16.8.08

Jammu and Kashmir - celebrate freedom separately

Update: There is a note of appeal on the humanitarian crisis in J&K. Please read it my other blog. It gives a detailed picture.

Here is the news for you – different takes...

“Tricolour at 8 am, flags of separatists at 4 pm,” shouted the front page headline in The Times of India.

At exactly 8 am on Independence Day,the CRPF hoisted the tricolour at Lal Chowk in the heart of Srinagar.At 3.45 pm, Lal Chowk wore a totally different look. Hundreds of sloganshouting protesters swarmed the area and at 4 pm they planted flags of the Jamaat-e-Islami (which looks like the Pakistani flag) and those of terrorist outfit Hizb-ul Mujahideen on top of the same tower where the Indian flag had been hoisted.

If one were to go by the symbolism of the spectacle at Lal Chowk, the Valley’s alienation from the Indian Union seemed complete. One of the slogans of the protesters—“Jiyo, jiyo Pakistan, hum hain Pakistani’’—drove home the message. Among other slogans that rent the air were “Islam zindabad’’, “Lad ke lenge azadi’’ and “Allah-u-Akbar’’.

The report went on to state:

“They were aggressive in their gestures, but did not resort to violence.”

What do you expect protesters to do? Smile?

So, what happened to the Indian national flag at Lal Chowk? CRPF PRO Prabhakar Tripathi said the tricolour was taken down at about 10 am to protect it from rain.

Do flags at various building get removed during the monsoons to protect them? Did or did not the CRPF and intelligence sources expect some such thing to happen?

Now let us see what happened in Jammu. I had to look at another paper for that.

“Tens of thousands attend parallel I-Day celebrations in Jammu,” said the Hindustan Times.

Mubarak Mandi, the seat of the government during Dogra rule in Jammu and Kashmir, on Friday became the centre of India's 62nd Independence Day celebrations in Jammu, with tens of thousands converging there to mark the occassion.

Amid cheers and chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Bamb Bamb Bhole, thousands of Jammuities gathered with the national tricolour, waving the flags as the celebrations began.

Right. Please note the location and the religious sloganeering.

The moment the tricolour was hoisted by Sangarsh Samiti convenor Leela Karan Sharma, the masses jostled to get closer to the podium. Some saluted while others stood at attention. The atmosphere turned emotional when the national anthem "Jana Gana Mana" was recited.

Sharma exhorted the people to remain peaceful and maintained that the government should take note of the "sea of humanity" and accept the group's demand.

Obviously, there were no aggressive gestures here.

Now let us look a little further…

“Unique Protest: SIMITI boycott Independence Day celebrations in Jammu,” said News Agency of Kashmir.

In a unique protest of pressing demands members of SASS today boycotted all the official functions organized on eve of I-Day celebrations and hoisted Tri-Colour at various places in Jammu Division.

Addressing the gathering SIMITI convener, Leela Karan Sharma, Brig (Retd) Suchet Singh and others in their speeches expressed their anguish that while the government is not giving any punishment to Afzal Guru who masterminded the attack on parliament and those who burn the national flag publically, there is a suppression of the nationalistic people who are raising their genuine grievances.

The Samiti also informed that the Samiti will organize a jail bharo andolan from 18th to 20th August 2008 The Samiti also informed that the Samiti will organize a jail bharo andolan from 18th to 20th August 2008, in which people thousands of people will court arrest in the various police stations in support of their demands of restoration of land, in the entire Jammu region.

So, it is all right for these people to boycott. Why? Only by hoisting the national flag they become patriots? Are they too not seeking ‘azadi’?

At least in Srinagar they chose the same venue as the official one.

As for the rest, let the pictures speak. And the reality.

8 comments:

  1. FV:

    Whose freedom is it anyway and from what? Poverty, illiteracy, female infanticide, non-existent health care, unemployment, underemployment...

    Does changing colours of the flags make any difference?

    ReplyDelete
  2. yes ...it does make a difference!!!
    well i am an Indian ... and i love my country and i respect my national flag!!!! This is the flag which we saw after winning Kargil War...remember!!!
    It makes a big difference... never dare 2 say that we will allow any Bull Shit countries(Pakistan) flag on our Independence Day !!!
    This is not acceptable... as an Indian I can assure you, we will throw out such assholes out of the country!!!!

    Jai Hind
    Ik Hindustaani

    I proud to be an Indian!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. FV needs some basics civics lessons.

    No Jammu people are not seeking azadi in their separate flag hoisting. You can boycott the govt but celebrate your country, since the govt and the country are not synonymous.

    Yes, the flag hoisters in Srinagar were seeking azadi in their separate flag hoisting, they rejected both the govt and the country.

    ReplyDelete
  4. PS:

    We are on the same page...although I do understand the sentiments behind the flag. But in this situation, we are not dealing with the 'normal'...

    Anon 1:

    If you are so proud of being an Indian, then why don't you at least give yourself a name...

    "This is the flag which we saw after winning Kargil
    War...remember!!!"

    So you respect your national flag only when you have an enemy and war victory.

    Anon 2:

    Thank you for the lesson...am always willing to learn.

    "No Jammu people are not seeking azadi in their separate flag hoisting. You can boycott the govt but celebrate your country, since the govt and the country are not synonymous."

    I used the word 'azadi' in single quotes. On the face of it, I agree that the government and country are not synonymous...which is also what the separatists say. But it was the governed that mucked it up form the very beginning, whichever government is there. And the country needs to be ruled, even by democrats.

    Please read my other posts on Kashmir and the articles to see that what the KPs want is also a separate state within the union.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Another civics lesson: The people in Jammu are not all Pandits. And yes, if the J&K government, their own state government cannot spare them 100 acres of land for 2 months an year because the religious shrine in question is Hindu not Muslim, then yes, they will not wish to be ruled by that government.

    If Kashmiris in the valley have a right to aspire to azadi because India is Hindu majority and they hate Hindus, similarly Jammuites cannot be denied a similar aspiration to freedom from Muslim Kashmiris.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kashmir is a subject to more than 13 UN resolutions. UNMOGIP is present here in Kashmir since 1947 and India's the then PM Nehru has assured kashmiris of a plebiscite. And this means that it is no body integral part or jugular vein but our land. And all India never allowed to respect its own PM's words, So if kashmiris are demanding what you have promised them and are denying now, what is bad in that.

    ReplyDelete
  7. much as I hate agreeing with a muslim,I have to go with 'Kashmirviews' on this one.The bastard Nehru wanted to fart around on the secualrism that he has managed to acheive.It's due the duo of Nehru and Gandhi that innocent Hindus are being killed till date.They should have opted for a complete exchange of population.So called liberal muslims like FV would have been happy behind a hijab in Pakiland and India would have been a awesome place.Along with Mao,Stalin,Yahya Khan, Gandhi and Nehru should be considered greatest mass murderers in history.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Farzana Versey has made it clear that she wants Kashmir to be handed over to Pakistan..which is why this post isn't surprising

    ReplyDelete

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