Sometime back I had the occasion of witnessing a theatrical performance “Shinakhti Card” (Identity Card), a play written by Amin Bhat and staged in Abhinav Theatre, Jammu by the Mehboob Cultural Society of Baramulla under the direction of Ashraf Nagoo. The play depicts the tragedy of strife torn Kashmir where the ultimate identity left is the possession of an ID Card. In earlier times no Government Official carried an identity card and not to speak of common people. Now it is a mandatory requirement. The play based on the theft of an ID card vividly displays the tragedy of identity faced by Kashmiris. An ID card represents not only the grave situation of security prevalent at the moment but the very identity crisis faced by a common Kashmiri. His total identity has been reduced to the possession of an ID card. In real life too there are more interesting episodes than those depicted in the play. The possession of an ID card has become a phobia with the security people. It does not really serve the purpose of truly identifying a person or establishing his true identity. It is more or less a psychological satisfaction and gives the security personnel an excuse to stop and check every passerby or a passenger in public or private transport. There is an awful variety of ID cards available in the open market. However, the most preferred one is with the Government of India official logo of three lions (Trimurti) on it. This is probably because the security forces frisking and checking know and honour only this logo. The logo of the J & K Government is not entertained at all. It had been observed during the peak of militancy that the District Magistrates of the State Government while issuing curfew passes used the Central Government logo instead of the State logo. Even now most of the ID cards issued by some of the state agencies contain the Central logo. I have seen some of the ministers putting the “Trimurti” on their visiting cards. Some years back I had a personal experience about the credibility of the State logo while going to a security area in the company of a senior bureaucrat. At the entry gate the bureaucrat whom I was accompanying produced his State Government ID card but the guard was not impressed. Immediately I took out my Airport Entry Card which had the Central Government logo. It was at once honoured and we were allowed inside. These days every Kashmiri before leaving his home doubly checks that he is carrying his ID card. The compulsion of carrying an ID card is so strong and overpowering that we have lost our real identity. The first visible loss of identity is the decline in the use of our native tongue. It has already been wiped out from the schools. Our young children speak English, Hindi, and Urdu but are totally ignorant of Kashmiri. We are ourselves to blame for this systematic dilution of the native tongue. The so called “Modern” education has relegated our Kashmiri Culture including the language into background. Even in our homes we prefer to speak to our children in English or Urdu rather than in the mother tongue. Somehow people feel an inferiority complex in conversing or discussing day to day activities in Kashmiri. Along with the loss of our mother tongue, our history is also being wiped out from our minds. We do not know who we are? Wherefrom we came? Ours is the only place in the entire sub-continent which has the earliest recorded written history duly authenticated. Alas most of us do not know anything about it! Kashmir history is not taught to our children in the schools at all. All history books prescribed in schools take us only 60 to 70 years back. Nor does most of our adult population know anything about our ancient or recent history. Not even the majority of the popular leaders know it! Identity of a person depends on the land he comes from and its history. It is said that every blade of grass in the world has a piece of earth under it in which it has its roots and wherefrom it draws its nourishment. Without this piece of earth, the blade of grass is identity less and is like a straw blown by the wind from place to place! Next is the cultural identity which is evolved over generations through traditions. Slowly this unique identity of ours is also getting dissolved. It is alleged that there is a deliberate attempt from certain quarters to completely dissolve our identity and amalgamate it in the general trends on two sides whether on religious or secular basis. However, to a great extent the trend is self-inflicted. For this we are also ourselves to be blamed. We consider “Modernism” to be something superior to our historical and traditional identity. In the west, in spite of extreme modernisation of the digital kind, they have not given up their traditional culture and every one takes pride in it. In our case it is reverse, the more and more we adapt to modern means, the more and more we give up our cultural values and traditions. A fellow columnist is always nostalgic about these things which were so common in our childhood. Slowly these are disappearing from the scene. Ladi Shah, Surnai, Dambali, Band Pather, and so on are slowly getting obliterated. Even our traditional dresses have been overtaken by “mod” clothes. There is no harm in adopting modern clothing and new ways of living but at least the traditional things should have been preserved. In many countries swept by modernism people still use their traditional attire on festive occasions. In contrast we are totally giving it up! The only thing which is still going strong is Wazawan, the traditional Kashmiri cuisine. There have been many additions and alterations but the main structure of the cuisine is intact. We are supposed to be voracious mutton eaters. We may give up all over other unique identities but not this one. In the long run the persistent efforts of vested interests as well as our own negligence may seem to make us lose our identity and we may be left with the identity of an ID card with a “Trimurti” on it but there is an optimistic side too. The theatrical performance of “Shinakhti Card” ended on a tragic note but one would like to conclude on a lighter vein. As long as we are able to continue to speak in Kashmiri and eat the Wazawan, our unique identity will survive like it has survived for last 5,000 years! It is the outsiders who will get totally baffled in the end by our unmatched capacity for survival as has been happening throughout our history.