KASHMIR INTELLIGENTSIA AND KASHMIR PROBLEM

Intelligentsia is the minority within a society which has capability of appreciation and understanding its situation and formulating plans for its movement towards future. Holding of high profile positions and academic degrees has little to do with the term. Such a group has been comparatively small in Kashmir never the less effective. Kashmiri intelligentsia has played a significant role in shaping the present day Kashmir. The role has been both positive as well as negative. It is this role fruits of which we are harvesting today. In 1931 it was Abdul Qadeer who catalyzed a mass movement against dynastic rule of Maharaja Hari Singh. Abdul Qadeer was a foreigner who like A.H Hume the founder Indian National Congress enjoys the credit of being a pioneer of a freedom movement. Foreigners thus have been playing a significant role in political mobilization of Kashmir society since thirties of previous century. Prem Nath Bazzaz a Kashmiri Pandit intellectual motivated Sheikh Abdullah to transform Muslim Conference into National Conference in 1939. Because of certain differences Sheikh Abdullah and Prem Nath Bazzaz soon parted ways. Sheikh Sahib was bereft of any intellect he became exclusively dependent upon Maulana Masoodi. Who was a follower Maulana Azad. It was he who motivated Sheikh Sahib to support accession of Kashmir to India. Bazzaz and others opposed it. Sheikh Sahib had inherent allergy towards intelligentsia. He made it a point to erase Kashmir of any trace of intellect as soon as he came to power in 1947.Bazzaz was detained for three years scores of Muslim intellectual which included K.H Khurshed, Mohd. Yousuf Butch, Abdul Salaam Yattoo and others were banished to Pakistan. In 1953 it was Masoodi who along with Maulana Azad hatched plan for sacking of Sheikh Sahib from the position of Prime Minister. Since most of the members of constituent assembly were illiterate and hand-picked they over night changed their loyalties. Kashmir seemed to forget Sheikh Abdullah and enjoyed festivities organized in the name of JASHNI-KASHMIR. The academicians of S.P. College motivated the students to demonstrate and submit a memorandum to Dixon mission of UNO. Prof. Hajni, Prof. Mohd. Yousuf (Alias Jandigaroo) and their colleagues had to face detention for this act. Their sacrifice revived the freedom movement of Kashmir and taking inspiration from them youth played a significant role in post 1963 mobilization Kashmir society. The vacuum of intellect caused through banishment of intellectuals during 1947-1953 era seemed to be filled up with a new generation of energetic youth. 1971 war inflicted a severe blow to revival of freedom movement in Kashmir. Sheikh Sahib compromised and with this compromise the forbidden domains of instruments of occupation became favorite pastures for self seeking intelligentsia. Cultural academy became a safe heaven for poets and writers. In order to gain favors of those in power they became instruments of aculturalisation and projected Kashmiri heritage to the liking of their pay masters. TAARANA of Kashmir University is an example of such an endeavor of this era. A capsule of Kashmir history mentions every one from Kalhan to Nehru but ignores the one whom even tormenter of Kashmir Jag-Mohan could not over look. Syed Ali Hamdani does not find mention within University TAARANA in order to alienate Kashmiri youth from their greatest benefactor. While elders harvested the benefits of siding with occupation, the young didn’t compromise. It was this uncompromising nature of young intellect that metamorphosised in the form of AL-FATAH and MAQBOOL BHAT. Network of religious schools and pulpit too contributed in its own way. Early nineties swayed everything in favor of freedom and emancipation. Taking queue from the swaying currents status-quoists also fell in line. Like different segments of the Kashmiri Society they subjected the freedom struggle to different uses and abuses as well. 
Insurgency was frequently used by our academicians as a shield to cover up their in-competence. A lawman presenting a paper in a seminar at New Delhi was communicated by the organizers and the audiences that the laws he was analyzing have been repealed long back. The lawman readily responded that he belongs to militancy infested Kashmir. It was because of this phenomenon that he has been unable to update his information. The audiences laughed at him because the law had been repealed long before eruption of the militancy. Being associated with law, I have deliberately given example of a lawman otherwise the situation pertained to every field of academics. 
