BATGUND (Kupwara): Phiran-clad, ruddy-complexioned students, wage earners and shopkeepers gather at the central market square here to discuss politics and the assembly polls.
Interest in politics is high. Flags with faces of PDP, NC candidates and also Sajjad Lone are strung up across the market. Kupwara in north Kashmir is where NC is strong. But an anti-incumbency sentiment against Omar Abdullah's government is sweeping across the state. "Turnout was high in the first phase because though Omar is young, we hate his government. There's Bandar raj in Kashmir. We want badlav," says student Arshad (18).
Aquib, a Bsc in Mathematics, says the biggest worry for Kupwara's youngsters is unemployment. "We want jobs. We want to go to Mumbai or Bangalore for good jobs. But how can we go there when we have no money?" Arts student Mohammad Kaiser (21) dreams of working for an MNC but feels Kashmiris don't get their due. "We have talented people. We're ready to work hard. But we should get respect in the rest of India.The Centre should recognize our talents. We respect all people from rest of India who visit Kashmir. Why don't they too treat us with love and comradeship?" Arif Mohiuddin has a master's degree in History and Abdul Rashid a Sociology MA. They say even those with advanced degrees work as daily wagers. "I work piling hay though I have an MA. I wish to work in a big Indian city like Bangalore. I love computers."
Batgund is a ramshackle dirt-poor village, its houses mostly of wood. Agriculture — mainly paddy — is the main activity. The nearest college is 30km away. Locals complain state officials "come from Baramulla or Srinagar, there's none to speak for Kupwara". Cricketer Pervez Rasool and UPSC topper Shah Faisal are spoken of with pride here."There should be no problems in deal ings with rest of India," insists Kai ser. "Islam teaches us to respect all."
What do they think of the film 'Haider'? Many haven't seen it. Among those who have, verdict's unanimous: "Bakwaas film".
Mohammad Shafi, who runs a store, says the film depicts Kashmir as it was years ago. "The biggest problem for us today is that the rich are getting richer while those below poverty line are getting poorer."
Even as the aspiration to be part of the imagined prosperity of big cities like Mumbai or Bangalore is uppermost in rural Kupwara, there's equal pride in Kashmiri identity and Islam.
Says Imtiaz Ahmed Wani, 27: "We believe in Islam and Islamic laws. Islam doesn't permit vulgarity or violence. We don't want Hindustan ka noon in Kashmir, we want our own laws." How do they react to Narendra Modi? "He speaks the language of change, we may not vote for him but everyone wants a better life. We understand his message. But we want a Kashmiri CM," says Abdul Rashid.
Hit by poverty, floods and an uncaring political elite, Kupwara's youth say they can well appreciate why an earlier generation took up the gun but they would never do it.
Says Arif Mohiuddin: "When you have an MA, your parents keep yelling at you to get a job ... something happens to the brain ... Dimaag kharab ho jaata hai.Sometimes you take up the gun. But nobody wants to go down that road anymore.That is a wrong road. We don't want Pakistan here. The youth here has one request for the government: jobs, jobs, jobs."
Perhaps the best antidote to azaadi is growth, the best way to fight militancy is to ensure the aspirational India story comes to Kashmir. Kupwara's young men are bristling to belong to the India of their dreams.
