While KO disavows deep expertise in the domains of psychology- especially social psychology- but it would amount to stating the obvious that most Kashmiris appear to be suffering from mild or borderline depression or even some form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The reasons are the prolonged curfew, the strikes and the violence that have accrued from these following Burhan Wani’s killing. By way of a recall, it has now been 81 days since Wani was killed by the state. The intervening period has been a traumatic time for the people of Kashmir. However, if the number of people and activity during the time of relaxation calls given by separatists are held to be an indication, then it would appear that Kashmiris have forgotten the trauma.
But this reading would not only be superficial but also trite. The false observation that Kashmiris have forgotten the trauma stems from appearances which in turn suggest what psychologists call, “memory erasure” attempts. That is, seek psychological relief from traumatic experiences and times. In psychological terms what Kashmiris (who have suffered mass trauma) are doing comprises two components. Freyd et al called this “knowledge isolation” and “unawareness”. The former refers to diverse ways in which information can be hidden from awareness and the latter “describes situations in which abusive related information is inaccessible to the conscious mind( Freyd et al, 1997).
Both pertain to what is termed as “Betrayal Trauma”.
“Betrayal trauma refers to a social dimension of trauma independent of the individual’s response to the trauma…. the degree to which abuse events represent a betrayal by a trusted friend, needed person mediates the manner in which abuse related information is processed and remembered”(De Prince et al, 2012).
What , the question is, does all this have to do with Kashmir and Kashmiris?
The politics of Kashmir, historically and contemporarily, have been paternalistic with people responding and reposing their trust in the political class. Given that Kashmir is defined by conflict and is in conflict, much of the expectations of the people of Kashmir have revolved around resolution of the conflict. However, these expectations have been betrayed repeatedly by the political class. The consequences of this betrayal- the latest being the PDP’s about turn and alliance with the far right political party, the BJP- have led to violence of a structural variety. This violence has exacted deep wounds in the Kashmiri psyche and collective (un) conscious and hence deep and structural trauma. The structural and cyclical violence that erupted in the vale after Wani’s killing is a continuation of the saga of violence and hence trauma that has historically defined Kashmir. Essentially, Kashmiris have been subject to political violence which is not necessarily the same as “physical violence”. The effects of this are deep and wide and are mostly psychological and emotional. This means that while temporarily, Kashmiris might take recourse to “knowledge isolation” and unawareness during relaxations but revert to the negative political idiom in an act which may be described as “ unforgetting”- that is, remembering the source of trauma and political violence.
Profound implications flow from this.
The primary one is that Kashmir will always remain unsettled-politically, emotionally, economically and socially given the nature and enduring repetitiveness of political violence in the vale. Temporary and fleeting periods of “normalcy” (or relative peace) will jostle with violent periods in a cyclical manner. The Kashmiri psyche will gyrate to the stimulus of trauma and political violence unless and until a genuine “healing touch”(not to be confused with the PDP’s erstwhile slogan) is employed and the Kashmiri psyche and (un) conscious redeemed and reclaimed. The question is how can this be done? Through political renewal is the answer. The nature of this political renewal can only lie in what KO has long believed in and rooted for: a multi stakeholder approach to the conflict in and over Kashmir that redounds to the benefit of all stakeholders- especially Kashmiris. Until this paradigm and program of political renewal is instituted, Kashmir and Kashmiris will be victims of political violence induced trauma which, in turn, will render relapse into structural violence of a cyclical nature and conflict inevitable. The current protests will one day abate but if powers that be conclude that all will be well in Kashmir, they then live in a fool’s paradise.
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