Orders for promotion were secured through the intervention of militant groups. Some academicians got their kith and kin nominated to local professional colleges out of Tanzimi quota. Academic administrators who have reputation of being strict in imposing discipline, got degrees for their children while the children were pursuing professional courses abroad. Their involvement in securing scandalous degrees for their children didn’t impede their march towards higher positions in the administration of the state. Everyone is familiar with the incidents which involved use of insurgency for removing hurdles in the way of promotion. Seniors were harassed, defamed, dragged into intra-group militant rivalries and annihilated to facilitate promotion of juniors. There are hundreds of other instances in which allotment of houses and appointments were secured out of turn.
Mr. Omkar Nath Razdan in his book on Kashmir mentioned that thirty seven volumes were written on Kashmir during nineties. Thirty one were contributed by Non-Kashmiris. Out of the six written by Kashmiris, credit for producing four goes to migrants. Only two were written by the Kashmiri Muslims. This pathetic information relating to contribution of our academicians to the Kashmir cause raises a question. Do we have intelligentsia in Kashmir? One does not become scholar by speaking English, using European dress or holding high positions. It is contribution to the knowledge that makes one an intellectual. Compilation and producing rephrased versions on the contribution of Al-biruni and Al-gazali also doesn’t make one a scholar. A lot of work already exists on these personalities. Present day academicians simply rephrase and publish these works under a different title. 
Some may say that the academicians remained Shana-ba-Shana with the masses and even went to the United Nations Observers Mission under the leadership of their Vice Chancellor. But this is not what was expected of them. The academicians were not the only ones who did it. In 1995 elections were held. As a result new Darbars got activated. While masses remained consistent in their attachment to the Kashmir cause. Intellectuals started to organize functions in the Centur Hotel to convey an impression of normalcy to the world. No one expected them to get physically involved. Their contribution could have been objective projection of human sufferings; elaboration of the various issues involved; critical appraisal of the state policies; expositions of the latent dimensions of the problem; evaluation of economic and social dimensions of the insurgency; and assessment of the so-called autonomy and various encroachments made into it. Absence of any work on these topics is an indicator of the fact that Kashmir is bereft of those intellectuals who can deliver. The pseudo intellectuals on the other hand remain more degenerated than other segments of the society. They exploited the insurgency in all possible ways and remain barren so far as their contribution to the society in terms of research is concerned. 
I have deliberately evaded to discuss those who are seen most of the time in the functions organized by the State Administration. Most of them opt to write in Kashmiri, simply because there is no competition. Whatever trash they produce secures awards for them. They have no commitment to the society to which they belong nor to the language which they use as an elevator to secure high positions. Genuine poets and writers reflect the pain and the agony of their surroundings and often become victims of oppression. Our poets and writers on the other hand write to appease the rulers. These Darbari bandhs behave like children of a famine starved village when crumbs are thrown to them by those who are in power. Hundreds of volumes of prose and poetry have been written to reflect the pain and agony of those who suffered as a result of the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. In Kashmir no one seems to be ready to reflect the voice of those who suffer in our cities and villages. Indifference of writers to this situation is simply because of the fact that sufferers cannot bestow any rewards upon these darbari writers. Our cities, villages and other places of human habitation are getting devastated. We are worried about preservation of wild life sanctuaries. Every lane, river and drain of Kashmir is getting stained with Kashmiri blood. Our scholars deliberate about preservation of endangered non-human species. The very foundation of our culture is at risk. Our privacy and chastity is getting hurt at every moment. Our academicians are busy in organizing functions about poetry of Mehjur and Rasool Mir and every other topic not relevant to our situation. If historians of future generations go through our newspapers, they will pass same judgment about us as we pass about the scholars of Tattar period of Baghdad.