Arising of Fanon in Orwellian state
Syeda Laluna
Having been evicted from their lands: making them desolate and lost wanderer with no roof over their heads, where they are deprived of their birthright, where they are labelled with zoological terms, where their source of bread is snatched away in broad daylight; in other words depriving them from employment opportunities, with burgeoning pangs of hunger thus reduced to ashes. Here the questions arise: will they rise like a phoenix? Will there be an end to this ages old chaos?
This process of dehumanization continues with an intent of fortifying their position. However, the colonizers sow seeds of their own destruction from the very inception, in actuality. ‘At the moment the subjects realize their worth they start sharpening their weapons.’ Therefore, usher in an era of change, of liberation, of relief and to put it right - of decolonization. As Fanon said and said it rightly: ‘Decolonization reeks of red hot cannonballs and bloody knives.’
It has markedly been year since their very own heaven became prison for them. Though, this oppression has been pervading since the very start. Moreover, it contains heart-wrenching and staggering tales of decades copiously. Yet an entire year of utmost repression reached its climax – a point – where its kick starts the process of resolution, hopefully. Being suppressed, repressed, confined, clampdown, oppressed, dehumanized – all these words have no power when it comes to portray the pinnacle of brutality being carried out in the earthly paradise since eons.
Despite all the persecution, coping with never ending traumas, Kashmiris have never been shuddered nay displayed unyielding defiance. The neo-browns expect the colonized subjects to act in accordance with their whims and impulses. Browns abhor seeing them in ambivalent state because it is anti-colonizer’s motives that could cause them difficulty in executing their inhumane acts. This tussle continues where the oppressor oppresses the oppressed and where the oppressed always rises from its ashes more in emboldened form coupled with more antagonistic energy. Thus, preparing for a greater good.
With a fanatical decision of revocation of Article 370 by a fanatic, feral and Hindu nationalist party-BJP, further aggravated the issue, thereby fanned and fueled resentment of battered Kashmiris. A society where a conformist is accorded with privileged status; he is the one who follows quandary filled principles which are put forward by status quo, i.e., of what George Orwell had incorporated in his futuristic novel in 1984: “War is peace, Freedom is slavery and Ignorance is strength.”
The very core of these principles embodies uncertainty and so it magnifies the already chaotic scenario prevalent in Kashmir. ‘The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself – anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face was itself a punishable offense.’ It was called facecrime. Its repercussions were the most egregious as it could vaporize a person – unperson. This vividly gives an indication that the clutch of BJP has forcibly made itself embedded in the nook and cranny of the lives of the masses.
Ironically, to have a peaceful life is to worship demigods. Surrendering your essence, yielding your individuality, giving up all for nothing. Hundreds and thousands of innocent souls had done it before, as captured by the spotlight of history, when they were being persecuted by Nazi and Stalin. Modi is no less than them.
Though, all he cares about wielding his power in order to entrench his position more stronger than before. Reducing the status of Muslims from majority to minority with an intent to disempower them altogether. Are colonialists going to accomplish their mission? The answer lies in Kashmiris’ persistent sacrifices, in their defiance, in their unflinching struggle, intermittent protests and fighting insurgents, explicitly.
In a society where its inhabitants have been in a state of perennial turmoil, where there is perpetual subjugation, where their dreams are nipped in the bud; crushed in their bosom savagely and so on. When such humiliation persists, thereby invoking rebellion that could pave path for enduring liberation. If winter comes, can spring be far behind?
The writer is a young columnist and literature enthusiast, having graduation in English Literature and Linguistics from the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad. She can be contacted at: lalunaarsh@gmail.com.
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