Tarique A Bhat
The destructiveness of Kashmir conflict is reality for our younger generation. And for thousands of families. And, in fact, for millions of Kashmiri people. The violence of this conflict – military, economic and social – keeps destroying the future. Every day and night. Kashmir is mired in a whirlpool of problems, without the political will to overcome deliberately designed structural impediments to solving the problem(s).
Dr Haseeb Drabu articulates various issues the Kashmir society is facing such as branding, marketing of our products and services, heritage, environment, micro financing and the problems of young entrepreneurs and generation next. Drabu has stimulated the imagination and enthusiasm of the our young by talking the opportunity when their self-confidence is at a low point.
I believe that by analysing what it means to be a Kashmiri youth in the 21st century, solutions can be found internally. Ours may be considered a society of extreme frustration and fragmentation these days. There is a feeling that our younger generation wants to change this situation, but ironically has no idea of what or how to do so.
While Young Kashmir – 18 to35 age group – needs to break free of the traditional political, economic and cultural obstacles that have held back the entire society from progressing. What is absolutely imperative is to stop whining and complaining about the hideous victimisation but to actually confront what it is that we are up against.
The only emotion that is widely acknowledged is anger. Governments seem to assume that anger is a simple and unitary emotion, and give only brief hints about managing it.
In our understanding of Kashmir conflict the lack of detailed attention to emotions and relationships is the big loophole.
One small step to mitigate the anger for government was to put in place development oriented strategies to create employment and economic opportunities by retaining value addition here rather than let it go outside the state. It miserably failed. The state’s largest employer is the government itself apparently for the primary purpose of controlling people. Why should the government “feed” the mentally and physically capable adult; that is, to make him dependent on the government. It means lost individual control. It means the powerless being deprived of their God-given rights prosperity and overall good of society.
They are not looking at the long-term consequences. Are we, the people? Are we not letting tomorrow take care of itself? We are lacking sense of belonging.
Tramboo’s, Kanwal’s, Mir’s success is the result of what sociologists like to call ‘accumulative advantage’. We are so caught in the myths of the best and the brightest and the self-made that we think entrepreneurship springs naturally from the earth. To build a better world we need to replace the patchwork of lucky breaks and arbitrary advantages that today determine success, with a society that provides opportunities for all. On the contrary it is the ‘successful’, who are most likely to be given the kind of special opportunities that lead to further success.
Innumerable brilliant young minds from humble backgrounds in Kashmir have to take a difficult and tedious route to make it big. Throughout Kashmir valley, young men and women are concerned about their future and their place in a changing, globalized and highly competitive world. They possess skills and talent and are second to none but their skills and talents must be nurtured and developed. The sad truth is that many of them – and with them, their societies – have been denied their dreams because of incompetent management, rampant corruption and simple greed. We are losing those talents. If it continues, Kashmir will sink even further into darkness than it is today.
There has to be a fundamental shift in our culture and it has to create a new landscape of influencers like Dr. Drabu and an entirely new ecosystem for supporting the socialization of opportunity, empowerment and information – thus facilitating new conversations that can start locally, but have a global impact.
For too long we have been known as talkers rather than doers. We have to change before it is too late. There is no alternative.
Everybody needs a sound solution
With our eyes closed
We’re looking for a new revolution
