Yes, I am a Kashmiri

MAZHAIR HUSSAIN

This Story is not just about me. It's about the life of a son who stayed away from his family and had sleepless nights. 5th August 2019. It was a normal day in our normal lives. The day started with its regular routine followed by my work. Everything was going fine till I got the notification about the abolishment of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. 

I was blank. Little did I realize what happened in those fractions of seconds. Your life turns upside down without a prior call. I was miles away from my family. I tried calling them but nothing worked. All I could get to know was through media. I have had no traces of how my family is doing, where are they, how they must have been. I used to dial the numbers several times hoping it might work this time. Days passed in hope of getting to talk to them tomorrow or maybe the day after tomorrow. Each day it was a tsunami of thoughts that used to hit my brain. The "fear"- fear of the son who had no clue when will he get to talk to his family or would he ever be able to talk to his family. Strange, isn't it? One day you casually talk to your family without even knowing that it could be the last time you talked to them.  With each passing day, I was near to the thought that maybe it was the last time. It was 45 days in a row I didn't hear from them. I didn't even know if I still had a family. That terrible situation of hanging on the fragile rope of hope each day. Now the routine was gathering all the pieces and going to work and getting back to the trap of the same thoughts which continued for near about 70 days. The day I finally spoke to my family broke me down to another level where the flashback of the days passed by gave a terrible heartache but at the same time I was really happy to know they are alright. In the era of high-speed network there is still something like 2G network after 6 months of struggle. Never knew the abolishment of a single article could change our lives so much but it did. We all have almost died wondering about our loved ones.

One line which has stuck in my mind is- DOGS ARE ALLOWED BUT NOT KASHMIRI PEOPLE.

Editor’s Note: I personally dedicate this article to all those people who questioned me and debated with me when Article 370 was revoked. They said to me, “You can’t always question the government. You will see good results in a few months.” I want to ask those people if their few months are over yet or not. This is my answer to your question then. See how families were destroyed and how some are still not in touch, some are living on hopes that their family is alive. Ask yourself if this is the ‘good’ you were talking about.

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