STORIZEN SPECIAL
Modern Intellect Which Shows Expect the Unexpected - Tuhin Sinha
In your book When The Chief Fell in Love, you had predicted the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35 A and the reorganization of Jammu & Kashmir by 2030. It has actually happened now. Do you really think it’s the end of all problems ? Some actually believe it will create new problems.
Well, let me put it this way. It certainly ain’t the end of all problems. But it is an important milestone in the process of resolving the dispute. It might still take a few years for things to be absolutely normal in the new set up. But the removal of Article 370 and Article 35A will deprive vested interests of their key blackmailing weapon. Conclusive resolution happens when people’s mindsets change. And that will happen when the voice of the silent, suffering majority comes to the forefront. This silent majority is firmly with India unlike what the Muftis and Abdullahs of the world would like to have you believe.
How will the reorganization of states of J&K as per your book add to the Peace of Nation?
It will add not just to peace but the prosperity as well. Just last week the promising Ladakh MP, Tsering Namgyal explained how Ladakh had received step motherly treatment from leaders in Srinagar who never bothered for the development of the region. The reorganization will ensure that both Jammu and Ladakh get their long pending dues.
Since you blend politics and relationships so well in books, don't you think Love amidst the Politics is the biggest Paradox?
Haha.. Well no.. Love makes everybody more humane and compassionate. Compassionate politicians work towards breaking status quo and solving problems, rather than keeping them alive.
Poetries do Enhance the Essence of the story at times..And your book is embedded with poems throughout the narrative. .What was the thought behind it?
Well, the protagonist of my book, Zaira is a poet. And often she conveys her emotions in rhythmic verses. I have utilized these poems, composed by a friend, Bhavna Berry, in different situations to make the narrative more poignant and ethereal. My favorite poem comes towards the end. It carries the wish for a perfectly happy, peaceful and utopian Kashmir,
This is the paradise I belong to The woods are my home and the trees my family Mountains my goals, rivers my path Snow my cushions and wind my friends
The is the paradise I belong to And it is in the moment right now, with me in your arms that our heartbeats become one, singing the same song
Our souls meet and follow the same path.
The is the paradise I belong to Where illusions fade away and dreams become reality.
After eluding each other for years, This is our moment of permanence Of a belongingness which Even time can't snatch.
Book Excerpt -
Kashmir is now a tranquil place, much like it ought to have always been. Article 370, which had inhibited its complete integration into India, stands abrogated. However, its abrogation wasn’t as satisfying as the fact that it happened through the will of the people, in a campaign driven largely by the women of the state. Zaira had personally toured every block of Kashmir and explained the merits and demerits of the article for Kashmir. She had encouraged the people to be big-hearted and opt for sustainable, long-term gains rather than settle for limited, short-term ones. Though the people had their apprehensions, and quite naturally so, they eventually saw reason in our stand. For the ones who remained opposed to removing Article 370, we brought in a fresh law to safeguard their interests. According to this new law, the total land available for sale to non-residents in Kashmir could not exceed 20 per cent of the total land area available in the state. Furthermore, a native of Kashmir could buy a single piece of government land in any other state of the country at a 20 percent discount. Incentives were provided for people in the valley to settle in Jammu and vice versa, in order to ensure that the two parts of the state did not resemble ghettos anymore. In fact, some 20,000 Kashmiri Pandit families have been resettled in the valley since then and they have been living peacefully in Kashmir.
The states of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh were restructured and two districts of Himachal are now a part of J&K. This gargantuan change was made possible thanks to our party being in power in both the states and at the centre. A decision as path-breaking as this was bound to draw its share of flak. In historical retrospect, I am happy to bear this flak, because I know that by creating a more evenly balanced demographic distribution within Jammu and Kashmir, I have saved the state from many future problems. I owe my decisions to my country and her future generations, not to a motley group of outdated journalists who consider me ‘intolerant’