A friend while discussing the unpredictable and odd behaviour of the Kashmiri leaders remarked that they have some “manufacturing defects!” A typical example is the Sajjad Lone’s somersault from boycott to participation. This raises many questions about the credibility of Kashmiri leaders. One wonders if this was really a “strategic move” for his achievable nationhood as claimed by him. Having lost the election with an unquestionable majority it seems he failed even to reach the foothills of his dream mountain of “Nationhood”. There seems to be something inherently wrong in our DNA which makes us the most unpredictable people. The “leaders” of the popular movement do not to seem to have learnt any lessons from the ground realities thrown up by the last year’s Amarnath land transfer agitation and the subsequent economic blockade. They seem to be totally out of sync with the grass roots people they are supposed to lead. They appear to have again missed the important points of these revolutionary episodes of last year. The most important point which had emerged from these agitations was that the common Kashmiris cannot be taken for granted by any one within or outside Kashmir, on this or the other side of the border. Far too long have the Kashmiris been “mislead” by the so called leaders. People now take their own decisions and they know when to take those decisions. Yes they want “Azadi” but they also want to carry on their day to day lives and someone has to do something about improving these. People appear to feel that Kashmir cannot be allowed to go to dogs while waiting for the ultimate “Azadi!” which appears a distant goal. However, when there was the need to demonstrate their anger against the Central Government which they hold responsible for all their ills, the people did show it through “Ragda, Ragda” and boycott of the Parliament elections. It seems the common people want concretisation in material terms of the popular slogan for “Azadi”. What it means in practical terms in the present scenario and how to get it?

The most important quality of a great leader is the ability to read the pulse of the people he is leading and then guide them to their cherished goal. A great leader has a vision which he projects to his people and shows them they way ahead by taking the first step on that road himself! The goal may not necessarily be achieved in his own lifetime. The absences of these inherent qualities are the main manufacturing defects of a Kashmiri leader. Only one leader in our recent past had some of these qualities and that leader was Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. He could bring tears to the masses during his public addresses. People had developed a blind faith in the righteousness of his leadership. They could never imagine that he would ever commit any wrong. Unfortunately, he could not come up to the expectations of his people. He too suffered from a “manufacturing defect” of a different kind which was exploited by the outsiders through their historically known political and diplomatic strategy! His actions left the Kashmiris absolutely in the lurch!

If one coolly ponders over the fate of the Kashmiris during last four centuries one gets a feeling that some sort of a divine curse has been hanging over the area inhabited by these people. Recently a fellow columnist had observed, “Are Kashmiris born to suffer?” Our history of last four centuries and especially the last 70 odd years seem to confirm that the observation may be true. There is an Arabic saying about a camel that not a single part of the animal is straight. Every limb is crooked! The same thing holds good for Kashmir and Kashmiris. Nothing is straight here. Everything has something devious about it. Nothing seems to work here and people appear to have become totally insensitive to the situation. Any other people any where in the world would have thrown up their arms in utter disgust but incredibly Kashmiris carry on as if nothing has happened. We have somehow learnt to compromise with the situation even if it is humiliating and denigrating for our self-respect and dignity. We have developed a very strong survival instinct wherein nothing matters except a person’s basic survival against all odds. This can be termed as the most common “manufacturing defect” giving an innate quality for unlimited patience. An extreme capacity to suffer and still somehow survive! It is supposed to be total lack of faith in our own selves by some analysts. The ease with which Kashmiris have been changing their basic faith from Hinduism to Buddhism and then back to Hinduism and finally to Islam makes one feel that there is definitely some “manufacturing defect” which does not allow us to have faith in our own convictions. Or is it that we do not have any convictions at all? However, some people claim that this is a positive strain of our character born out of our endless suffering and the Sufi past. Some historians even feel that the hardships of Afghan, Sikh and Dogra rule have made a Kashmiri as hard as a diamond and he occasionally retreats into a shell not only to survive but also to preserve his culture and identity against every onslaught. There is again a debate whether this trait of our character is something to do with higher humanist values for which our spiritual leaders are known all over the world?

However, the failure of the leadership in general to understand the true aspirations of the people and then deliberately betray them even after knowing these is definitely an established “manufacturing defect”. This phenomenon has been a regular feature right from the start of the present movement in 1931. Every leader who has come up to lead and guide the people starts with very noble, sublime, and high ideals. People take him to be a new Messiah and virtually begin to worship him. We are very fond of personality cult. This is probably because of the long line of Kings/Queens who have been ruling us for last 5,000 years or so. The Kings/Queens have always been taken to be of divine origin. The worship of a ruling dynasty is in our psyche. Sycophancy has become part of our social life. Rulers prefer to be surrounded by sycophants rather than intellectuals and scholars. Even in the 21st century we have not been able to get rid of this dynastic influence both in politics and religion. We continue to be dominated by ruling families and dynasties. Intelligence, honesty, dedication, and the spirit of sacrifice do not count. It is the lineage which matters. This trait of behaviour is not limited to Kashmir only but is prevalent in entire South Asia. However, here it is more pronounced and refuses to go away.
In the case of the goods of daily use one can get these replaced from the manufacturing companies because of the universal guarantees. The replaced item is of same specifications as the defective one but works perfectly. However, human beings can’t be replaced by the “manufacturer” with corrected defects. Each one of us is unique. No two DNAs are absolutely alike. Every human being in this world has his own blueprint designed by the “Creator”. In the case of the leadership with manufacturing defects which makes them deviate from the true path it gets automatically discarded. Nature has its own process of replacement. The old ones get thrown out and the new ones come up. Every revolution throws up a new set of leaders and the process goes on till a real and true leadership comes up. This is true for all nations of the world. Presently, some people appear to be disgusted and depressed by the turn of events. However, 70 years or so are a very miniscule period in the history of a nation which has been in existence for over 5,000 years. Numerous trials and tribulations, immense suffering, and limitless sacrifices do not go waste. These are definitely going to bear fruit. It is only a matter of time. One must have faith in one’s convictions and the righteousness of one’s cause. One should never give up hope and should rather be a perennial optimist!