Bilal Handoo
In the times of great confusion, one needs to consult history. One might ask: Why? Is history a consultant to combat confusion? The answer is: Yes, it is!
In the world where manufactured narratives seem to have a free ride and great acceptance—thanks to the popular channels of propagation, the factual accounts often drown in din. You see, when the claims of Holocaust and ethnic cleansing become content of every debate and discussion, then one needs to resurrect authentic accounts of past to shoo the shouting souls.
But yes, it is another part of the story that habitual offenders hardly drop their chips in the face of unfolding realities. Why? Because they have an unending resilience for resorting to theatrics; and hence, their nuts show insanely enjoys the highest TRP ratings.
But manipulation is no more an unethical practice in present day world. With the result, fake representation of imaginary facts often breeds a race of fanatics who only create hurdles in history. Just remind them about the historical deed, and they would shout their souls out to defend their lies. Such a sissy display of moral desperation!
The fact is: their heroes are involved in heinous crimes at a disputed place. Yet their blind nationalism will continue to treat them holy cows. Make an attempt to correct their cherished historical information and they would pounce on you in pack. Such rabid mindset seldom glorifies historical truths.
I believe it is nothing but Goebellian tactics: repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir is no different from this influence. In fact, it is an ideal location for selling propaganda, lies and manipulations. There are multiple narratives available for a single event or incident. And this makes subscribing to any single version or narrative a ‘biased’ assumption. This is a different ball game where minds are under scanner for the sake of safeguarding larger interests.
They call it, mind manoeuvring tactics! In fact, when you are holding any existence against its wishes, then resorting to such tactics doesn’t offer topics for doctorate. They are but glaring realities of the land. Written words exist in zillions, which aptly highlight this paradox of faking with history.
Sometimes learning becomes a curse especially when it doesn’t lead to factual historical narratives. But in the world of imperfection, nothing ideal can be expected. So is the true with histories of nations. There were always times in past when manipulations were done as per the interests, stakes and benefits of elites.
West weaved a myth of Greek Gods and fooled the world for centuries till recently somebody among them rose and busted the myths of the mythical world. But then there are people who would still swear by the beauty of Adonis, art of Apollo and flaw of Achilles. Staying in a faking world is but opium for them.
Being a Socrates of pseudo narrative is akin to feed hemlock to society. And in case the proponent happens to have a mass appeal, then it is bound to become a popular narrative. Multiplying the “corporate messiah” message was nothing but an attempt to wash off blood stains of the pogrom. The trick worked; and the result is in front of all.
To support such renaissance movement, we have writers like Salman Rushdie who believes: “Present can’t be crippled by past.” For somebody like Rushdie who earned Fatwah from Khomeini for penning down controversial The Satanic Verses, such statement is nothing but a self-acquitting act. No matter how his fiction hurt somebody’s religious sentiments, he would be still bestowed with Booker of the Bookers.
But hang on. All cynicism might be hyperbole. Rushdie’s coterie drugged with his pen might backfire. They would defend the champ of our times for resurrecting ‘crafty’ narratives. Strange truths of strange times!
And hence the bottomeline is: sleeve up to resurrect factual bygone narratives before proponents of the promised land would further conspire with history.
