Shams Irfan
The wait is not over yet. We might have come out almost unscathed out of the flood waters but our egos remain bruised. Reason: New Delhi’s promised flood package that never saw day’s light. It seems that the package is as elusive as the government itself. But still people refuse to let go the hope that money will someday flow through the Jawahar tunnel and reach Kashmir.
Hope is highly intoxicating.
But the question is, do we really need to wait endlessly for help to rebuild our shattered lives? The answer lies in our not so distant history. In 2008 and 2010 uprisings, it was the collective conscience of a resilient nation that refused to bow down before a mighty power. We did manage ourselves without holding a begging bowl in our hands. The bonhomie displayed during those testing times only made people resolute. No one in Kashmir slept on a empty stomach despite an economic blockade in place. We are the same people who hurriedly came up with makeshift community kitchens so that people are fed during curfews and strikes. Then why do we need to pin our hopes on Delhi’s promises to get back on our feet.
No doubt floods have left a major chunk of Kashmir’s population deprived of their livelihood options, but if we wish, we can help our brethren out of their misery on our own. There is no need to hang our heads in shame and ask for help from those who do not feel our pain. If Delhi would have been serious in helping Kashmiris then they would not have waited for so long. Nor would they have manufactured ways to delay the much needed relief money. By now, we must have understood how serious they are. Let us once again get together, like old time, and be there for our fellow Kashmiris. Let us save our “wait” for more meaningful things!
