Irom Sharmila to offer hope in Kashmir - who are we fooling?
Many, including the UN, feel that the media needs to take a “more constructive” approach to news to combat “apathy and indifference”. That the public gets turned off by overwhelmingly negative news.
So, first the good news: Irom Sharmila — the Iron Lady of Manipur — after having "fallen off the radar" as a result of breaking her 16-year-long fast and suffering a disastrous performance in the last Manipur elections, has "staged a comeback".
Now, some more good news: She is the brand ambassador of Aaassh (hope), an initiative of a Pune-based NGO, Sarhad, for violence-affected women weavers and artisans of Jammu and Kashmir.
And if that's not heart-warming enough, this headline would surely pass muster as constructive journalism — "Iron Lady offers hope to J&K violence victims".
Almost two years after she ended her fast demanding the repeal of the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Irom on her maiden visit to Kashmir, compared stone-pelting with "using eggs to smash stones", according to this Outlook report.
#Manipur’s #Iron lady #IromSharmila creating waves in #Kashmir: > https://t.co/rMIuus7iRH pic.twitter.com/FgiaOaNzFS
— Northeast Live (@NeliveIn) June 8, 2018
“Pelting of stones is just using eggs to smash stones. It is an egg-versus-stone fight. That will result in more violence, hatred and degradation,” she said.
The 46-year-old rights activist urged the youths in the Valley to resort to non-violent demonstrations, which could prove to be a better way to resist the powerful.
Irom, like always, said all the right things, never wavering from her intention. “The people are not afraid anymore; they are very angry. They haven’t found a more effective way to challenge the system. They don’t care what happens to them. They are so angry. They are fed up with talking now.” But such non-violent methods of struggle are strong, she added, reminding the youths of the non-violent struggle against the powerful British that ultimately freed the country.
She also expressed surprise over the "overwhelming support" from the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP government for the revocation of the AFSPA. “I find that your chief minister and the police heads here are against the AFSPA. That is contrary to (the stand of the) Manipur CM.”
However, not everyone saw much reason in her argument.
The same report quoted human rights activist Khurram Parvez expressing displeasure over Irom being "escorted by an NGO that is pro-establishment and bore doubtful credentials".
According to Parvez, Irom’s demand for repealing AFSPA "never attracted the imagination of the people of Kashmir, because it was seldom a demand in the Valley".
“People here understand that impunity in Jammu and Kashmir persists not only because of draconian laws, but because of the moral impunity and absolute lawlessness,” he said. “The J&K police are not covered under the AFSPA, yet they have also enjoyed impunity. Irom’s demand did not find enough resonance even when she was on hunger strike for years, also because the demand in Kashmir is for demilitarisation and resolution of Kashmir dispute.”
While there were poignant moments during her interaction with the media — she caressing her long scarf and revealing that the cloth was manufactured by the Kunan Poshpora rape victims, lamenting that she really doesn't know how to help out people — the visit is significant for reasons that the Indian media is perhaps uneasy to highlight.
Sadly, Irom Sharmila is not a picture of hope.
A desolate hero of resistance who found no support from either the state or her own people who deserted her the moment she announced her decision to break her decade-and-a-half-long hunger strike.
Until July 26, 2016, she was Manipur's symbol of self-sacrifice. That was the day when she said she wanted to break her fast and immediately came under severe scrutiny.
While many urged her to continue the fast, some radical groups threatened her. Ironically, those were the very people for whom she stood up and now, they were ready to sacrifice her on the altar of tolerance. At that time, she had also expressed her desire to get married (to her long-time friend Goa-born British Desmond Coutinho, with whom she eventually tied the knot last year) and announced that she would join electoral politics to continue the fight against AFSPA. Many even blamed “outsider” Coutinho for "influencing" her decision to end the fast. There was so much resistance against her decision that people openly expressed apprehensions that Coutinho was a state agent trying to divert her democratic struggle.
So, as expected, the day she broke her fast — on August 9, 2016 — most people turned their back on her. It broke her heart to see how all those who idolised her for years, literally shut the door on her.
This is how her brother had reacted. "I am not happy to know that she has decided to end her fast. What upsets me more is that she did not consult me or her mother before taking this important decision. My mother always told her to fight till the end — till the demand to repeal AFSPA is met."
However, the worst came when she announced to make a political debut in last year's Assembly elections. It was as if almost everybody wanted to exact their revenge from her for "giving up the hunger strike". And they won: Irom lost the electoral battle by bagging just 90 votes. The message for Irom was clear — her people had disowned her.
Heart-broken and rejected, she left Imphal for Kerala after a few days and is now based in Kodaikanal. As she filed an application to tie the knot with Coutinho at the sub-registrar's office in Kodaikanal last year, Irom declared that she doesn't want to return home (to Manipur) ever again.
So, now when she finds herself amid an equally broken people in Kashmir, what kind of "positivity" do we hope to offer? That this is what happens when you choose to take on the might of the state with non-violence?
All those who are expecting Irom to stand tall as a symbol of non-violent struggle have to be blinded by the chimera created by the "eat-pray-and-eulogise" club. It's the same people who are guilty of offering false hopes and homilies on pluralism and tolerance.
There is no way to make this piece of news "balanced" and "constructive". The broken images and dreams simply don't fit in the big picture of positive political discourse.
Indians, like everyone else in the world, are suckers for "true" stories that offer hope. We lap them up instantly and start revelling in the possibility of a better, brighter tomorrow. But we forget there are always two sides to a story. And the other side of hope is not something that you would want to know.