kashmir floods and Downtown

Between 6 and 7 sept 2014 the srinagar city turned
into swamp as jhelum came roaring towards Srinagar
breaching all the barricades to make a entry into the
heart of city. The sudden elevation of jhelum's
waterlevel caused a intense soaring of water leaving
almost 80% of srinagar city submerged.


The huge houses, the long roads, the short lanes, the
big parks, the market every thing got splashed into
water presenting a scary look with whole of area left
on the mercy of brown water. The jhelum came
thrashing making its way to the civil lines areas in left
and almost touching the boundaries of immune
system (downtown) of sringar city on the right side.
The same boundaries which are prone to be ceased
with the network of huge barbed wires by the Govt
forces when they impose curfew. But Allah has its own
plans while the 80% Srinagar submerged, the immune
system (downtown) remained safe.


As waterlevel started to increase with a horrifying
speed the residents were left with one hour stint to
save there belongings due to which many residents
got stranded in there houses while in some cases
people willingly stayed back to wait for the water to
subside. The people who stayed back willingly or
unwillingly witnessed the horifying view of water
chasing them to 15-20 feets in some areas. The next
morning situation turned ugly as the administration
was nowhere to be seen, the communication lines
stoped working.


The srinagar city metamorphosed into a isoliated
marooned island. At the hour of such unfortunate
devastation and choas the immune system
(downtown) of Srinagar started mobilising. The youth
on a large scale equipped with courage only came into
action with the help of local boatmen the youth took
the drive into the den ofdeath.


The courage has always been a best equipment of the
youth in downtown the same courage took the
kashmir into headlines in nineties. The follow up of the
conflict injected more courage in them though the
thusand of youth went though the intense pain and
torture. With more pain comes the more courage.


Every tear was filled with the smile when the glorious
faces came to them for rescue. Every hope that was
shattered by the authorities was filled with joy when
the smiling faces came shivering with cold to save
them. These faces which came to rescue were no
angels they were human who have learnt throughout
there life to share pain and agony. The same faces
which are subjected to intense tourture and abuses.


The people who had begged and cried to the
admiistration to save them were left there to die. Few
years back a devastating flood hit the himachal
pardesh state of India where all most 6000 people
died even though the 45 choppers were into service to
save people. In comparaism of that in kashmir the
things turned to be different in case of casualities as
less number of casualities were reported thanks to
youth.


In a new study it was revealed that 96% of stranded
population was rescued by youth. Maybe people never
agreed that the police or army are made to counter
the populer sentiment of Freedom. The proof is infront
of our eyes the same forces who come in thousands to
supress the sentiment were missing from everywhere.
Unfortunately the stranded people had kept there faith
on the wrong side. It is time forthe people to
acknowledge and glorify the role of youth. And come
forward to represent the sentiment abandoning the
idea that the administration is for people.


With the huge disaster came the huge responsiblity to
deliver for the youth. The dark nights were illuminated
with the wales of trapped people. The call of the
courage enabled the youth to surpass the every hurdle
to reach out to the trapped people giving brith to the
innovations. Thousands of young boys amidst choas
coordinated the perfect resue mission with minimum
resources.


With lakhs of people who were rescued to the safer
places were rehabiliated and provided every basic
neccesity to live. The whole of downtown was turned
into a relief camp. People kept open there houses and
hearts for the effected people. The schools, masjids,
homes were turned into relief camps on another hand
rest of population open heartly presented there every
resources to enable effected people to eat and stay
with comfort.

this is downtown, this is resistance. ..

