Majeed was a self-reliant and drastic man. He was gifted with delectable looks and good posture. His eyes were more lucent, quotidian, and attractive which would make other youngsters of his village jealous about him, but as Mirza Ghalib puts “Muflsi sab bahaar Khotie Hai” (paucity wipes spring).
I still remember on that fateful day our darling son was on his way back to home, neighbours say they saw him that day more cheerful and mutant than past, but it was not known to them they won’t be seeing him onwards. Majeed came early that day from his work so that he could spend some time with his mother and aligning brother. Majeed was an obedient son and care taking brother, his family were of few members, his mother, Kamran, his brother and Majeed himself. Majeed was very dutiful towards his family; once his father died of Asthma, he turned every nut to shun poverty and give his family every comfort, but nature has something else destined for them.
Majeed was a very hardworking man, who would work day and night to yield bread and butter to his family; he was the sole bread earner of the entire family; as his brother was physically challenged.
On that fateful day Majeed was on his way from work to home, the day was 14th of August, just a day before the hoisting of Indian flag. Majeed reached home and told her mother that he is too hungry and wants to have a bowl of rice, his mother was arranging when the main wooden gate was beaten to pulp , Majeed was washing his hands to sever his hungry belly but he had to leave and see who was knocking so mercilessly, soon he reached closer he heard the thick voice with typical slang accent of the men behind the wooden gate, it became understood who were behind the wooden gate and their intention too before Majeed; He mustered his courage as the slangy become most slangy with ‘Majeed ghar par hai’. Majeed opened the door and saw men in uniform in dozens who in no time caught hold of Majeed and dragged him on their way. ‘I was filling the glass of water when Kamarn called me and said that they are taking Majeed on their way. I rushed there soon but no one listened to me instead of listening they pushed me to unconscious, kamran latter said Majeed told him don’t close the door; as he is coming back soon, but that soon is yet to come.’
The very next day the aligning brother of Majeed and his widow mother went to the nearby army camp to ascertain the whereabouts of Majeed but they both were met with abuses and raven voices of men in uniform who were standing at the gate, then they tried the hand of Choki Daar of the village by whom it was revealed that Majeed will be back soon but that turned disaster like the other men who were caught by men in uniform and never returned to their homes once they were taken by Indian worrier and only their graves are here to console their kiths and kin’s, even some are left without that…
It was not the end of miseries or the black clouds in their house that one morning mother of Kamran fell intensely ill. What compounded the problem was that the Doctor prescribed certain medicines which were not available at the local market, left with no choice; a handicapped brother of Majeed went to the city, to fetch the medicines for his beloved mother as soon as possible. As misfortune would have it, neither the medicine nor the son of ailing mother returned back. ‘I’m badly waiting for both of them.’ ‘II they return?’ said mother of two lost sons.
After few hours of leaving the mother hears the dreadful news that her beloved son has been admitted in the city hospital. ‘I was told that kamarn Ahmad had jumped from the roof top of a bridge at Safakadal in a dispersing situation when a men in uniform had targeted him, the same day when a youth was killed by paramilitary forces at old city Srinagar.’
On seeing Kamrans hideous condition as he laid helpless on the street some people from the area had gathered around him. They had not been able to control their emotions falling into screaming and awe shouting. Women had been seen slapping their own faces and were crying in a state of frustration and shock. A few compassionate men had hurriedly arranged a vehicle so that he could be rushed to the hospital immediately but all proved falter.
At the hospital in Srinagar the doctors in spite of their best efforts, were not able to save Kamran’s life, and during the last bath before giving him shroud the medicines [tablets NVAS H] were seen melted in his pocket . His eyes were seen tearful perhaps, because He failed to reach home with medicines for his ailing mother.
‘I traveled too much with the hope that I might be able to identify the troopers involved in Majeed’s kidnapping during overnight and the killing of my handicapped son. Justice kept evading us. I went to police stations, High officials and other ministers, Army camps but no avail, everywhere I collect invective and washy- washy. Wherever I went I was greeted with awe, harassments, rude behaviour, and what not?” said Majeeds Wailing Mother.
Yes, years passed but the Lantern of Majeed is still on in a small and same kitchen, when men in uniform picked Majeed and dumped him in a lonely missing grave or somewhere else. His mother have still hope that one day his son will comeback .When I told ,Zaine Aapai, how are you that certain? If he’s death then how’d he turn back?
To my utter surprise she replied in a typical mother way …
“ Kar Gobria chup Maj laal asum yeath Na’niss Panas Paknawaan , Pan’nes panas ouse thavan fakhai ,magar mea ouse khenavan ,meach temis Khudayas peth baroose ki sea yee wapas mane marnie brouh and cried loudly.”
In crying heart she further said “Now what will I do in my gloomy empty home, Every day I cry whenever I see young boys playing outside and think mine Kamran in a grave, I bethink about my own unripe dreams. As I know world only gave me a barking of dogs in night and the din of bullets in a day, and a way of sorrows , I never saw a little ecstasy and a state in my whole life , I want to die now ,before I die I want to see Majeed , Sou deyiam tobodas Nakh.
Yes, dear friends of Cosmos, it is not the first instance of a Kashmiri being treated like this but Countless incidents like these have occurred in the last two decades and continue to happen even now. We don’t know why someone comes from the other edge treats us like this. I must say here that the inhumanity has started taking its roots forever in the hearts of the people of the cosmos, especially in the hearts of those Kashmiri mothers whose blue-eyed were kidnapped, killed, raped etc. Thousands of newly bridals were raped and then killed by Indian forces in Kashmir.
Some questions still irk us like where is Majeed? Why was he kidnapped? Why His Mother was abused? And why His Killers are still roaming liberally…
“Mea Gose Jewaab, Cha Kah Youse Manen Sawalan Jewaab Dea”.