Counting on Lockdown

                Patience is Key 

The consistent lockdown needs patience and perseverance. What does it mean to be patient? In Holy Quran Allah says that only those people are successful who have patience along with righteousness and good deeds. In the Quran we see Allah testing his believers with the patience, like Hadhrat Yaqub (may Allah be pleased with him) when his most loving son was separated from him or Maryam (may Allah be pleased with her) who was blamed as an adultress by his people for giving birth to Prophet Essa (peace be Upon Him) and yet Allah directed her to keep silence or Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) whose own people persecuted him and yet He prayed for them in Taif. 

The idea of patience (Sabr) is one of the key tools in the kit box of one's life.  It is necessary to have it otherwise life will be very difficult to live under the circumstances we live in as of now. In all the instances of the lives of great men, we see patience was practiced to achieve bigger goals. One of the finest activities during the lockdown is writing.  Even some of the greatest stuff of history was written in jails, under the life of persecution, like Gubar-i-khatir by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad or Discover of India by Nehru. These men made the best use of an opportunity which lockdown provided them. It is not only the success stories that lockdown teaches us, but it also teaches us the changing of personalities from bad to good by achieving the quality of patience. It is so because during prison times you are left with no option other than to adjust, with all that you have in prison, unlikely of the immense possibilities during a free life. The process of patience begins here with adjustments and accommodations. You start developing relations with the walls and people around you, and those may be the ones you hated most in your life. You have to convert your 'hate' into, at least, 'like'. This process of changing your emotions from a  zone of comfort needs guts. This all will develop into you a good human being. And most of the people who come out of jails feel rehabilitated because they develop these qualities. Sitting in one place for a longer period of time demands good thinking, which is again a compulsion here, otherwise, you will put yourself in trouble.

Shift in Aspirations  

History. teaches us that people have shown tremendous patience in tough times. It must be remembered that we had in the past fewer opportunities to medicine, communications, and technology. But still, we managed a living, and multiplied our family members. We had obviously fewer opportunities to eat the varieties of dishes we have. If we find the time to interact with our grandparents, they express surprise with the modern lifestyle. It is from the metro to smartphones to the standardization of education, which they have not come through during their salad days. Instead of all these deficiencies, they will narrate the stories of happiness and peace. One of the reasons for this well being was their fewer aspirations in life, and all they wanted from life was to feed their nests. The basic necessities of life were the priority. The competition to overcome the neighbor's wealth was not a profound idea of decent living. Greed and vanity are enemies for perseverance and patience. These qualities are preferred by the modern education system and families. Consequently, most of us aspired differently. The joy and happiness is perceived in the material things which are not with us now. So, the shifting of priorities is a much-needed revival our schools and families can see after the lockdown. It should be impressed upon us that patience along with other forgotten virtues must return to the curriculum. We must not aspire only socio-economic prosperity but the ironclad consensus of policymakers should be the curriculum dealing with life through a moral approach.

Return to lost heritage

Modernity has struck a huge blow to the edifice of belief system.  We have never seen people questioning the spirit of religion before. One of the reasons for the popularity of much-debated phrase ‘Death of God’ was because the idea of holy and sacred was missing from our lives. The impact of enlightenment shook the centrality of the concept of God. The success of scientific rationality was enjoyed. But do we still believe in the centrality of materialism and scientific rationalism? The return of sacred is important during COVID-19 times. It may be true that a vaccine is approaching but in the long run and as Keney says “In the long run we all die….” We must not mistake the failure of science as an end to science. But we realized that when it comes to life and death, the finest of answers and explanations do come from religion. According to Mark Juergensmeyer, professor of conflict studies, when it comes to the question of life and death people often return to religion. In most of wars around the world, people have returned to their identities because it gives them answers who they are?  This lost heritage has taught us certain values that can be very beneficial for humanity along with science, which is as important as these values are. I hope the post-COVID word strikes a balance between science and religion.

