{"id":792,"date":"2012-04-30T09:42:11","date_gmt":"2012-04-30T04:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/?p=792"},"modified":"2012-04-30T15:08:58","modified_gmt":"2012-04-30T09:38:58","slug":"kashmir-youth-heading-where","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/editors-take\/kashmir-youth-heading-where\/","title":{"rendered":"Kashmir Youth Heading Where?"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/fb:like>

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was shocked!\u00a0 Have, I a reason to get shocked on discovering that our new generation is detached from its past. It knows not what it ought to know. Have I a right to expect young people to think as I do; to believe in what I believe in or to love what I love. If I am not becoming too didactic and want to foist my ideas on the techno savvy generation. \u00a0These questions bothered me, \u00a0\u00a0after having had a marathon session of interaction with a group of young students.\"Kashmir<\/a><\/p>\n

In connection with the World Book Day, Debating Society of a premier college, with a scintillating past, invited me to share my experiences with students on book reading and book reviewing. \u00a0I have not been a student of this college but its list of illustrious alumni is so varied and variegated that it is impossible to think of contemporary Kashmir without them. Having been crucible of literary, cultural and political movements, it has produced leaders that shook citadels of monarchy and autocracy and brought down towers of hubris and arrogance of power like a pack of cards.<\/p>\n

With history of the college lurking in my mind, in my endeavor to reach out to the younger generation and establish an intimate contact with them, I started my interaction with the students \u00a0by asking \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0them about some great men of our land that I believe have provided warp and woof for shaping the \u00a0modern Kashmir personality. Like a class teacher, I asked the students; those of you who know the answers of the questions should raise their hands.<\/p>\n

My first question: Have you heard the name of Mulla Tahir Ghani- those of you who have heard his name may raise their hands. In a gathering of three hundred boys and girls not a single student raised his hand\u2026It was shocking.<\/p>\n

The reason for \u00a0asking this question was that to our generation\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a>Ghani was an inspiration, a source of strength and\u00a0 \u00a0symbol of self-esteem and dignity. He throughout his life never waited on princes, nor wrote a single Qasida (eulogy) <\/em>in praise of any nobleman or king. In his hundred thousand verses, there is not a single quadrant or couplet\u00a0 \u00a0in praise of the nobility. Iqbal on his visitation to the poet in Javed Nama says:<\/p>\n

\u201c Rumi said, \u2018Observe what is now coming;\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

give not your heart to what has passed, my son. <\/em><\/p>\n

That poet of colourful song, Tahir Ghani,<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0whose poverty abounds in riches inward and outward,<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0drunk with eternal wine, is chanting a melody<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0in the presence of the Sayyid sublime,\u00a0\u00a0 noble of nobles, commander of Persia,<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0whose hand is the architect of the destiny of nations.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ghani for denying joining the Mogul Emperor\u2019s court,\u00a0 \u00a0instead of obeying the orders of the governor Saif Khan, preferring declaring himself as madman has been for past four hundred years criss-crossing throughout the Kashmir\u2019s political narrative as a symbol of resistance against the Moguls occupying Kashmir by deceit. \u00a0Teachers and politicians\u2019 alike told us inculcate self-esteem and dignity in yourself like Ghani Kashmiri and do not bow before the powers of arrogance- the Pitamber Nath Dhar Fani a teacher in our school often reminded us at the morning assemblies.<\/p>\n

This great Persian poet of \u2018vivid imagination\u2019, \u2018high soaring intellect\u2019,\u00a0 \u00a0was not hero to people of his faith only but one and all. In fact, during sixties Dina Nath Nadim reintroduced him to the masses through his famous light and sound opera Assi Aiyas Ta Assi Aasav.( We were there we shall be there).<\/em> So deep was imprint of the poet on our generation that he very subtly had, become a role model for us.<\/p>\n

Quoting famous verse of Mehjoor that mentions names of three great Kashmiris, Kalhan, Ghani and Sarafi- counted as icons of our identity,<\/p>\n

I asked the young students if they had heard the name of Sheikh Yaqab Sarfi. Not a single \u00a0hand was raised in approbation- no student had heard the name of this man of letters who for having written a series of five masnavis <\/em>(epics) \u2018in imitation of his \u00a0\u00a0Abdur Rahman Jami was known as Jami of Kashmir.\u00a0 For his eloquent poetry, and art of composing Sarfi had earned a place of distinction in whole of South Asia. Known for his erudition in most parts of India he had earned place respectability for his land. True, during our school days, learning Persian language was no more in fashion but most of the teacher endeavored to connect the students to their culture and heritage thus imbibed a sense of belonging in them to their land of birth and sharpened their patriotism.<\/p>\n

If they had heard about Abdul Ahad Azad, was my third question to this young gathering of boys and girls. It was saddening to see only two boys and a girl raised their hands in affirmation. \u00a0Just a couple of years back Abdul Ahad Azad birth centenary was observed by the state government with enthusiasm and fervor, elite seminars were held and conferences were organized. Massive hoardings with best verses from his poetry were erected all over the valley. \u00a0It was disappointing to note that the yearlong celebrations had also failed to attract young generation towards great revolutionary poet- our own Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib.<\/p>\n

It came as a rudest shock to me on learning in a gathering of hundreds of students that only four girls and two boys were reading Iqbal.\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The young generation distancing itself from its roots and delinking itself from its culture is dangerous- it has the potential of eroding even the well-entrenched societies. \u00a0Culture says Edward W Said, \u2018is a source of identity and rather a combative one.\u2019 How to connect young generation to their traditions and culture- the elements that shape personality of a nation is moot point for our intellectuals.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

( Allama Muhammad Iqbal- Great Kashmir)<\/p>\n

THE ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN GREATER KASHMIR ON 30-4-12, There were some typos.<\/p>\n<\/fb:like><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0
\nI was shocked!\u00a0 Have, I a reason to get shocked on discovering that our new generation is detached from its past. It knows not what it ought to know. Have I a right to expect young people to think as I do; to believe in what I believe in or to love what I love. If I am not becoming too didactic and want to foist my ideas on the techno savvy generation. \u00a0These questions bothered me, \u00a0\u00a0after having had a marathon session of interaction with a group of young students.
\nIn connection with the World Book Day, Debating Society of a premier college, with a scintillating past, invited me to share my experiences with students on book reading and book reviewing. \u00a0I have not been a student of this college but its list of illustrious alumni is so varied and variegated that it is impossible to think of contemporary Kashmir …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[86,85,8,87],"class_list":["post-792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editors-take","tag-abdul-ahad-azad","tag-ghani-kashmiri","tag-kashmir","tag-kashmir-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=792"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":817,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792\/revisions\/817"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}