By now the history of this part of the world has witnessed interplay of screams and silence, an ever going hide and seek of these forms of expression since long. There is a deep relationship between these antagonistic words and both these words have an intimate relationship with the phases we are going through. It is interesting to note that in spite of their stark opposition both these words are a means of communication, perchance both being made use of in not so normal situations. The usage of these terms for communication right from between individuals in interpersonal communication up to the mass movements has always demanded either of the extremes of feelings be that of love hatred compromise or resentment and a score of other human emotions together that weave around the whole of human life thereby defining what goes into its vitals and outlining what is being worn as a facade. The terrible tragedy is that while human rights violations are going on brazenly the projection that has vainly been put across is quite camouflaged, made up and deceptively cosmetic. Ironically, concocted screams are used to conceal a genuine silence of suffering. 

The last few days in the valley have been witnessing sporadic escalation in the conflict of ideas that we all have been witnessing all along. The tragic phase has consumed young lives again and the whole of the valley bleeds away, offering its young blood to the insatiable thirst of the unbridled forces.

It is here where these two modes of communication have been extensively used. The screams of mothers and sisters beating their breasts in sheer agony to call their loved ones back is responded back by the eternal silence of these youth as they lay on stretchers en route to their final resting places. The silence is also writ large on the faces of the friends and other loved ones of these young heroes as they bid farewell to them while laying them to rest. There seems to have an unending relationship between these screams and this silence and both of them entwine in a horrendous configuration wherein they like some deadly climbers capture the daily lives of one and all in their deadly spiral grasp asphyxiating life at large like that monstrous reptilian grip that is notorious for squeezing its prey before having its taste with its ferocious fangs.

The intertwining of screams and silence gives rise to two powerful modes of expression: Screaming Silence and Silent Screaming. We have been witnessing both of these forms of expression since long. In fact the very existence of these modes of communication is a vivid indicator of the fact that something is wrong on the ground. Alas, there is too much wrong on the ground. Of course targeting a nine old year old and silencing him forever is something that one cannot shut one’s eyes against. And added to that the near and dears of this innocent martyr are silenced as well lest the truth reveals to the whole world. But the fact is that truth cannot be concealed forever. Falsehood may show an upper hand for time being yet truth will come out and scream for justice, no matter how long it might have been silenced. And in the courtrooms of divine justice when a stone and a bullet will be brought as exhibits everyone would stand tongue tied as there would be no doubts about who would be pronounced guilty no matter how much rhetoric and euphemism might have been used by the echelons of power to cover up the incidents of mass bloodshed as mere law and order issues as they are blinded by the lust for power sans conscience. The silent screams of the powerless and meek shall accumulate till a mammoth screaming silence shall explode and announce to the world the incidents of rape, mass murder, fake encounters and all the other instruments of war crimes that have dotted every lane and by lane of this heaven that has unfortunately been doomed to hell. And as the screams of victims are being silenced by gagging up of free expression, more screams join the fray some to be silenced by counter screams of a brute force and some by the indifferent silence of those in the realms of power.

The main question is however, how long shall these screams and silences follow each other through the corridors of our history consuming lives at every turn? The calendar of our nation is marked with crimson stains almost each day of the last two decades and irrespective of the perspective of anyone involved it is the blood of a common Kashmiri that soaks the ground. Perhaps those at the helm of affairs do not have a conscience alive enough to have a look at their sleeves and find them stained. The mass murderers have in their blindness forgotten that divine justice prevails at the end of the game and they shall surely be taken to task. And history is always a lesson for the wise and it is only the fools who expect an exception in their cases. The blood of those laid to rest shall scream for justice and there shall be no force on earth that can silence it rather the guilty shall in their silence acknowledge their wrong doings and be damned eternally.

(The writer can be reached at xahid77@gmail.com)

Lastupdate on : Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 IST