                                                

                                                   

Humanizing History

The pain of living under oppression for one more day in the same way! 

The constitutional concessions since 1947 be it the ‘conundrum of partition’ or a ‘dubious accession’ with the government of India have not proven our loyalty to the government of India. We, some of us, however, even if reluctantly, agreed to be a part of India. The main aim of constitution is the delivery of justice, a fair and a progressive society. But the problems for Kashmir never ended. Neither did they end by compromising on accession and accepting a separate constitution, nor did they evaporate by diluting the denominations of Prime Minister or Sadr-i-Riyasat. The sufferings will not go even after abrogation of article 370. Fault lies either in stars or with us! I don’t see this from an academic perspective, because that would demand an expertise on the subject, which I don’t have. I am trying to perceive these events, particularly post 370, through a human angle. 

The storm was gathering in 1986 when I was born. The two of the chief ministers were dismissed by Jagmohan and state was preparing for elections of 1987. I was being milked by mother when events were unfolding. To a child s eye, army was met with dread. I can now correlate my childhood with the events of 90’s after reaching in 30’s. At that time it was an accidental birth into a vicious atmosphere. My upbringing was shaped by the decisions someone took them in 1947. It was a niggardly life with less time to understand what was going around. We humans are handicapped in objectivity. We suck the bias from mother’s milk. Our genes are also the carriers of that understanding. It is not humanly possible to understand the situation around you, unless we reach to a certain point where we are free. 

During 90’s crackdowns and encounters inscribed horrible things in my subconscious. The extreme anger of Indian army was seen. I could not create meanings then, but I did understood that they chase militants, who were our own people.   This led to the shaping of narratives. The awful crackdowns justified the other narrative. This is the story of every Kashmiri. We were oppressed due to which we took sides to solace our conscience. And as a kid if you see your people getting beaten it is hard to understand opposite perspective then.  Our religion and the parochial speeches by leaders shaped narratives, and so did frustrations on socio-economic issues.  A time came when all of this seemed to have gone. We enjoyed college, cricket and being blond. We dived into the dal waters and enjoyed freedom in 2007. We hardly knew 2008 is coming and when it came we were shaken. We had less memories of 90’s but we now had fresh ones.  

In 2008 we saw a hope and incredulity both. The hope toward a solution. We wanted an end to the conflict. We participated in protests. We thought we can force the government to budge towards a solution. We didn’t realize the complexity of issue then. Soon after 2008 I started digging into the pages of Kashmiri history. Together with experience and history I realized that it is a distant dream. But then we carried the flags of uncertainties and walked the mysterious destinies; some of us were tired, some died and some moved on. The dream was vivid and I was watching it like an allegory of any freedom struggle. Curfews and arrests ended the resistance.   The blood that was spilled in 2008 got ice-covered, so did memories. The faintest of memory that year was on the hem of a bridge when some police man pounded stick on my back. The mark of which faded after a month and soul knows how to heel as well.  

The year of 2008 was followed by 2010. We took to streets and found some new leaders who we think were to take us out of the conundrum of partition. I did not find the one. Separatists were clear on their stand, so was government. The students like me where in search of a future. Our economic aspirations in the beginning of 21st century were so high. We wanted to get settled. We focused on that part, mostly. Most of my friends with moist eyes made it to university. We were both sad and happy. Sad because by the end of 2008 a good number of friends died, and happy that we moved ahead. Our frustrations by the end of 2010 were visible. It was going to be tough decade both economically and socially. We were no more kids of 90’s. The obsession of a family and a good carrier would define this decade for our generation. 

