THE POET WHO POSTS ABOUT PROTEST
ZABIRAH FAZILI, 21, COLLEGE GRADUATE
Zabirah Fazili, a 21-year-old English graduate from Women’s College, Srinagar, protests online as much as she joins her friends on the streets in solidarity. “Some of us pelt stones to protest. I protest by sharing videos of atrocities on Kashmiris and by writing poems which I share online through my Facebook account,” she said.
Fazili belongs to the growing tribe of young citizens of Kashmir who find solace in writing and meeting likeminded people online and offline.
Her Facebook timeline chronicles the internet shutdowns in the Valley and her thoughts on the issue.
“While they ban the internet, I write articles, poems and essays to keep a record of all the brutalities. Let the world know,” read one of her posts.
She shared the thoughts of one of her friends ,which read, “Some people use Internet. Others are born Kashmiris.”
On the evening of April 26, Fazili posted, “Whenever I will have something on my mind, I will call my friends in India and ask them to post on my behalf.”
For her, the web is a medium to post her thoughts, mark her resistance to the prevailing situation in the Valley and project the complete picture, which, she said, is often missing in the narrative of the mainstream media. “Through newspapers and channels, you get to see one side of the story. We show the other side using social media. Let the world watch and decide,” she said.
Fazili believes that banning internet services and social networking sites in the Valley with the aim of checking mobilisation of protesters is a futile exercise. “Four days ago, the police entered the campus of Government Degree College, Pulwama, to reign in protesters. It is a co-ed college and many girls got injured. Consequently, college girls in Srinagar were out on the streets to protest. The internet ban was still in place. It could not stop the girls,” she said.
Recalling the internet shutdown that lasted for around four months after the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani in July last year, she said, “The movement sustained for six long months in spite of no internet. Curbing the internet is not a solution to this issue,” she said.
Fazili is aware of the government’s crackdown on social networking sites, particularly those running WhatsApp groups and avoids joining digital communities. “There is a constant fear of being watched over by the government agencies. There are people in communities to leak information to the government,” she said.