I Hate Living in Kashmir
What it feels like to live in kashmir and Why I Hate living in Kashmir
Living in Kashmir, J&K is love-hate relationship, I just don’t know about this. I can’t figure out and also nobody knows about this.
It is difficult to put this feeling into words. For me, it is a love-hate relationship.
Kashmir is like a very toxic partner.
She is so special. She looks perfect, flawless. Her beauty leaves your mouth hanging. But she is rotten from the inside. You love her, but she makes your life hellish. You commit to her, but she does not care. You seem stable for a while . . . for a while. You don’t know what happens next, you are at the mercy of her whims.
Kashmir is exactly like that.
But obviously no doubt in this…East or west home is the best. People who live in kashmir are likely to feel good but if the outsider wants to live in kashmir, he won’t because the tranquility of his mind would get disturbed by its turmoil environment. The people of kashmir are accostom with this environment and they don’t think about to live outside the kashmir.
Suppose a foreigner comes to kashmir to observe the beauty of nature but as he see this valley thoroughly, he reacts meticulously and says living in kashmir is so charming as it has direct contact with green plants, vegetation and contains people with vast sense of humor. The outsider may aims to live in valley but it’s turmoil environment let him to disquietude and he think that i have to elude from kashmir as there is no garantee of being almost without injuries.
Here are Reasons why i hate living in kashmir:
1. INTERNET
Well this is i am talking about what happened in back 2019 when article 370 was scrapped. For initial 6 months after article 370 was abrogated there was no internet service. So have you ever imagined your life without internet for 6 months.
And then in end of the January 2020 finally internet was restored. We had internet but it was limited to 2G speed only. What a joke !!! Well according to government 2G internet was enough for learning, public services. Right now, i am writing this on a 150Mbps internet connection. How could this 2G internet was enough for me in any aspect ???
It’s difficult for us to live those days without internet since technology is identical to any other addiction.
The internet is a great way to get rapid communication and information. It is extremely efficient for those chores, and there are frequently professional and personal duties that need being online for business or family.
However, if there are no limits to one’s usage of the internet and internal and external social pressures to be connected and communicate through it, this can lead to excessive anxiety if the internet is unavailable due to any reason.
Many individuals expect others to be available on the phone or via email at all times, as well as to post on social media on a frequent basis. These kinds of expectations, combined with the fact that smartphone apps are designed to be highly addictive in order to boost user engagement, are a potent combination for creating an emotional and psychological dependence on the internet by making it difficult to get enough sleep, interrupting with daily life activities, inability to stick to schedules, mood changes, agitation and most importantly have an adverse effect on one’s health or quality of life.
2. Extreme Winters
Life gets really really difficult. Imagine living in minus 11 degrees with heavy snow fall. I tell you why !
Life moves at a snail’s pace because the extreme winter makes doing daily chores extremely difficult. You tend to avoid dealing with water, especially because of snow power lines get snapped and there is no electricity and your hands get freezed when you touch water. And the more extreme the temperature the more awkward and painful the situation becomes because the water pipes get burst and there is no water coming inside your house or hostel (hostel for me it was) and if your water lines are intact, there is another problem and that is that water gets frozen inside the pipes. You have to heat up the pipes to get some water. And also the roads becomes extremely dangerous to walk on since they become very slippery.
For old people the situation creates great many issues because on the one hand their bodies have difficulty coping with the cold and on the other hand they get breathing problem and other ailments.
For ladies of the house it is the most difficult period for them because they need to take care of each one in the family be it the kids or the elder one.
With No lights, sleeping becomes all the more difficult.
So all in all it’s a hellish time when you have no option other than coping the winter tantrums.
3. Local Terrorists
It was kashmir’s disturbing new reality. You must be aware of this.
These terrorists primarily belong to the three terrorist groups—Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). Some are part of the local affiliates of pan-Islamic groups such as the al-Qaeda’s Ansar Ghazwatul Hind and Islamic State J&K. However, their numbers are marginal. Security forces note that, unlike the previous times, Pakistani terrorists have been reduced to guiding and motivating the local terrorists, who have taken charge of the militancy in the region.
Source: Indian Army
Well you never know how many people you meet everyday might have links to terrorism or themselves can also be terrorist.
4. Non muslim killings (TARGETED KILLINGS)
Recent events like targeted killings of religious minorities, migrants, security forces personnel and civilians, have drawn attention to the evolving security situation in Kashmir. These developments give an impression of a region in the throes of violence and instability.
The government is living in fool’s paradise by considering the arrival of 1.5 crores of tourists as a mirage for return of normalcy. There will be no normalcy until the aboriginals are settled once again there with sufficient safeguards.
Income through tourism is also funneled into terrorism. So, thinking, that tourists are coming and there is no militant attack, depicts, normalcy is a fake narrative.
There is a ploy to keep Kashmir fully Islamic state with no space for Hindus but, yes, you are welcome there only as far as you are tourists. Because your money is their need to fund the terrorism industry. Even if tourists can visit Afghanistan, Talibans are not mad enough to kill them.
5. Hate towards their country
Kashmiri people hate India. Some of them support pakistan also. But most of them want a separate nation.
It’s because of their religion and that old mindset according to which India is not a safe place for muslims.
They don’t want to live in a country of Kaffirs.
[Remember what they did to Kashmiri Pandits?]
It’s because of their mentality that they are not free under indian rule. But the reality is india gives them right to elect their own government. India spends billions on the development and safety.
Kashmiris are themselves not united on this matter. Around 40% of the population want a free state and 40% wants to join with pakistan. The rest 20% are pure Indians.
{ I’m talking about Kashmiris not people of jammu region}.
If Kashmiris hate India and want an independent state, then why are Kashmiris setting up businesses and buying properties in other parts of India when the themselves don’t want any outsiders to come and settle there? Isn’t it hypocrisy?
6. Judging nature of locals towards non locals
This was my personal experience of living 6 years in Kashmir. While travelling in locals you you will find 7 out of 10 people staring at you as if you are alien and have came from another planet.
They’ll judge you from top to bottom… what are you wearing, why your head is not covered so and so. And it feels particularly uncomfortable among such people. Sometimes they may unnecessarily taunt you about your dressing. Happened a lot of times with me.
And this is the ground reality i am talking about.
7. Army personnel at every inch of Kashmir
Well this is for security reasons only. But it kind of feels weird seeing more army personnel than planted trees on roadsides.
They are not for hurting anyone innocent. They themselves are doing there duty. But to eyes it feels that why so much of army??