By 2015 social media became viral and so did the young population who took to internet. They were hardly born during those crackdowns of 90’s but they took to guns. Social media multiplied and the buzz word by the end of 2015 was Burhan. Together with the passion, youth budge, social media etc. a change was predictable. The cycle of agitations, killings and new wave of ‘recruits’ defined the year 2016. Besides passing through the phase of killings and unlimited persecutions, I suffered a fatigue. I thought I can’t fight this out. It was a rational conclusion drawn out of history. In 1965, 1971, Kargil war, 2008, 2010 and 2016 we could not move an inch rather we were losing every day.   In 2016 it was obvious government is not going to move because of its strong hold domestically and internationally, and due to the weak position of Pakistan.  This only led to the rise of new wave of young people joining the militancy. 

The underwater demon of Jalodbhava -who according to the Nilmatpuran lived under the watered valley until lord Vishnu killed him- lurked and valley was burning and I had no bucket.  Digging into Kashmiri history, the sage Kashyap went to the penance for years to seek help from Vishnu.  Kashyap perhaps felt the pain of valley. All I could see from accession to separate constitution to the dilution of Prime minister’s denomination, a pattern which is similar, Jhalodbhava spirit lurking back. The only difference occurs is that we don’t have sage now. Sages, saint and messiah have heeled us before but Badshah’s and Sheikh Ul Alam’s have either died or have gone to the caves. Budshah was a leader and Sheikh was a healer. We had none in 1947. Can we find ourselves out of this dread? Can we ever find a leader? Can we come out of misery and plight?  My hope certainly doesn’t rest on the restoration of Internet nor over the restoration of autonomy. My hope rests on finding a good leader. 

There is an underlying shame which lives with us every day which is that since 1947 we have failed to influence the government of India in spite of so many sacrifices. Those who believed in Indian constitution failed to prove their loyalty, proving another shame. 

Writing at this time seems so dangerous, it is like carrying a burning coal in ones fist because we know we are being watched. It is, however, futile for the government to be after a lame duck. I believe I am the one and we are all. Even if these words of mine do not fall into the limits of freedom of expression, then I am writing my last word. 

Meaning of life under Covid Times

Nazar Ul Islam 

We understand that we are all passing through terrible times never witnessed before. But there have been twenty worst epidemics and pandemics in the history. Some of them like Black Deaths wiped half of the population in Europe and some killed millions, like Spanish flu (1918-1920). Don’t forget that AIDS virus has claimed million deaths and is continuously killing. COVID-19, may Allah forgive us, if not handled seriously may kill millions. 

As I have been sitting at home. I turned a little phisophical not in an academic sense but I started search for meaning of life. The question that raised was why is nature so cruel and life so painful? I felt victimized and nostalgic for witnessing 2008, 2010, 2016, 2019 and now 2020. I had prepared my mind for political disasters and I had overcome myself during the past lockdowns by creating larger meanings than focusing on immediate ones. In the past, I screamed over my helplessness but I had a conviction that after few months phones will ring, goggle will search, and similes will kick off.  I learned about conviction, patience and hope. The hope of sending a metaphoric kiss to my would-be wife kept me alive. I hoped and wisely quarantined my emotions. I became dispassionate, wisely needed in every lockdown or you will not survive. The selfish gene knows how to survive, you only have to depersonalize yourself. I cried and looked at the graffiti which wrote on it, these walls are the only friends for Kashmir. I let the horses run. I lived but only to see myself back to the walls again. The cycle of returning back to walls looks like a cycle of Karma. 

Today I find it very difficult to vent my feelings because lock down is natural.  Honestly, we all know it is God locking us. I, however, thank my past nuisance for helping me to love those walls. In an Oscar winning movie Sahawshank Redemption the writer puts it calmly, at first you hate these walls, then you like them, then you love them and then you become institutionalized. I thank the previous odds for making me an institutional man. But as the movie has the theme of hope in it, I would love to set the hope right here. Hope is something which keeps a man -sentenced for life- in the movie alive. He breaks the prison with his wit and it takes him 20 years to do that. He kicks and is a free man. Hope is like a bird with wings which cannot be caged. It will fly. I kept on searching more for meaning and I encountered Mans Search for meaning a 1946 book by Viktor Frankl. The book describe how bad times test a man’s psychology and how brave a man can be against the shocks.  I kept reading it and passed through the concentration camp. It shocks you that how a man learns the value of survival by depersonalizing himself. He hardly cares for moral deformity, bitterness and disillusionment. He thinks of survival and liberation while the rest of his friends loose the battle and die. 

