Coalition of Civil Society Kashmir invited Mridu Rai, author of ‘Hindu Rulers, Muslim Subjects: Islam, Rights and The History of Kashmir’ to deliver a lecture on “Languages of Violence, Languages of Justice: The State and Insurgent Kashmir’ on Pt Rugunath Vaishnavi Annual Talk. After authorities banned the event, she delivered to a congested audience at their office. It was interesting to listen that Prof Rai said demand or expectation of justice is in confrontation with the right of self determination. Riyaz ul Khaliq transcribes the speech for the readers

Mridu-RaiI was born political in 1989 as I became a voter but somehow miraculously my registration vanished and I could not vote. I remember 1989 because Punjab was in turmoil. And of course also, insurgency began in Kashmir. For me it was an enormous doubt about Indian nationalism.

For me, Punjab and Kashmir insurgencies raised important questions, as a young political person, about my nation, its values. Every value was challenged. This was the era of Congress party itself and Rajiv Gandhi did get the sack in 1989.

I also saw how media started to speak about Kashmir. Until 1989, Kashmir simply didn’t exist for Indian media. Of course Kashmir existed everywhere outside (India) but not India.

Here, I was invited to speak on languages of violence and justice.

Today I saw an illustration of the language of violence by the authorities here, but I will never be silent. It is ludicrous that we were stopped on the pretext that delivering a lecture inside a hotel would violate Section 144. Hotels don’t fall under public category of public properties as these are private.

The greatest violence that the state can do is to silence; to make sure that dissenting voices can’t be heard. We were here for conversation with each other and if that was dangerous, then the State is in trouble in Kashmir. It was as if we had come here to blow up institutions. We were not allowed to speak but, despite the state’s intentions, we are determined we will continue to speak. I’ll speak from wherever I can and you will still hear me. What the authorities have done today is nevertheless a tragedy.

I proudly hang a poster in my bed room that speaks about “Kashmir”. The media doesn’t speak about Kashmir except to describe it imperfectly. It began to think about Kashmir when Kashmir turned to political militancy. And it began to get associated with violence, very quickly.

Michel Foucault has spoken about the idea of the “dangerous individual” and how the state constructs that creature. The State has constructed a structure where Kashmiris have been portrayed as dangerous and violent and all Kashmiris are dangerous except those who can help the Indian state and security. The dangerous individual is the violent individual. You are all terribly dangerous; the violent and the victim both, simultaneously. You are damaged and you create damage.

The state was making a distinction between the army men and stone-pelting youth. The state has created an impression that army men have the right to be violent and the protesting youth do not have the right to be violent in return.

Since 1989, the Indian state has created a language to portray Kashmiris as violent and dangerous in which voices of Kashmiris have become invisible. The state killed 117 boys in 2010 saying that they were violent, but I think that the state has forgotten what the violence means. 2010 was shameful. India got away with it.

Instead, you must move out and create means outside Kashmir and outside India to seek justice. I don’t’ know how you will do it but this is the way to move forward.

Expose them but don’t expect justice from them.

Insurgency in Kashmir and Punjab challenged the values of India. The language of violence was created by the State itself. Kashmiris have to break their silence and project their case outside India. They cannot expect to get justice from the State which has restructured, tortured and destroyed the narrative through instruments such as AFSPA and PSA.

In Kashmir, you could only be violent otherwise you are not Kashmiris and if you’re Kashmiris and you are not violent, then you are not allowed to be Kashmiris.

The language of justice is to be delivered through AFSPA and PSAs.

Kashmir as a whole is both violent, dangerous; dangerous individual and illegitimate person. The person, who must be safe from himself, must be kept within the state, which must be given justice – but the only kind of justice that will be given to who in many cases is inherently violent which means no justice.

How will you overcome the state-constructed languages of violence? How will you deal that? To me, that is the big question.

I don’t want to hear that the word Kashmir has turned in to a dead letter. Why can’t I look for the dead letter? Because of the way the entire problem is being re-constructed, reshaped, moulded and reshaped. I don’t see reason how to get Azaadi? I don’t see it except that it has to happen, it has to happen! Because, there is no other challenge to the might of justice.

From whom you want to seek justice from unless you are talking about Allah! I am not joking. Seriously, there has to be a language in which you are seeking justice which is not language of the state. In seeking the justice you keep strengthening the institutions.

