Restricted to their homes for the most of summer, people in Kashmir have taken to the virtual world with a vengeance… Networking, gossiping, sharing news, protesting and demanding azaadi. Aliya Bashir reports.
With restrictions on public movement social networking sites have become the hottest spots to interact and meet up. And among the networking Facebook is the most popular among Kashmiri netizens, who have created scores of groups to discuss different topics. Different virtual forums or groups of Kashmir on the FB are emerging as a powerful tool to revive culture, tradition and ethos which had literally vanished in the modern world. Web experts put the number of FB users at upwards of 40000.
Though various pages are dedicated to varied social aspects like the ones on Koshur saal (Kashmiri cuisine) and Kashir Jokes, most of the pages are used to share news and to protest against India.
The page of Bekaar Jamaat (the idle group), was one of the most popular which registered 12,000 members in just four months before being hacked and removed. The page has been re-established recently.
Apart from discussing the various experiences at home especially in wake of curfew, news updates, discussions and help services especially in case of emergencies.
“Facebook is very interactive. Apart from administrator, everyone in the group gives updates from their respective areas. I have seen it playing the role of agony aunt in these troubled times with people making queries on various issues and anybody giving the feedback followed by the chain of other users,” says a netizen who is a die-hard fan of Aalaw.
Aalaw, (call) started from the page Bekaar Jamaath (BJ) which was about fun, friends & other aspects of life. As fresh violence started in Kashmir since June 11 with the killing of Tufail Matoo, it stood as the biggest platform for updates by members about the happenings in Kashmir with a friend list of 11,235 people.
From daily news updates to opinion polls, from debates and discussions to brainstorming exercises, Aalaw has offered a unique platform for circulating news to the people of the Valley besides letting them express their views on various issues.
Facebook also attracts some very young school going children. Fourteen-year-old Saika Zahoor spends most of her time on Facebook. Besides, updating status on her Facebook page regularly, she takes part in various discussion board pertaining to Kashmiri culture, language and customs.
She has joined a page titled, Muon Moal Chu Dapaan (My Dad Says), dedicated to share daily life stories of children about the rapport and arguments with parents and other related things.
“Trath chai yath curfewas manz, gatcz kitaab rath kune jaayi, tche chui aekher masaal’e kunun, Aami wad wad saeth kasak khari zalleeel yaad thavze (In this curfew, go spend some time in studies, otherwise you will have to work as a hawker), was one of the status updated on this group by my classmate,” chuckles Saika.
The administrator of the page describes it as, Dopum jinaab, maen Ba’ab’e Saeban kaed mae kan yeane be zaas, waen boaznavtav tuih ti panin rudaad’ (Since I was born my dad pulled my ears, do you have any such stories).
Many netizens started groups on food and art. Koshur Saal, a group which is more than a cookbook on the preservation of Kashmiri culture and cuisine that has not historically been widely documented has around 2,310 friends. “Chok (khatta) wangun, shaim, kabargah with pulao and aanchaar. yuuuuuummm. koshur saal rocks,” “What is the recipe of “Chok Charvan”?? I am planning to try it since I live away from my family. Hopefully I can give my mom a pleasant surprise when she visits me,” are some of the famous status updates on this page.
For little Saika, Facebook has emerged as a breathing space to give vent to her feelings. She feels quite excited to share her experiences. She says it is a world of warm and friendly happiness where everyone is her friend, and those who aren’t can be “un-friended”. “You can be anything you want to be, since no one will know if you’re being less than truthful,” she says.
As people were forced to remain indoors for quite some time, arguments and minor husband-wife brawls also made it to these networking sites. A bitter husband wrote, “Haatsa kyah wanouv, Ghar wajini manjoum Kahwe daam, dopun tche chui Sugar, ye vayi ne, dopmas adsa Noon Chai di, Dopun tche chui pressure, noon Chui muzir. Waen kyah zehar Chama (I asked my wife for Kehwa, she said you have diabetes, you can’t. Then I asked her for salt tea, she said, you have high blood pressure, you can’t. Now should I take poison?).
There are many other groups and pages which are dedicated to jokes, humour and discussing Kashmiri language.
Shode Pyend (smokers mart), revists the humour usually associated with marijuana addicts in recent past. The group has 753 members.
“Whenever I used to self-criticize myself and not caring about some of the so-called rules of our family, my parents used to call me shoda (usually used derogatively for the one who is offensively direct). When I found this group I joined it just to know its background,” beams Mudasir Ahmed, a user of the page.
From Pasekh Saebin Jamaath, Khoftan Faqeer, Deadmit dil (zakhmi mehfil), Traili stone-pelter, You Me n Facebuk ( czhe bhe te facebuk ) to Acha Aur sunao kuch are some of the other liked facebook pages preferred by the netizens.
For most of the facebook users, it helps them to know about friends, relatives. Besides, socializing and debating issues to kill time.
“In these pressing times, everyone is quite busy with the life that people hardly get time to visit their friends or relatives. So Kashmir’s techno-savvy generation is quite comfortable to stay connected through cyber-space,” said a teenager who is quite active on the Facebook.
However, most of the Facebook groups that have sprung up during the last four months are full of political debates and news.
Dodmut Koshur, has around 812 friends. The profile appears as- Employers- Kashmir May to present, protestor- when stopped, a stone thrower and Non-violent Resistance. College- Revolution on streets of Kashmir, High School- Crackdowns and search operations. Address- Streets of Kashmir. Email [email protected].
Another famous Facebook user, Kale Kharab (hot head), has already 1,916 friends. In one of the status updates, the user writes, “I would like to take their bullet on head than becoming their informer. Ya Allah painful death to informers,” to protest his anger against the informer of Masrat Alam”.
Hoshaar Jamaath, a pro-Kashmiri page aimed to get their voice registered across the globe with 2,902 likes.
Virtual world is I think the only area where the state has not been able to muzzle dissent, said a Facebook user wishing not to be named.
A Washington Times report, talked about the role of internet and networking sites like Youtube and Facebook in the current Kashmir unrest.
The very huge security apparatus has launched a crackdown on netizens using these social networking sites to protest or to upload videos showing police atrocities. In one such case police even registered a case against Youtube and Facebook for allowing uploading of video in which police and paramilitary forces were seen parading completely stripped Kashmiri youth.
Police have also arrested at least two people on charges of uploading anti-India messages and videos and reportedly warned many more. Due to the fear of police many Kashmiris using facebook are now deactivating their Facebook accounts and some re-registering under false names.