Well it taught me a lesson that meaning of life can be found in every moment of living. Even during the time of suffering and death life never ceases the opportunity of carrying the meaning.  As Frankl wants us to believe that for everyone who has last the hope of survival there is someone waiting for us; a friend, a family member or God who do not want us to lose hope. In Kashmir we witness every year how apple redeems its redness after getting beaten by snow, we know how snow melts in summer to grin the streams and we know how sunlight passes through pine. We also see how things are frozen in the end, too. We understand every year that we see flowers only to be withered. Kashmir is a life to a witty eye. It never keeps you in disillusionment. 

The friendship with the walls may seem intimate and even if it turns out to be a concentration camp we will survive. We are not going to give up. The only thing we need to do is to become institutionalized and go self- solitary quarantine. Don’t be afraid because Prophet Muhammad (saw) has said that the body which fears the most catches disease rapidly. As Muslims we believe Gods mercy is greater than His wrath and His mercy prevails over everything. We have mercy, conviction and hope, a tremendous combination for a prisoner to survive. Stay home, act as a volunteer prisoner and stay happy.

Gallows

When someone submerges himself/herself into water, suffocates by limiting the valuable oxygen or hangs by forming gallows, it is the boy or girl who puts the head in a knot and it is the collective consciousness of the society which gets strangulated.

Suicide rate is escalating and other than GDP growth of nations, this graph has also virtually reached to the climax. When the body goes deep into the water and faces the timely death, soon after a while the whole reflection of the deeds of society floats on the surface of Jhelum River. It is actually the demise of confidence and hope in our younger generation. The broken hearts usually go to monasteries and mosques, reflect on their failures and do some contemplation on, what went wrong? But here mosques are far away but rivers and gallows are very close to make ties with. Rivers used to be the source of interaction among civilizations during the primitive days but now it has been a centre of suicides.

This deserves a serious attention among the inhabitants of Kashmir who have diverted all their energies in resolving a conflict and has taken far granted all other small issues which form the base of civilizations. Morality, they say is missing and the men of god have left for caves. Then who will address this generation which has lost all the vigor of coping up the tensions and depressions of life. We need serious moral education which focuses on the maxim that poor is not the one who has less money but he, who has greed. The great traditions or religions of the world in calculates in man the passion of other world, this doesn’t mean they teach us to hate the pleasure or desires but the truth is that such things are very trivial to the basic nature of man who has the inbuilt capacity to yearn for the infinite. The wisdom of all the religions has always been to overcome this world with the hope of facing the eternal world with all happiness. More we concentrate on the basic treasure of everlasting wisdom more we can be successful in attaining a comfortable life. The glory and success of this world is tinsel says Hustin Smith, a famous perennial scholar of religion. Such an approach to life can be attained only through moral education and that is possible only through religious education.

But with rise of materialism, a new god, men have started to worship architecture, position, status and style and the whole gamut of human thought went other way. Prosperity matters more than being good to others and unfortunately success also matters more than life itself. Ego expects more and more and the greed increases, and we become poor. Suicide in a nation is a failure of educational system which invokes in man a yearning of this worldly passion, on which Iqbal was conscious and said Treat its ego with the acid of education.

It’s the time to focus more on eternal happiness rather than money because to quench the thirst of money is according to the Tolstoy quenching the fire by putting more butter into it. Discovering the holy and scared and limiting ourselves in terms of social success is the greatest good one can ever think for this generation. This never means we should discourage hard work to get the worldly success but limitations and moderate approach is a divine approach to life. God bless our next generation with all success and bless them with what Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) used to pray “Oh Allah show me the ultimate reality of things”.