The Cashmir Conundrum

Apart from cricket and the extensive railway system,  the biggest legacy and the greatest obsession that we seem to have inherited from the British is undoubtedly Cashmir. Now,  when I say 'obsession' I of course,  do not mean obsession like a mother has for her child but more on the lines of a boss' obsession regarding his indisciplined yet top employee.  Yes when India is not talking about cricket or cursing the government , she is definitely talking about Cashmir and more so in recent times. However,  what most Indians do not know or realise is that Cashmir has experienced Hinduism,  Buddhism,  apparently Christianity too (according to some conspiracy theories),  Sikhism and Islam and the region finds mention in the Puranas apart from tiny dedicated columns in national dailies of course.

Ironically the hotbed of cultural diversity and melting pot of religious beliefs became undone in 1947 when the Hindu Maharajah of a Muslim majority state signed a deal with the Muslim leader of the single largest political party ( which allowed the Maharajah to flee and the leader to become the new democratic leader of the state) of the state to collectively join the Hindu majority Indian Union and use Indian troops to fend off approaching Pakistani forces. For personal political pleasure a Muslim and a Hindu sold off the entire state and their communities- a move for which the state is facing repercussions even today. Almost every day innocent and unhappy youths are ruthlessly murdered or raped or raped after death or killed after rape and the news fails to percolate through to  the country which took moral responsibility for Cashmir in 1947. Cashmir is the spoils of war - three wars to be accurate - and certain bravehearts of the Indian Army being the victors make no qualms about sharing the spoils. In fact the situation has worsened so much over the years that most people from the state and many more from outside want freedom for Cashmir from the Army. This is what presents, what I call,  the Cashmir Conundrum.

Let us assume the possible scenarios which can happen now.  The first scenario is something I call the 'Diffusion Dilemma '.  Remember those middle school science classes ? No?  Well,  you must be acquainted with your ex-girlfriend getting a new boyfriend once you leave her but you not getting a new girlfriend ? It's something similar. Diffusion is the phenomenon of anything moving from a place of greater concentration to a place of lower concentration.  Now imagine the Indian army moving out of Cashmir but it remaining a part of India,  it will not take long for foreign forces to rush in to secure their hold over Cashmir simply because a)they had been waiting for this moment since 1947 and b)the territorial location of the area makes it of paramount importance with regard to trade, tourism and defence strategy. The moment the number or concentration of Indian soldiers decrease in the area,  new soldiers from across the border will rush in to take their place. Being an optimist, you might say that maybe the new soldiers will be better humans and the common people will be treated better but being a realist,  I'll say that's not going to happen - the situation being similar to a blind man suddenly being able to see , the soldiers from across the border will perhaps enjoy the spoils of war even more,  having been denied for so long,  trying to make up for lost time. Also, once foreign troops occupy Cashmir there will inevitably be another war which would result in more death,  more loss and more destruction. One small attempt at making a few lives better will have a cataclysmic domino effect that will eventually cost more to kill more.

If you're happy the way the first scenario shapes up then please don't read further but if it pains you and hurts you then the second scenario is unfortunately, not going to make things better. This,  I call,  the 'Plebiscite Problem' . Let us assume the people of Cashmir hold a vote to decide whether they want to continue to be a part of India or not, the general feeling in the state gives the impression that the result of such a vote will result in the state seeking independence from India. Provided that India agrees to this then by a plebiscite , Cashmir will become a new independent country surrounded by India (on whose troops it was so far dependent but will no longer avail),  Pakistan (who have been thrice denied control over what they consider rightfully theirs) and China( the world's most populated country and the third largest army). Cashmir meanwhile will have no army and no resources . It doesn't take a PhD scholar to realise what's going to happen next. The last time something like this happened,  about 30,000 people died in Cashmir and that was in 1947. The blood has not stopped flowing since,  the screams have not died out since,  the silence has becoming overbearing and the anger palpable.  Are we really going to subject a dying man to crucifixion? Are we really that heartless?

The third and final scenario is of course the 'Static Solution' . Nothing changes. The army remains. The people remain.  Instead of a quick death in a war,  they die a slow painful death,  watching their furureless sons being stoned and assaulted, watching their never-to-be married or employed daughters being raped and molested, watching their wives wallowing in sorrow and despair,  drowning themselves in tears of helplessness. Cashmir remains. India remains.  Ignorant yet interested. Proud yet perfunctory. Pakistan remains. Waiting. The Army remains. Cursed yet coveted. Needed yet neglected. Far away from their lives yet abused by the saved lives. Armed and antagonized yet helpless and harassed . Humanity remains. Them humanists shouting slogans and painting posters. They wait for retribution . Retribution which they think will come from being miles away from ground zero.  Retribution which they think will come in the safe comfort of their living rooms on  Facebook walls and Twitter handles. The truth is no one cares enough.  After a few days the dust will settle and the news agencies will lose interest, the students will find a new wrong to protest against and Cashmir will diffuse to the cobwebbed backrooms of our minds. The screams of the people will be heard No more. Shah Jahan called Cashmir the Paradise on Earth but perhaps the people will prefer Paradise now over Earth. Perhaps they have had enough. Perhaps not.