Hindu-Rulers,-Islam-Rights-and-History-of-KashmirThere are institutions, traditional institutions; I won’t say go to a Panchayat (laughs). You need to find ways where you are not strengthening hands of Indian state. I don’t think justice is going to be given to you!

You know what they did post 2010 – the three interlocutors; you will get three more people and keep coming back. Interlocution means resolving the issue of two parties which was completely missing in Kashmir’s case. In their report they claimed to have met 970 people and on the basis of discussions with them submitted their recommendations to Government of India. Kashmir belongs to at least five million people herself!

You have to make an effort to be heard outside of Kashmir, outside of India. That is the only way otherwise you are strengthening the hands of Indian state, Pakistani state or strengthening the hands of someone like Uncle Sam (USA).

Believe me: the media in West is silent about Kashmir. There is ‘unofficial’ gag on media to talk about Kashmir. You need to break that. While I was in Dublin, the media would report the Indian perspective of things but later on the things changed and ground situation was transmitted. This is quite essential to break the status quo of foreign media about Kashmir.

You have to know that today why are people more willing to talk about Tibet or Bosnia. Even today people talk about violence against Chechnya, Bosnia and nobody is talking about Kashmir.

I remember there was some project on Kashmir and everyone was asked to say some version of ‘K’ word. And some said, “There has to be revolution to happen here in Kashmir!” Exactly, that kind of movement is so essential.

You are seeking justice from those who will not give you justice. Who in the name of giving you justice already believe that they have given you justice!

Kick everything that demands justice from state. So, whom are you asking justice, I don’t know. You are asking for redressal, rights. Language of self determination is entirely different from language of justice. Justice is something about whom who shall give you justice. Right to self determination is so powerful that it can never be internationally denied.

You seek justice from someone when you know he will give you that, but Kashmiris can never get justice from India, and if they will, they will get it in the form of AFSPA and PSA.

You call can giving from state as development but not justice. It is not a commodity. By demanding justice from India, Kashmiris are giving legitimacy to it. Language of right to self-determination is different from justice.

If you are seeking justice from state, it means you have already given it a position-being a provider of justice. Your resistance is for quite a different purpose!

But, I don’t reject using institutions in exposing the state. You have Kunan-Poshpora, fine! You succeeded in reopening the file. How far is it going to work? But seeking justice is entirely a different thing.

Forgiving is the most powerful form. It can also be obnoxious in combating someone. Changing your attitude! This is not going to take you anywhere. I see a great vocalisation and it is something very good. I am not saying that you do nothing. You have to be active. Think about what language you are using. How is it being made effective?

For me, I am an outsider. I can’t get other Indians to say them about Kashmir. Because Kashmirs, state says, are violent and I don’t know the language to say that.

I am disappointed, not with you but for you! Nothing has worked so far but that doesn’t mean nothing is going to work!

I absolutely love the fact that nothing worries a Kashmiri in saying that he/she is a fundamental Kashmiri Muslim. It was actually so disappointing hearing Yasin Malik Sahab (JKLF Chairman) many years ago say that Kashmiri is a ‘secular’. I keep asking that why to use the language of the Indian state. Why you have to be a secular nationalist? I love to hear from a Kashmir whether he is a Muslim, a Hindu or a Buddhist.

I don’t want to generalise but Modi Sarkar has already started to speak about Kashmiri Pandits and their return. This is the language of justice and how it is worked upon. It was easy for Kashmiri Pandits to make their way in to mainland India, than Kashmiri Muslim.

Personally, I mean it that Kashmir is not India but its colony.  But I can’t speak for one billion Indian mouths. I have my own tool and that is my teaching. I shall continue speaking and making my young minds learn and understand the real face of Indian state in Kashmir. I shall continue to do that! That only is my most powerful weapon.

Believe me, when the “collective conscience of Indian middle class was satisfied”, I wasn’t silent. I was in Ireland teaching young Irish minds and some from United States and United Kingdom as well. And Kashmir was being discussed. I taught them a course, Kashmir: Between Region and Religion. And take the case of Ireland. They are intelligent as the Irish themselves have fought slavery.

To inform you, being a researcher, the archive of Jammu and Kashmir is in shambles. It has been a long time that I have not been to that section now but it is in tragic state. It is so sad. I am looking at very different sources.

The archive is in very bad shape. Do one thing: try to digitize it.

Thanks!

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