{"id":161000,"date":"2020-05-18T12:00:28","date_gmt":"2020-05-18T11:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=161000"},"modified":"2020-05-16T09:40:57","modified_gmt":"2020-05-16T08:40:57","slug":"is-india-an-apartheid-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/05\/is-india-an-apartheid-nation\/","title":{"rendered":"Is India an Apartheid Nation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Ode to Kashmir Conflict – A Word to Kashmiris <\/em><\/p>\n

Lockdown, curfews and restrictions
\nInternet bans, telecom suspensions
\nAttacks, crackdowns and detentions
\nFear, tears, cries, crisis in all directions<\/p>\n

Rapes, murders, massacres, abductions
\nRefugees, martyrs, widows and orphans
\nChildren, youth, aged and the women
\nEveryone in stress, trauma and pain<\/p>\n

Strikes, processions and agitations
\nStone pelting and lethal pellet guns
\nBurning schools, edifice, destructions
\nPrejudice, chaos, anger, frustrations<\/p>\n

Harassment, torture, humiliations
\nPoverty, hunger, drug addictions
\nUgly divisions, clash of civilizations
\nIntolerance, mob lynching, fanatism<\/p>\n

Surgical strikes, search operations
\nNuclear bombs, missiles, munitions
\nHindu-Muslim tiff and polarization
\nOne laughing on other\u2019s cremation<\/p>\n

Mindless debates, discussions on TV stations
\nOn social media, viral fake news circulations
\nIntellectuals, academicians, sport stars, politicians
\nCelebrities, journalists and divided Humanitarians<\/p>\n

A war like situation in South Asian region
\nNuclear nations likely on head on collision
\nAnd hell turned Kashmir called the heaven
\nBut for what this all, I peeped the reason<\/p>\n

Because we want an independent nation
\nYes, the hell-bent full Kashmir freedom
\nYes, in the light of partition, UN resolution
\nThen I asked the fighters this very question<\/p>\n

I<\/strong>s India an apartheid Nation?
\nSo are you fighting for freedom?
\nAre Non-Muslims not equally human
\nSo you want to have a separate nation<\/p>\n

What lessons have we taught to children
\nSo they feel ashamed of being an Indian
\nCall indigenous rule as foreign aggression
\nAnd lift guns against their own brethren<\/p>\n

Before conceiving idea of freedom
\nWhat was,\u00a0 of those leaders, vision?
\nWere article 370 and UN resolution
\nAbove breaking this great nation<\/p>\n

Had they not seen bloody 1947
\nWhen millions lost lives unseasoned
\nAnd thought of affording another 47
\nAnd putting at stake the generations<\/p>\n

Have they missed train to Pakistan?
\nAs there was no problem in Pakistan
\nAs are Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan
\nSo are Bengal, Kashmir, Rajasthan<\/p>\n

As a Sindhi, Punjabi and Pashtun
\nLive with brotherhood in Pakistan
\nSo, the Hindu, Muslim, Christian
\nAre living as brothers in Hindustan<\/p>\n

Although promises made not undertaken
\nAddressed nobody the conflict resolution
\nIgnored plebiscite, right to self determination
\nAnd struggle, sufferings, pain, all gone in vain<\/p>\n

But to stop bloodshed, mutual tyranny in region
\nAnd the flow of hate, enmity across generations
\nTo save Muslims in India, Hindus in Pakistan
\nAnd to reduce human sufferings all-around<\/p>\n

To repay the debit of attack on a civilization
\nFor 900 years by Muslim rulers as invasion
\nMassacres, rapes, sufferings, mass conversions
\nDestruction of temples, human rights violations<\/p>\n

And finally breaking, in many parts, one nation
\nAnd now, in order to, avoid any further division
\nAnd while thinking that dears lost by everyone
\nStill you have chance to reduce sufferings, pain<\/p>\n

Stop telling stories of betrayal to children
\nCash opportunity to live with bigger nation
\nHelp build confidence, good relations
\nForget past, think of future generations<\/p>\n

But, if you have right to break a nation
\nNation too has a right not to be broken
\nLet\u2019s be wise in our vision and action
\nLet\u2019s think being a responsible person<\/p>\n

Count how many youths lost in treason
\nCount how many lost we security men
\nCount how many past lives in prison
\nCount how many displaced persons<\/p>\n

Restrict not to plebiscite or UN resolution
\nGo beyond 47, see legacy of a civilization
\nBefore breaking a good going nation
\nTry to understand their very position<\/p>\n

Hijacked you have the entire region
\nFor freedom from your own brethren
\nThink one day beyond lines of religion
\nYou\u2019ll cry from whom you ask freedom<\/p>\n

Anyhow that\u2019s your choice and decision
\nBut, if you listen my humble suggestion
\nLet\u2019s not be stubborn to break a nation
\nAs it may have dangerous repercussion<\/p>\n

So, think positively, bridge division
\nBe proud citizen of this great nation
\nNeither you should intimidate anyone
\nNor you get intimidated from anyone<\/p>\n

Call your Pandit brothers for rehabilitation
\nCall the youth back from camps and prison
\nGive them the books, take back the guns
\nGive peace a chance, turn hell into heaven<\/p>\n

Look Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian
\nAll are sons of one mother- Hindustan
\nNeither India an apartheid nation
\nNor you are an apartheid citizen<\/p>\n

Look here All are equally human
\nFree yourself from preoccupation
\nThink it, feel it, live it, as thy own nation
\nYes, our India is not an apartheid nation
\n————-<\/p>\n

[My apologies if feelings of anybody hurt
\nBut whatever I said, I said from the heart]<\/p>\n

_____________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em>Dr. M. Ashaq Raza is an academician, peace worker, human rights activist and member of <\/em>TMS based in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, India. A<\/em>ss. professor of botany, Govt. College for Women, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu<\/em>; former director of research at Eritrean Institute of Technology; currently in Department of Higher Education, Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir (India). Founder\/president \u201cAttitude Change International\u201d, a non-profit peace NGO engaged in sustainable peace and development; cha<\/em>rter president, Rotary Club of Darhal Malikan. Website: www.humanrightsforpeace.blogspot.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Ode to Kashmir Conflict – A Word to Kashmiris <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":115817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[182],"tags":[120,759,1336,1302,868],"class_list":["post-161000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poetry-format","tag-conflict","tag-india","tag-kashmir","tag-pakistan","tag-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161000\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}