Celebrating Mira’j at Hazratbal, I found a lot of women raising their hands in prayer and watching the holy relic, begging for pardon. The eyes were melting like a candle wax dipping down and screaming aloud, entering into penance. I am overwhelmed to see such a scene in Kashmir.
I remember when my Ammi used to tell me the stories of Shrines in Kashmir. Their relevance and essence of each shrine is associated with the person who has helped to spread the word of Allah and brought equality and knowledge of Islam to the people of Kashmir.
Why do you find women at Shrines more than any other places in Kashmir? It is because they do not find any social spaces where they can gather and express their heart and sorrow.
They find refuge in these places where they express their sorrows, their trails and the burden that they are carrying in their hearts. They do not find any place among their in-laws where they can communicate freely. They find Shrines as the best places to express their sorrow and pour out the heart.
A woman who is not conceived in the first year after the marriage turns toward these shrines and prays to Allah for the child. It is a bad omen in Kashmir to have child planning. If you do not get one in the first year, you will be criticized.
The husband’s unruly behaviour after the marriage also causes troubles to these women who are not feeling safe and secure after marriage. I find these women thronging to these places and begging Allah to give them what they want.
At home, they do not have anyone to listen to. They have seen a turbulent period in the history of Kashmir where they have seen a lot of bloodshed which has troubled their mind.
The peace of mind is lost. We often talk about the different aspects of politics and religion, but do we ever talk about the spaces which are occupied by the unknown.
The caste system, love marriages, and arranged marriages. There are a lot of troubles which push these women to turn toward the shrines and pray to Allah. They do not find any other places. Even, I do not find women talking in the Universities about these topics, because of social stigma.
What I have learned from my Ammi is that earlier in Kashmir, women used to meet each day over tea, distributing curry with each other. Asking their neighbours to look after their house while they were away.
There used to be no walls, or boundaries. Now Kashmiris are living in camps, and they name it colonies. These colonies have been created by elites who proudly disintegrate from the erstwhile culture and tradition of Kashmir. I find these colonies strange as you will find graveyard silence there; as if no one exists.
My Ammi has stopped going to Kashmir now, she wails when she arrives in Kashmir. She finds it a different place. She doesn’t differentiate Kashmir with other places around the world where strangers are living or assimilated from different communities.
I think we need to revive these social spaces and promote our culture and showcase it to the world that we are culturally rich people.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.