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DocumentingMultipleNarratives

ThereisavastarrayofliteratureonKashmirconflicthighlightingitssociocultural,economic,genderandits
geopoliticalaspects.Inallthese,onemayfeeltheabsenceofthevoicesfromwithin,theexperiencesof
peoplewhoinhabitthiscontestedplace.Inrecenttimes,afewauthorslikeBasharatPeer,MirzaWaheed,
RahulPanditahavetriedtodepictthehumansideofthisconflict,bywritingstoriesofthepeoplewhoselives
areentangledinthisstruggle.MeeraKhannasrecentbookViolentPeace:VoicesfromtheKashmirValley(New
Delhi:HarperCollins,2015)isanewadditioninthisdirection.Thisbookisanattempttoexplorethe
insidiouswaysinwhichpoliticaleventschangehumanlivesforever.MeeraKhannamakesitcertainthatthis
bookisnotmerelyaboutdiscoursesongeopolitics,nationalism,communaltensionsorpoliticalparties.
Rather,accordingtoher,itisanefforttohumanizetheKashmirconflictbasedonreallifeincidents.
Throughthestoriesoffourteenindividuals,theauthorcreatesamosaicofKashmirbynarratingtheir
experiences.AllthesefourteenindividualsbelongtotheKashmirvalleyandcomefromdifferentsocioreligious
backgroundsvariedinnatureandideologies.While,ontheonehand,thisbookcontainsstoriesofMahmuda
AliShah,aneminenteducationistSurayyaAliMattooandKhaledaBegum,daughtersofSheikhAbdullah
Veena,thedaughterofdistrictcommissionerofMuzzaffarabadin1947A.MWatali,formerDIG,Kashmir
Range,aBrigadierinarmy,ontheotherhand,italsofocusesonexperiencesofanexmilitant,ahomemaker
andwife,thedaughterofamilitant,andwifeofamilitant.Thus,theauthorcoversvoicesfromdifferent
sectionsofthepeoplewhichcompriseoftheanguishofaheterogeneoussociety.
Thesenarrativesportraythepainofamotherwhoburiedallofherfoursons,adaughterwhomakesexcuse
forherdeadfatherandhideshisidentityasamilitant,thepredicamentofahalfwidow,thehelplessnessofa
policeofficerandadisillusionedmilitant.TheseindividualsprovideawindowtolookintothelivesofKashmiris.
ThenarrativesalsoshedlightontheintertwinedtopicsofKashmiriyat,theshiftsinpoliticalideologies,the
flawedrelationsbetweenDelhiandthestate,deterioratingeconomicconditionsin80sand90s,thebeginning
ofmilitancyandriseinfundamentalism.However,onemightnotacceptsomeoftheperspectivessharedin
thisbook,oronemayevenchallengethereadingsofcertainevents.Though,suchdifferencesinopinionsmay
bevalid,thesedonotposeachallengeorunsettletheaccountsnarratedinthisbook.Thisismainlybecause
thesenarrativesconstitutethelivedexperiencesofthosewhowitnessedatransitioninKashmirisocietyand
livedthroughtroubledtimes.
ItmaybearguedherethattheauthorneitherintendstohomogenisetheexperiencesoftheKashmiripeople,
nordoessherhetoricallypresentasinglesidedrealityofthepast.
Lostinlabyrinthofthevarieddiscoursesandthepoliticsofdifference,thesevoicesfromthevalleyevokea
senseofgreatattachmentwiththeirmotherlandandaddressashiftinKashmirisocietyanditscontested
history.TalkingaboutKashmirshistory,MahmudaAliShahfeelsthathistoryhadnevergiventheKashmiris
theluxuryofdecidingtheirpoliticalfate.Itwasalwaysdecidedbytheoutsiderulers,theMuslims,the
Mughals,theBritish,theSikhs,theDograsthelistwasendless(p.46).NeerjaMatoosrefusaltoleavethe
Valley,despitegoingthroughlongyearsoffearanddisillusionment,expressesherattachmentwithhomeland.
Iseethisbookasasuccessfulattemptinweavingtogetherthemultitudeofconcernsraisedinthenarratives
documentedbytheauthor.TheseincludethechangingroleoftheIndianarmyfromasaviourtoan
oppressorcurtailmentofwomensfreedominthenameofreligioussanctityandthespreadofhalftruths
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DocumentingMultipleNarratives

whichfurtherintensifiesthedisputeinthevalley.
Writteninalucidwayandeloquentstyle,thelivedexperiencesofthesefourteenresidentspresentan
opportunitytoruminateovertheconstitutionofgeopoliticalandnationalistscriptsandthetransformationof
theKashmirisociety.Ontheonehand,thisbookportraysthelivesofthepeopleinKashmirduringdifficult
timeswhosufferedtremendouslosses,ontheother,itgivesspacetohopeandshowindomitablespiritof
optimismofKashmiriawaam.ThesestoriespaintedanostalgicimageofKashmirenmeshedwithmultitudeof
emotions,injuryofgrief,fearoflosingKashmiriyat,andprovidedeepinsightsintocontestedpastand
complexsituationsofthepeopleoftheKashmirvalley.

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