Srinagar:Heaven never gets converted into hell until it is made, and indeed they take adequate steps to make my land complete hell by their oppression and suppression. My pen can’t explain what my Kashmir was and what it is now, as even penning down the word, Kashmir, pen starts bleeding and consumes its all ink even on writing the word, Kashmir.

By:Shujaat Hussain

Kashmir, a land of heaven, is known for its beauty. The nature over Kashmir gives more peace of mind and the bunch of tranquility in oneself even provides love to a man. Kashmir is called as paradise on earth not only because of its salubrious nature and beautiful surroundings, but the people of Kashmir have also contributed to its beauty. The people of Kashmir have accelerated others’ love for Kashmir by their hospitality they give to all guests, as thousands of tourists come to visit Kashmir from various parts of world, are treated as family members. Whosoever visits Kashmir, he gets deeply affected by Kashmir even its people.
Since, Human Right violations are greatly found in Kashmir, as brutality has crossed its limits here, every Kashmiri who speaks up against India’s oppression in Kashmir, either is being Jailed for years or killed by forces. The tranquility which was our fortune has been snatched to us, even now our hopes seem to be dead and perturbation has incarcerated our hearts. The people who were termed as “Innocents and affectionate,” now they are being termed as terrorists which then reflects that whole Kashmir is a terrorist state, but the reason behind all is that we speak against oppression done to us. A Kashmiri mother who sometimes used to send her children to school hopefully that they would come back, now even she sends school them by murmuring that would my children come back or not, which is enough to understand why she thinks so, as whosoever leaves home, has a hope that either a bullet or a pellet would come in his way. Several mothers have lost their sons, several sisters have lost their brothers, several wives have lost their husbands, and several daughters have lost their fathers. The threat has widely spread in our valley like a wave in ocean which in turn results in Tsunami. In fact, a beautiful face has turned into ugliness, a happy face has turned into sadness, a joyful face has turned into joylessness, chanting breeze has turned into silence, a flower has turned into cactus, amenity has turned into non-amenity, and after all my land has turned into graveyard of youth. Besides, blood spilled everywhere, and my pen indubitably, consumes its ink in describing despair, devastation/tyranny and vandalism through the symbol of “silence, stones, fire, pellets, blood and lamentation of mothers.”

Heaven is the place in which life is stable and satisfied, in which all around is happiness and joy, in which humanity exists, in which even name “oppression” has no existence, in which creatures sing the songs of love, in which sympathy for others is mandatory, in which all are busy in worshiping the Almighty Allah, in which envy doesn’t lie, and in which tranquility is the oxygen. Heaven can’t be called as heaven until it serve creatures especially a man, as without life, heaven has no value and seems to be a burden (because when no one gets benefitted by it). So, how can now we call our land a heaven on earth as here opposite things of those things which must be in a heaven, occur.

It is certain that when two haploid cells get fused, they form a complete cell (diploid),thus survive. Similarly, when two or more oppressed people meet, their weakness gets ended and they become bold, which applies on Kashmir too, because people live here with this belief/expectation that we all Kashmiris are at same position. In Kashmir, each and everyone has become the victim of oppression. Heaven is the place in which life is stable and satisfied, in which all around is happiness and joy, in which humanity exists, in which even name “oppression” has no existence, in which creatures sing the songs of love, in which sympathy for others is mandatory, in which all are busy in worshiping the Almighty Allah, in which envy doesn’t lie, and in which tranquility is the oxygen. Heaven can’t be called as heaven until it serve creatures especially a man, as without life, heaven has no value and seems to be a burden (because when no one gets benefitted by it). So, how can now we call our land a heaven on earth as here opposite things of those things which must be in a heaven, occur. Heaven never gets converted into hell until it is made, and indeed they take adequate steps to make my land complete hell by their oppression and suppression. My pen can’t explain what my Kashmir was and what it is now, as even penning down the word, Kashmir, pen starts bleeding and consumes its all ink even on writing the word, Kashmir.

Here is my poem in which I (Shujaat Hussain) prays for the freedom of Kashmir and other oppressed lands:-
O’ Allah! You are listener, listen my pray
Fulfill my hope, embellish my confidence
Kashmir, the oppressed land, all existence
Free it, end oppression, dawn a new day!