In my school time one of the questions frequently asked was on the topic ‘Alexander’s invasion’. Alternatively the question used to be on gains and losses on account of the invasion.
Modern Historians on Kashmir
must have written enough on the historical event ‘the eruption of militancy and
turmoil of 1990’. The gains and losses due to Alexander’s invasion may be
replaced by the gains and losses due to the eruption of militancy and uncalled
for bloodshed.
I personally suffered an enormous loss. The family
three-storey residential house, double storey school building and cowshed were
set ablaze in August 1990. I lost my livelihood too. Weighing the Gain &
Loss due to the turmoil, despite enormous financial losses, the pan of gains
weighed heavier.
Being 19th February 1939 born, I was fifty-one less by a
fortnight in January 1990. I was under the delusion that I am master of
fifty-one year’s rich experience of life. The vanity on account of the so
called rich experience vanished overnight. All the sycophants around either
vanished or changed their tongue. It was
a new experience worth weighing in gold.
Vijay Kumar was a daily-wage earner at the Srinagar
Telephone Exchange. On his request, I used to give insurance business of the
family houses, shop, buses and matadors, school buildings etcetera to him.
Besides he used to do all electric fittings and fixtures of our family
buildings under construction until January 1990. It was a gesture to help the needy at the
cost of personal gains in the form of commission. September 1989, the late M
Amin Khan, Manager Oriental Insurance expressed his grievance for ignoring him
in preference to Vijay Kumar. He accused me of discrimination. I pacified Khan
Sahib with the insurance business of our residential complex that was the only
property due for insurance. Total insured amount of the house was 12.5 lac.
Ahead of mass migration, I was at Jammu since 16th January 1990. One afternoon
landline buzzed and it was Vijay Kumar on the other end to inform me about
renewal of policies. I said: “I don’t have the little to fill the tank. Floor
of all the vehicles have turned grassy. Please let me know the expiry date of
all the buildings due for renewal”. I know not why despite repeated requests he
preferred to maintain stony silence and made me suffer heavily.
August 1990, all got gutted. But for the property insured by
Khan Sahib the rest became charcoal without any insurance cover.
The late B K Vaishnavi, the then Regional Manager based at
Chandigarah assured any amount near to 11.5 lac as claim for the gutted
property. He appointed MK Wali as the preliminary surveyor and cautioned him of
our delicate relations. Some well wishers in the department hinted me for
greasing palm of the men of consequence. I consulted B K Vaishnavi, though I
was a total pauper. He emphatically warned me and forbade me to commit any such
blunder. The preliminary surveyor assessed the loss at 6.62 lac against the
expected and assured sum near 11.5 lac. The final surveyor too stuck to it. To
my utter disgust one day Mr. Vaishnavi forgetting his earlier advice advised me
to grease the palm of the surveyor M K Wali.
Professor Ali Bhat greeted me in person at Jammu on account of
Shivratri, but swore falsely against me by Prophet Mohammed
the next day at Srinagar .
Rafiq approached me in person with wet eyes and refreshed our relations as
father and son that he continues to maintain without getting affected by the
vagaries of time and space. One of my closest kin who often used to orbit
around me like a human satellite accused me as a cheat for not sharing profit
from purchase and sale of a piece of land.
Phases of the Moon; a geographical phenomenon are explicitly
explicable, but phases of the human faces; a curse from the nature is beyond
one’s comprehension.
What a self acclaimed claim to be the topmost species in the
universe!
‘Wah ashruful makhluqat wah!’
‘Alla janay kiya hogha aghay’
‘Ajab teree kaeegaree hai yeh jinab’
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