If the Government permits veteran leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to buy peace in the valley, and he does it with reasonable success, that will prove his leadership character beyond doubt. One slogan that is common in most of the protest marches is “Kon karega tarjumani - Syed Ali Shah Geelani” (Who will represent Kashmiris, Syed Ali Shah Geelani). It was informed by an Indian member of Parliament on the floor of the house, that Geelani is followed in letter and spirit, as far as the calling of protest marches is concerned. So this is known to New Delhi by now, that it is Geelani who is calling the shots. People here in Kashmir can forget the calendar marking the Gazetted holidays but can’t forget the calendar(G).

Amidst this popularity of Geelani as a leader one thing we are badly missing. It is crucial for the success of the protest programme and even Geelani won’t have contrary take on it. It may seem insignificant but it could well be a deciding factor in the “Quit Kashmir” programme. Do we really follow the veteran leader in letter and spirit? Seeing how the things have been shaping up ever since this public revolt broke out, one can say, we follow Geelani in letter but not in  spirit. Hang on, spare your shoe before throwing it on a humble observer. Nobody differs on the popularity of the calendar (G) but when it comes to the implementation of the protest programme in its entirety we are found wanting. Besides calendar the spirit and soul of the programme is missed out. It sounds almost a cliché by now but needs a patient hearing, “Our students haven’t gone to schools for the last two months, except during some rare relaxations in protest programmes”. Even  Geelani admits that, educational loss is tremendous. To his credit veteran leader has consistently been putting across the measures that would compensate for the losses to some extent. Didn’t Geelani  advise teachers to voluntarily provide their services at the local level? But most of our teachers, if not all, sleep at homes once the protest call is given, and wake up, when it is time to relax. Of course they remember every letter of the Geelani calendar.

All know Kashmir is demanding freedom. Nobody questions the romance for freedom of those who come out on streets every day to make one small statement before the might of a democracy. But who bothers to know, whether this is all we need. That is required to make ourselves heard.
It is understandable that in the school, when a child comes to hear of his mate’s killing, the shock he receives leaves such an indelible imprint on his psyche, which can hardly be rubbed off, for years. Now what about the alternative measures for education of children? If reports are to be believed, educational shops have opened up, outside the valley, where the affluent people are buying the future for their wards.

Even some public schools have arranged the classes outside, but what about the poor parents, who can’t afford to pay hefty sums to ensure that the future calendar doesn’t show their wards leaving behind in the competition. The upper class knows how to compensate the loss, it is the downtrodden class, for which we have to put our heads together, and see that the moves of movement don’t ruin those, on whose shoulders relies the responsibility of taking the Kashmir cause to its logical end. We need to decide very quickly what we stand for, whether to follow the programme or just calendar with all red marked days. It is better if the teachers teach us how to go about this.

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Lastupdate on : Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST