There never ever was a doubt in our minds that the young boys and girls of Jammu and Kashmir are talented. Their talent was on full display yet again when a number of them were declared successful in the civil services examination results on August 4. The number could have been higher than this had the political events not cast their shadow over the state; driven by a multiple versions of what happened after the scrapping of special status of J&K on August 5 last year, apart from its split into two union territories. Such “momentous” events are better known by their impact, more than the event itself.
For a moment, let it be put on record that the inspiration of these young minds riveting to the competitive exams and beating all odds goes to Shah Faesal whose extraordinary success in 2010, when he topped the list of the successful candidates in the All-India Civil Services, inspired the new generation. In the past decade not even a single year has passed when the young boys and girls, some from remote and backward areas have defied the conservative assessments and made it to the civil services at different ranks.
Shah Faesal is an enigma to many, and to me also. But on a second thought, I think that this outstanding personality from Kashmir who gave Kashmir a chance to celebrate, and invigorated the country’s leadership, including the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an academician and achiever, to whom there are no parallels, to felicitate him. It was a room corner story at full display across the world. Faesal, who created a real-world dream was compared to a Pakistani who had tried to set off a car bomb in Times Square in New York. The rhyme of their names was picked up to sketch two different stories.
Now where exactly is Shah Faesal calls for a case study. His experiences traveling from a horrifying incident of him losing his father to the bullets of militant in Lolab, a beautiful Valley that did not remain beautiful for him and his family anymore. And they shifted to Srinagar where he did his medical studies and then competed in the civil services and came out with a stunning success to his credit. Then after serving in bureaucracy, he wanted to have a tryst with politics. Rest is history. But still, what is required is to understand him in full and analyse what more we can expect out of him, and when. The PSA detention in the circumstances has many meanings. His achievement cannot be wiped out by another act.
Competing and emerging successful in the civil services exams is an emerging trend in Jammu and Kashmir, more so in the Valley. This is a combination of both passion and fashion. It represents how the youth know that they can realise their aspirations. They have shed their cynicism and see that how the real-time dreams have to be pursued with an aim to deliver fruits of their sweat to the people. Their stories also represent a passion to serve the world in which Kashmir is in the centre. They are also preserving and promoting their identity, especially in these times when the talented bureaucrats are making their mark. There may not be any politics in it, nor any political philosophy, but the fact remains that they are connected to their roots.
The mindset is a product of an environment. As I said in the beginning that the number of such successful candidates would have been higher than it is, had there been perfect environment, or at least near perfect; and even if that is not possible in a place like Kashmir, there should have been a sense of normalcy. With markets shut and the communication clampdown, how did they manage to procure the books and journals they needed makes their success extraordinary. And with 4 G network suspended for the past one year, it is clear that they had to struggle harder than their predecessors to achieve what they achieved.
IAS or IPS symbolise a significant success, but as rightly pointed out by some that we should be sparing a thought for those who could not make it this time, but there is a reassuring thing always that there is a next time. This spirit should be the driving force. There are constructive ways to make your name and spotlight the high degree of their identity, and identity doesn’t always revolve around politics.