One of my young friends suggests ‘Red Maize’ and, in a few days, the delivery boy knocks the door to handover the book. Paper bound 280 page book is published by Harper Collins. The back cover gist makes me believe that it is another addition to what has come to be known as ‘Resistance Literature’ like books titled Curfewed Night, The collaborator, The Half Widow, Garden of Solitude, Shadows Beyond The Ghost Town ,The Half Mother, The Book of Gold Leaves and few more. Divided into sixteen chapters, the book encompasses the tragedy of Kausar Jan who loses her sons, one by one, to the conflict. The book makes us travel through the green verdant, rugged terrain, dense forests, along the rhythmic streams in the shadow of gun. The tyranny of the gun wielding militants and, to an extent, by the Task Force personnel has been detailed extensively. However, brutal face of the olive green has been conveniently put under the shroud. River in my backyard has been flowing red over the years and the author has magically expressed the state of affairs in the conflict zone. “The old ,who had seen peaceful times ,rightly predicted , so much blood will seep through our land that someday we will have red kernels of maize instead of yellow. The day is not far when the hills will start to grow red maize, season after season.” (Page103)
Halfway through the book, I grow the urge to read the author also. This urge is cultivated because Asalam-u-Alikum is written as Aslamwalekum , wanwun as wuwan and Alhamdulillah as Alhamulillah. More importantly the way girls have been introduced in various passages of the book. Mujahids are there, as author believes, for authority, money and women. ‘The Mujahids would give him money to buy them almonds, biscuits, cigarettes, medicines, batteries for wireless sets and condoms (page46) and the treatment meted to two daughters of the village head Gul Mohamd ,a double cross. The author has placed girls in almost all locations, be it the hideouts like Hill Kaka or Akhrot Point. We have never heard a press statement by the police itself where a busted hideout housed willing or unwilling girls also. But bizarre is the description about Rehamtulla Peer. The author wants us to believe that Muslims of J&K, in fact, belong to some ‘Huma shopa ho ho’ tribe from the Dark Continent who oblige their chief in every way. “…….It was considered some kind of salvation for the girl, her stairway to janat.”(page 49) and “In some of the houses ,he had initiated them even as their parents and brothers sat in next room…..” (page 153) is derogatory and humiliating for the whole community.
And, interestingly, I find that the very first plate of the book has escaped my eye. The author is Mr. Danesh Rana an Indian Police Service officer which explains to me many things ;may be some job compulsions may be some intentional twists.
The author intelligently escapes raising a controversy as “Miraculously, the Quran folded in green velvet remains unscathed.”(page73) and “There is a miniature Quran in the pocket of his Kameez”(page 209). This, despite the fact, the grenades and rocket launchers have destroyed the hideout or the house turning them into mounds of debris. He has shown his professional acumen in describing the security operations in minute details that one remains glued to the words, lines, paragraphs and pages. The attack on Akhrot Point hideout, internal situation in the Kangri-6 torture cell or some of the militant attacks have been described in gripping details making the reader part of the operation. The book is a work of fiction as has been recorded in the beginning but as we all know good literature, in fact, is always very close to the reality. While militant commander’s tyrannical acts like killing, beheading, rape and extortion has been described with precise details army has been shown to be brute to the extent of verbal abuse only. No such incident has been put in black and white which could point to the incidents like Kunan Poshpora, Banihal , Sailan, Pathribal or the like in which army has been reported to be involved. There is no doubt that the police officer has been very sympathetic towards the olive green brigade in not mentioning them in haze. Instead, he tries to create some sympathy towards Major Rathore who feels the remorse on some of his actions. “While we go about trying to eliminate the terrorists it also becomes our duty not to create terrorists “(page 79) and “Somewhere deep in his heart, he regrets the Mujahid he had created out of Khalid”(page 216). If not thousands but there are hundreds of such cases where forces personnel shall have to take responsibility of making Khalids out of innocent citizens. “I have become the dervish of death ……………………he cannot shrug off the shroud of fear about the world discovering his role in this gruesome conspiracy that has killed an innocent boy.”(page 264,265).
The author deserves praise for showing the Task Force in its true colour. The Kangri-6 interrogation cell and the attitude of the officers is described as “some of them paid heavy bribes to ensure the liberation of their sons………….Kangri-6 was a den of deceit, torture, tears, and bribery…”(page138). And getting innocents involved in fake cases has been another black spot on the force . “In this conflict ,if they could not do you in with a gun, they did you in with a pen.”(page139) is a bold statement. The news reports about many buried in mass graves have been published time and again .And the author conveniently connects the passage with a ruthless middle rung officer . “Stories about how he had killed some boys in the torture cells and dumped their bodies in the Jhelum abounded. Some of them, it was rumoured he had secretly buried in nameless graves.”(page195).
Whether it is acceptable or not in the civilized world that “Everything is fair in the conflict.” ( page220) but till now the situation remains same . Very few have been punished for taking conflict to the doors of common people making it convenient for themselves that no questions are asked during war. The end result is that Kashmir continues to bleed through its millions of cuts. “She(Kausar jan) had become a metaphor for Kashmir—the coveted vale of conflict…….she was the vast meadow of a million blooming flowers and she was the land strewn with deadly thorns. She was the mother of all disputes.” page 243.
‘Red maize’ is written in lyrical prose with gripping details. But the conflict between police officer and the author is pronounced. He has not been able to analyze the situation and psyche why thousands throng the venues of funeral prayers for slain militants. Readers want the balance should not be lost between a professional police officer and the acclaimed writer.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Reviewer is the author of “The Half Widow” and “Shadows Beyond The Ghost Town” , can be reached at wanishafi999@gmail.com
