Tattva

Part 2/2 of a first person account of the Epic 62-day struggle to get a land grant for the Lord Amar Nath (Shiva) Shrine located near Jammu city, India. Read Part 1 in the December 2009 edition.

As we reached a large square, and we began to think that we would arrive at the rally grounds shortly, we heard gunshots, and in seconds after that, our eyes began to burn and tears flowed profusely. We realized that we were being tear-gassed by the authorities in the hope of dissipating the peoples’ movement.

Evan a gambler donated Rs. 11,000 out of his Rs. 17,000 winnings to a Langar. Another fiery youth named Kuldeep was so incensed at chief minister Abdullah’s statement (“We will not give even an inch of land to ANSB”) that he wrote a poem against it. He read it in front of a group of people who were fasting as a protest against the chief minister’s policy and then immolated himself by eating poison.  He had explained his will to protest by giving up his life in a suicide note he had left on his body. As soon as this was discovered, the police and the politicians were deathly afraid that this would ignite and intensify the peoples’ movement even more.  So, they took possession of his dead body forcibly. When Kuldeep’s young wife began to protest, they brutally dragged her aside and manhandled her in a barbaric manner, tearing away her clothes and pulling on her hair. The police put together a funeral pyre of used truck tires and old liquor bottles to cremate Kuldeep’s dead body before too many people found out about what had happened. However, a Hindu monk who was nearby tried to stop the Police, admonishing them that the body needed to be treated with due respect and it had to be offered proper cremation with Hindu religious rites. This required waiting till dawn. However, the police refused to listen. Then the monk went to a nearby temple and told the gathering what was happening. Within minutes, a large group of people gathered and stopped the police. Some more adamant policemen still persisted. Then the people told them that unless they left the spot immediately, they too would suffer the same fate as Kuldeep! The cowardly policepersons then ran away. This incident spread in Jammu and in surrounding areas like wildfire.  The peoples’ movement   became even more intensified through this act of martyrdom.

Amidst roaring drums, slogans of “Bom Bom Bhole” and Tricolor flags, we set out for the Victory rally at about 10:45 AM. It was as if the third eye of Lord Shankara had opened; our small group of about 150 people soon grew into a procession of about 4,000 people. People, young and old were joining in rapidly; all shops and businesses were closed. Some policemen and army soldiers were helping by setting aside the barbed wires and other barricades. Entire thoroughfares were overflowing with the procession.

As we reached a large square, and we began to think that we would arrive at the rally grounds shortly, we heard gunshots, and in seconds after that, our eyes began to burn and tears flowed profusely. We realized that we were being tear-gassed by the authorities in the hope of dissipating the peoples’ movement. Hitherto fore, I had seen this only in the movies; today, I got to experience it firsthand. Within minutes, some people began to distribute common salt, asking us keep it under our tongues, so that the tear gas would be less painful. As soon as the tear gassing began one local woman got me and Chitra tai by our wrists and dragged us out of there to a safe place, saying that we were guests (having come to Jammu from Nagpur) , and  so, we had to be protected at all costs! This is the specialty of Mother India- we protect our guests even though our own lives are in danger! I salute this brave lady. I was immensely heartened by her act.

We could not go any further on that road, but we five women went much further via a side road. As soon as we came near a temple, we received a call on our cell phone from Sneha bahen ji, who said that she and her group had entered the rally stadium and that we should go back home.  Some 250 volunteers had also succeeded in this enterprise.  Sneha bahen ji is a highly resourceful lady! When she was stopped at a barricaded checkpoint, she quickly thought on her feet, grabbed a limping old woman, and chided the policemen at the checkpoint for stopping her from helping a disabled person. They quietly let her through! Thus, she crossed many-a barrier and made it into the rally-stadium.

