The Rural -Urban Divide in Kashmir
While one cannot generalize it, the phenomenon of Rural-Urban divide, globally or here in Kashmir, is undeniably one of those issues that has remained alive despite blurring lines between rural and urban life style. Many stories and experiences show that urban people usually demonstrate their urban bias towards rural populations which is nothing but a farcical induction. Urban people mostly presume themselves as something of high stature and remain glued with their silly antique. Nevertheless, I have also seen some objective and unbiased city dwellers too who possess exquisite disposition and keep unequivocally and equivalently an ideal elegance with the rural antecedent. Such persons never demonstrate their indifferent attitude towards rural folk, but their number is very less. Some of the rotten urban self-styled supercilious men make smitten things to get an ill repute by standing with this mentality. This sort of haughtiness and shrewdness become the cause of their fall. They implant the bed of decline for themselves by inserting themselves into an obnoxious credo of undue proud and superiority which increases their appetite of being more nonsensical. Showing clumsy and inapt flair towards rural areas is not a good disposition of a civilized race.
Civilized and educated race never gets divided enough. It is ironic to hear the city people habitually call rural Kashmiris as Gamik thus want to take the division further by separating us from one another. With all due respect to those who frequently pick up their stereotyping bend to prove themselves as urban ideologue; kindly tell me which thing make you more superior than us? For me being rural is not a shame, for me it is retreat to enjoy the virgin and eco-fragile nature without any buzz and boom around. I love to watch this scintillating nature from the hillside of this striking landscape. Urban people finalize whole rural flock with the families of farmers and ranchers, dig in the dirt, and love and cherish farming and thatchedness. This reflective affiliation of being proud urban elite proves a demon during the ferocious flooding in Jhelum when it creates huge destruction and uproar in the plains of Shehr–e- Khas.
A city dweller can’t imagine how this countryside wild life and its engrossed environment impacts and enriches our lives. However, you call it certain obstructionism to prosper in multiple ways of career building, but see candidly around yourself you will find the big faces who rule you and dictate you in every walk of your life, must say proudly an ingenious talent coming only from remote areas that usually remain cut from this boom boom world. Rural people don’t want to be a hunters and fishers but we understand that you will like it as a game of much amuse. Yes, you don’t always see the other’s point of view because you haven’t lived it. But does our purpose in life depend on you having more value than others based on where you were born or what you look like or what you choose to believe, or how you want to live? Can you not take time to value lifestyles different than your own? Why do you think that you in your individuality are so better than others? What is the value or purpose of pitting one against the other?
Civilizations become great when they develop an intellect to acknowledge diversity and adhere to strive for unity. Diversity shouldn’t divide us, it should rather complement us. “Shahrukh, Gamuk, Grooce, Gugur” et al., are pseudonyms used mostly in our valley, we have survived during our past because of our diversity. We had been taught a great Kashmiriyat by our forefathers which we have almost forgotten.
There is no such inborn insignia through which we can tell apart. It is temporary division which has been created by humans only. There is no space for such things in front of Almighty Allah. Our vale is a convoluted place to stay in; here you will find outward division among people, religion and regions which is a sadistic and mocking in nature. The performing arts of excellent care and building positive nexus always tend to unify people in a way nothing else does. This division of all sorts should stop together; we must unity and stop factionalism. We must embrace working together, because if we are divided we won’t help to make this beautiful world happy place to live.
Ganwadee hum nai Aaslaf Say joh Miras payee thi
Surayah nay zemeen pay hum ko dah mara ( Dr. Iqbal R.A)
The writer is a Cont. Lecturer of History at Govt. Degree College Uttersoo and can be mailed at [email protected]