Hope is a dangerous thing because it's an addiction but when everywhere else is inky black,  you wait in the darkness for that single ray of hope to pierce the overwhelming silence, the overbearing darkness and the sound of shattering will set you free but till then you're a prisoner to unseen forces, unheard silences.

The Legacy of LalitaDi

The legacy of a person is left behind more in the lives touched and souls guided than the paperwork stacked and literature concluded. Professor Lalitagauri Ray is an unique example of someone who leaves behind a legacy of both.

Lalitadi, as she is commonly referred to as by colleagues, juniors and seniors alike is a known and revered face in the main campus of Jadavpur University,  Kolkata.  Having stepped into the campus for the first time in 1975, then to pursue a B. Tech in Food Technology and Biochemical Engineering,  she was carried into the campus for the last time on 30th March, 2016 having spent most of the intermediate time enriching the very campus she loved. She loved the campus , the department and the university so much that she waited patiently for 17 years from 1980 to 1997 to join the department in a teaching capacity.

In the 17 years between obtaining a Masters and joining as a teacher, she achieved an unparalled body of research that is quite simply put the stuff of legends. In those 17 years she also struck a lifelong friendship with soon to be Dr. Uma Ghosh, who would go on to be her colleague. Inseparable like Juno's swans,  the two defied age and strutted the campus from the Dean's office to canteen, enveloping everyone around them in their bubble of laughter and camaradiere.

Lalitadi, true to her epithet guided numerous students like an elder sister through their research work, laboratory experiments,  doctorate and post-doctorate researches and in the process not only changed lives as a teacher and guardian angel but also touched lives through her ever smiling countenance,  her selfless helping nature and her calmness in situations of crisis. Her legendary work ethic and equally famous smile impressed one and all who stepped through the doors of the department that she made her own.

Although our association with ma'am extends back only 3 short years, yet within this time the impact ma'am has had on us is tremendous. From her detailed explanations and hands-on training in the laboratory to her extremely well-planned out class lectures , which made the subjects easy to comprehend and analyse, from her incredible reserve of energy which compelled her,  despite not being the quickest,  to reach all her classes on time to her motherly nature which allowed her to personally pay attention to each students' problems- LGR Ma'am,  as we knew her,  was indispensable to us and the department.  Such was her universality that wherever we are asked about our department and we say "Food Technology And Biochemical Engineering " , we usually get the reply, "Oh,  Lalitadi's department? ". Everyone knew and loved ma'am and finding a fault in her would be akin to finding a hay-coloured needle in a haystack.

A connoisseur of everything Bengali,  Ma'am epitomised Jadavpur University - Inherently Bangali yet universal. A great admirer of Bengali theatre and history,  she preferred exploration of Bengal's past and heritage before soaking in the essence of foreign lands. She loved the quintessential Bangali evening snack - Muri (puffed rice) with beguni ( eggplant slices soaked in batter and deep-fried) , alur chop ( flattened spheres of batter and potato,  also deep fried) and piyanji ( sliced onion soaked in batter and deep fried) - so much so that she would often take a detour on her way home even at 9pm to make a stop at Shyambazar on her way home from Jadavpur , to buy her favourites from her preferred shop. She was an excellent singer and always supported the arts in the department,  ensuring personally that all the students got lunch during practise sessions for the cultural program for the reunion. She was also responsible for bringing excellent elocutionist Bratati Bandopadhyay as a special performer in the same cultural program.

Ma'am often scolded us for making noise and not being serious but she also assured us that a scolding in a heated moment did not amount to a grudge in the corner of a teacher's mind . She also made sure that the students she reprimanded the most also got taken care of the most.  A teacher beyond comparison and a person,  whose life is a story of inspiration - Lalitadi symbolises the 'good' that will always win in the end,  she symbolises the resolve to fight for our dreams no matter how difficult they seem to be,  she symbolises the glue that holds together a family and the life that makes many many others better.

Her sudden demise has left the campus that knew her so well,  sisterless and heartbroken,  it has left the people who knew her shell-shocked and numb and the students and teachers who were touched by her mourning and grieving. Lalitadi definitely had much more to give and yet her untimely death robs not only JU but also the city and the world of an exemplary human being above all.

The extra cup of tea that will greet UG Ma'am, the silence on the other side of the extension 2994 that will haunt RC Ma'am, the empty chair in the Biochemical Laboratory that will taunt PB Ma'am and the closed door to her empty room that will welcome DH Sir and the many ways the department will be rendered hollow by her absence will perhaps not be felt by us as much but in due time the reverberations will be heard,  loud and clear - the emptiness being shattered into a million tiny pieces by the selfish laugh of the Almighty as the enigmatic smile of Lalitadi charms him too.