Opinion
When the Kashmiri student is able to go to school without fear, no force on earth can take them away from us.
As school leaders, what can we do to make our generation next in Kashmir really believe that their minds are without fear, asks Lt Col A Sekhar
Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, 370, 35A have, and continue to, occupy prime space across all media platforms. Irrespective of the rights and wrongs of this tectonic political plate shift, the chutzpah of the Prime Minister must be admired and respected.
But this article is more about the children, and students of Kashmir, who, for more than two generations, have lived in the midst of barbed wires, guns, curfews and multiple security checks...
My mind goes back to the time I was posted in the Kashmir Valley…
An early spring morning…the warmth of the sun rays balancing out the nip in the air…I was standing at the heavily guarded entry gate into Badami Bagh cantonment, in Srinagar…in uniform…feeling good about life…the family was to join me for the summer…the excitement around myself and my colleagues was palpable…had recently read the autobiography of General Colin Powell…and vividly remembered the joy he experienced when his young children caught hold of his thighs at Hong Kong Airport, during an R&R break from Vietnam…I was looking forward to my 4- and 6-year-olds doing the same for me…
And suddenly, there was a commotion at the entry gate…it was two young girls vehemently arguing with female security personnel…they were students of the Army School, located just a few meters ahead of the gate, and the girls were protesting against what they perceived to be very intrusive security checks…’Have we got to be checked thrice as we enter the school and an equal number of times when we leave?’ And they broke down sobbing…
The officer in charge of security, a young but mature Lieutenant, was empathetic, but firm. He had barely escaped serious injuries when there was a huge explosion a few days back right at the spot we were standing…and these checks were vital to save themselves and the students.
That incident set me thinking, and as an Education Officer posted in a border formation, I tried to touch base with students, teachers, parents, principals to get to understand better the psychological state of mind of these troubled children.
The discussions and insights were not pretty…
“They came through the trees holding Kalashnikovs and approached our master who was taking a class in the open. They asked him for directions to a nearby village and then demanded some tea. But even as they were talking to him, one of them aimed his gun and shot our teacher dead. He slumped in his chair, blood oozing out and staining his shirt. I started crying and looked around to see all the other 200 children screaming and tearing their clothes. The mujahideen walked away casually, threatening us against giving their description to the Indian Army. I had seen mujahideen before… they come to our village often… but I had never seen them killing anybody. My mother was at a market where a blast had taken place. There had been a crackdown, and the army took my father and brothers out of the house. I was scared then and I am scared now. I can't sleep at night … I start shivering and cling to my mother. I can't forget my master, Ghulam Hassan Mir. I want to go to his grave but my mother won't let me.”
Psychiatric problems affect many in the 20-25 age group.
Depression is common among young patients seeking psychiatric help.
Dropout rate soars to 60 percent as militants target schools.
Workdays in schools down from 210 to just 60 a year.
Heart problems record a sharp rise among the young.
This is how militancy has affected youngsters in Kashmir…
The above, extracted from a deeply researched article by Harinder Baweja in India Today (June 2000), reflected the unpleasant ground reality then; 19 years later, the situation is perhaps even worse. The PTSD crisis, along with the psychological brutalisation of three generations of Kashmiri students, is among the less reported stories of the Kashmir crisis.
The Indian Armed Forces, initially through Operation Sadhbhavana, and later with scores of initiatives, have attempted to mainstream Kashmiri students with special coaching, visits, scholarships, etc. While they are admirable in itself, the real integration of hearts and minds will happen when the students in schools and colleges are able to quote Rabindranath Tagore's poem literally and metaphorically, without fear. As school leaders, what can we do to make our generation next in Kashmir really believe that their minds are without fear?
There are no easy answers. For most of us, (dare I say), in the present-day context of hyper-nationalism, Kashmir is political, socio-cultural, and linked to Pakistani aggression. The land and its people are spoken of in abstract terms.
This mindset has to change. Is it easy? I live under no illusions. Is it necessary? Most certainly it is. How can we do it? I confess I have no idea. But I am more than confident that when the Kashmiri student is able to go to school without fear, no force on earth can take them away from us.
What do you think?
About the author:
Lt. Col A Sekhar is Executive Director at Aditanar Educational Institutions.