BHUBANESWAR: Anger has subsided after abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir but many in the valley are still not happy. The other side (those with a different view) feels trapped and needs support to come to terms with the new circumstances, said veteran theatre actor and director MK Raina on Sunday.
Speaking at Odisha Literary Festival 2024, Raina emphasised that a cultural renaissance is needed in Kashmir to reclaim the lost cultural space and bring change in the valley. There was huge anger (in the valley) after abrogation of Article 370 but they have begun to reconcile. However, they are not happy, Raina said.
The actor said after Article 370, those having a different view have gone silent and are not able defend themselves as there is no support system for them. “They are trapped and need love and support to make them feel that it is also their land,” he said.
He stressed the citizens cannot be hated if they are bad or demanding the impossible. “They should be given the love to inculcate the feeling of belonging. There are limitations on both the sides,” he said.
Recalling the violence in Kashmir that resulted in exodus of lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley, Raina, a Kashmiri Pandit himself, rued that the country did not bother about them and even now over five lakh people are living in exile within the country.
A leading cultural figure of the country who has been working with the children of Kashmir, he advocated for a cultural renaissance to bring change. “We may now see a lot of celebrations there but the genuine cultural space which allows people to ask questions or contests an idea is still missing.
That space needs to be restored to make people question, answer, debate and get a space to talk among themselves. Instead of pelting stones, they should be talking through cultural action,” he said.
In conversation with senior journalist Kaveree Bamzai, he recalled the horror of Kashmir division and the 1990 unrest in which he lost his ailing mother. He also mentioned the suffering of soldiers posted there during the turmoil.
The author of ‘Before I Forget’, however, underlined that Kashmir is not completely anti-India and that there are huge population blocks in the valley that are pro-India.”
Sharing each others pain in the Valley, though, remains a big task,” Raina said.