Many people could not make it to the stadium due to the tear gassing and other barriers, but all streets of Jammu were full all day with the processions! People were joyously dancing in the streets; firecrackers were going off, drums were beating to religious tunes; sweets were being distributed, and food was served in abundance to one and all. It was indeed a grand victory celebration citywide. In the late afternoon, thousands of kites filled up the skies above Jammu.  The floodgates of joy had opened; a stadium-wide planned celebration had turned into a citywide celebration. It is rare now-a-days to see so many people so happy in the name of  God! People celebrated their Independence in a real sense on that day.

Next day, we visited a village in Samba district. At the local temple, photos of two persons who had fallen prey to the Jihadists’ bullets were garlanded, and the whole town had come out to pay homage to them and two more who had similarly become martyrs. Ten thousand women from this little town had planned to attend yesterday’s rally in Jammu. The women were very sad at the loss of life. One lady spoke up: O Mahbuba (referring to Sonia Gandhi, a pseudo-secularist leader of the Indian national Congress, whose family comes from J&K) you think this state is your private property? It surely is not! It belongs to us, the people!

After the death of four young men the peoples’ movement in this town had hit a rough spot. An elderly woman, Jyoti ji, took the Tricolor in her hand, and went to the head of the procession, confronting the gun-toting police (who were in cahoots with the Jihadists). She challenged them:  “Go on boys, shoot and kill me. You have killed my four sons” (She was referring to the martyrs.  It is common for elderly Hindu ladies to be respected as mothers even though they may not be biologically the mothers; this lady said that she was the mother of the slain young men). Shamed, the policemen put their guns down. After this, the peoples’ movement began with renewed vigor in this town.

All these women used to finish their household chores by 10:00 AM and then they set out to join the peoples’ movement. One day, they saw some gamblers gambling in their den. One lady confronted them: She threw down her bangles on the ground in front of them, and said, “You do not deserve to be men. Wear these bangles! (For Indian men, wearing bangles is the ultimate act of shame).  They were truly ashamed; they stopped their gambling, and joined the procession of the peoples’ movement.

When we reached Jyoti ji’s little home, we found many women dancing with joy and singing devotional Bhajans (hymns). It was gratifying to see them so happy for the victory to the peoples’ movement.
When we visited the home of one Sanjiv Kumar, a martyr who had been shot dead for his participation in the peoples’ movement, we met his father, an Indian army retired soldier, who had not shed a tear for his beloved son’s death. He was immensely proud of his son. Sanjiv Kumar was sitting at home idly watching the procession of the peoples’ movement one day, when his army-dad and another army-brother said to him: “Go join the peoples’ movement! Don’t just sit idle!” He got up and joined the procession; he was shot dead a few minutes later in indiscriminate police gunfire ordered by the so called secular administration. (Translator’s note: What a travesty of democracy such shootings are! It promises freedom of religion, thought, and expression!) The father was very happy at the winning of the land for the ANSB. It is rare indeed to see such a father!.

At the Jammu Tawi train station, a few women came to see us off on our return trip. An elderly lady, well past 65, said (referring to attacks by Jihadi criminals and their pseudo-secular cohorts): “We have courage. We will hit back, if we are hit. We will not give up, until we win the ultimate victory!” I got goose bumps to hear such gutsy words. It is indeed this true grit and the total devotion to Lord Amar Nath that won the victory for the peoples’ movement.

After the victorious Kargil war, we chanted the slogans “Vande Mataram” (I salute the Mother [India]) and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” (Victory to Mother India) in our evening Shakha. I feel that we truly grasped then, the complete meaning of these slogans in their real sense.  While departing from Jammu, our overwhelming feeling was that this battle is far from being over. This victory is but only a stepping stone. When all the people of J&K state, the crown jewel of Mother India, will lead their lives in lasting peace and harmony, true victory will have been achieved. Till then, I offer my devotional salutation to all those who gave up their lives, to become martyrs in the cause of Mother India!

Bhagyashree Chanda Sathye is a full-time worker of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti based in Maharashtra, India.

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