was shot while on duty is not a shaheed but the one who killed him by firing him on his back ‘is’. An innocent teacher, sarpanch or a politician killed by the terrorists are not shaheeds but the separatists who orchestrated their killings on orders from across ‘are’. The discrimination thus follows you even after death and while living it was part of your life in any case.
Our bereavement is also selective and so are our condolences. Dastardly incidents of terrorists throwing grenades in public area, killing and maiming scores of innocents is not criticized but government forces will face biting criticism for placing a barrier to check the movement of these terrorists. We are not bothered if someone dies in the neighbourhood…..we just want our homes and hearth safe. We condemn violence in a partisan manner. We do not dare to condemn terrorist violence but may celebrate death of security personnel. When a society collectively accepts selective violence against ‘some’ as a norm, it embarks on a path of no return and ultimately violence engulfs everyone. It is like the inferno which does not know how to differentiate between two adjoining houses.
Coming back to discrimination after death; the funerals are also a stark example of the same. Many people are somehow “not able to reach” for the funerals of innocents killed by a terrorist. The case may be opposite however in case of the funeral of the same terrorist where the crowds will swell. You will also find separatists and radicals blatantly misusing the occasion to pick up cannon fodder from the crowd by delivering fiery hate speeches.
For us, everything during life and after that is a saga of discrimination. While untimely death is a tragic thing, least to say, for us the same may be an opportunity to celebrate, depending on who dies.
As a society, we are divided on the lines of castes, social status and beliefs during and after life..…so what kind of Azaadi were we looking for anyway? And some of us say ‘hum ko hamare haal par chhor do’….meaning, let us live the way we are living. In other words, let us enjoy our comfort zones….and let there be violence till our families are safe..... let terrorists kill and maim others and may our kith and kin remain secure. It does not matter who you call or not call a shaheed, for us, our cocoons are the only concern. Our so called leaders do not call for peace…. they do not denounce violence. Many of them are opportunists and will swing to the more profitable side. There are no parties or groups or clubs or fronts calling for peace.
In all this darkness, there was a glimmer of hope when people conducted peace marches and candle light vigils voluntarily in memory of the killed policemen. May God give strength to these brave men and women and may the opportunists learn something from them.
Let us not play with the pious term ‘shaheed’. Let whims, fancies, fears, timidity, social biases not come in the way of honoring our dead. Violence in any form is condemnable. Let us gather the courage to denounce violence.
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