The sound of bullets may not worry me the cries and wales of women do not scare me anymore as im
already introduced to these scenes. Yes this is downtown this is the resistance, this is the courage, this is the occupation, this is the blood, yes this is downtown. Once more the resistance
capital of jammu and kashmir is boiling in this spring as a young man from nawakadal area of Sringar fell to the badluck of being present in the
streets of downtown on the day of high drama of illegitimate occupation by the indian authorities.The drama was concluded with a murder of one
more innocent soul of kashmir. The boycott of this drama and  the resistance of kashmir to the drama of banana
republic frustrated them to such a level, where they only answered through the traditional barrel of guns. To the new generation of kashmir this merciless murders of their fellow brothers is notnew in any way. The scars of 2008 and 2010 are fresh. The blood on the streets of the kashmir is
still red. The present scenario of down town does not shock any inhabitant here. The murders, the bullets, the cries, the helplessness, the curfew, the abuses, they all are the part of resistance in downtown. I almost have witnessed every killings in downtown since 2006 when the first youth was killed in habakadal area of downtown by a teargas shell who later was laid to rest in eidgah  graveyard. It is said that he was the only son of his parents among 4 siblings as far as I remember as a stonepelter of Downtown this was the first kind of death which
occured during stone pelting. The post 2006 was never peaceful for downtown as far as stonepelting was concerned be in 2007 when there
was intense stone pelting for almost 4 days in
which scores of boys got brutally injured or the
start of 2008 when land revocation issue become
the flaming point of powerful anti india protests in
whole of kashmir. The epicentre of the stone
pelting and protests always remained the down
town where also the first death was reported from
the nowahtta area. The slain protestor was
peacefully protesting in nowhatta chowk when he
was fired upon by the crpf killing him on the spot.
The whole of downtown in 2008 was painted red
with blood like other parts of kashmir. There were
huge anti india rallies in eidgah area of downtown
and the whole of kashmir with downtown fought to
the end through hardships and misieries. With the
end of year almost 60 young persons had lost their precious lives. With
the start of 2009 the things had relatively started
getting better untill in the mid spring two helpless
and innocent girls were first raped and then
murdered in a stream in the town of shopian the
crime that later turned to be commited by indian
forces as per the locals. The painful news when
reached to the downtown sent shivers to the
youth. I remember I was at nawakadal when I
heard the news there was a vissible anger and the
grave sadness on the faces of the youth. The next
morning instigated a powerful resistance and anti
india protests all over kashmir with downtown the
govt forces cracked on the protesters with intense
brutality leading to the more injuries and killings.
There was sense of mourn in air all over downtown
I visited almost every hub of stone pelting centres
in down town like nowhatta and maisuma there
were angry youth and kids with stones fighting like
warriors, they had no sense of fear they were
fearless young warriors venting there anger
through the force they were using for the sharp
stones to target the symbol of indian occupation be
there men or there vichles all they wanted was to
target them to make maximum damage. By the end
of 2009 almost 9 boys had been killed by the bullets
of indian forces and injuring more then 1000. The
process of protests and stone pelting never stoped
then after there were regular protests and stone
pelting in 2010. The 2010 marked the deadlist year
for the stone Pelters. As almost 120 young boys with fell to the
bullets of indian forces. Not every one among 120
were killed in stone pelting, the majority of them
were killed in peaceful protests. From 8 years old
samer rah who was beaten to death by the crpf to
the 22 years old girl fancy who was hit by the
bullet at her home almost every person was forced
to brutality and tryanny. The irony of all this
brutality on helpless people was the chief minister
of kashmir who stuck to his seat despite the open
massacare and bloodshed of people in kashmir whom
he unfortunately claimed to be the head
representative he still remains to be the cm of
kashmir and that is not shocking to anyone in
kashmir. Downtown has rich history of the resistance to the
occupation. The stone pelting also has history in
downtown. The tradition of the downtown has
always been to respond to the calls of every anti
indian party for the strikes, election boycotts, and
other calls. The courageous people of down town
have always been on the forefront of the fight for
the liberation despite the fact that most of
families in downtown are from lower middle class.
Every family in downtown has story of sacrifices.
Some families gave there young sons, some gave
blood, some gave everything, Some even there both lives and property but one
thing that makes down town the capital of
resistance is that there is no regret in downtown
even after so much miseries and sacrifices people
in downtown are still presenting the precious
sacrifices for the cause. Slaute to the courage of
the people of downtown. yesterday's death is one more precious life to the
cause of kashmir from the downtown of kashmir.
RIP owais bhai may you get the greatest place in
jannah ammen.