Despite the taunt”, the Kashmiri people have maintained their intellectual freedom. With wise decisions, we will demonstrate our honour, intelligence, critical thinking and decision-making skills in future too. -Dr Fiaz Maqbool Fazili.
DR.FIAZ MAQBOOL FAZILI
The 4 Lac slander” on the Kashmiri nation uttered sarcastically by a political leader of the 60s ,is a phrase that often mirrors our social, political, and historical situation. Such a statement calls into question the collective consciousness, individual intelligence, and critical thinking of the Kashmiri people. Unarguably, in Kashmir, may be at that time there was a clear lack of critical thinking skills in many areas of life, including politics, media and business. But “this mentality of herd behaviour is changing with the high quality of education in Kashmir. The only similar graffiti I saw during a recent trip to my old home(downtown-Sheher Khas ) was the words, “I love Kashmir” beautifully written in colours with a Chinar leaf . It seemed to be a positive story. Although Kashmir has been slowly overcoming the past trends of behaviours and attitudes in a few years there is no death or lack of critical thinking in Kashmir. Critical thinking is the ability to critically analyse and evaluate data, claims, counter claims and arguments to arrive at well-informed conclusions or decisions. Before going too deep into the reasons, I would like to define what critical thinking actually is. It involves questioning assumptions, considering opposing views, and judging the truth and applicability of facts.
Historical Background: Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad, the Prime Minister in the 60s, had “40 Lakh Tana-the Taunt ” on the Kashmiri people during his time, questioning their competence and intellectual capacity. The purpose of this taunt was to treat the Kashmiri people as vassals and to belittle their ability to think and make decisions. This taunt was an attempt to downplay the historical struggle of the Kashmiri people and their efforts to fight for their rights.
Awareness, Intelligence and critical decision-making: Here the question arises, do Kashmiri people really work with a herd mentality? The reality is that the Kashmiri people have tremendous intelligence, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities at individual and collective levels. History is a witness that Kashmiris have always raised their voices for their rights and that they have the ability to decide their own future.
Educational ability of Kashmiri people: In terms of education, the Kashmiri people have achieved significant achievements in every era. Across the world, Kashmiri youth are excelling in their studies and research. This proves that Kashmiris are not mentally retarded in any way, rather they are equal to others in the educational and intellectual field. This ground reality even Honourable Prime minister acknowledged during his public speech art Srinagar at same “Bakshi Stadium,” while expressing grief and condolence on the recent sad demise of Mr. M.Shafi Pandit IAS , valley’s top bureaucrat, and socialite.
Power of Collective Consciousness: Kashmiri society is based on collective consciousness and intellectual freedom. This society has the ability to care for each other, solve problems together, share and support each other in difficult situations. Those who accuse the “herd” mentality actually try to downplay the collective consciousness and intellect of the Kashmiri people, which is a fallacy.
Self-respect and collective decision making : Kashmiri people have always taken collective decisions, which is a proof of their wisdom and intellectual capacity. Be it nonpolitical matters, religious or social issues. Accepted fact, maybe there were some shortcomings, marred by non-visionary , blind faith alignments ,alienations and personal or hierarchy affiliation’s in political scenarios. which are prevalent in any part of the world, otherwise, Kashmiri people have always taken unanimous and strategic decisions, which is a manifestation of the strength of their collective consciousness. We have seen its manifestations during natural calamities like floods, wildfires, earthquakes or crowd fundings.
Importance of Critical Decision Making: Critical decision making is very important for the development of any society and intellectual freedom. The Kashmiri people are aware of this and have always shown wisdom, wisdom, and intellectual independence in their decision-making. Critical decision-making means that a person bases most of their decisions on facts, logic, and sound analysis, not entirely on emotion or pressure.There are numerous examples of critical thinking of Kashmiri people. Remarkable achievements in the field of education, business, cultural advancement, trade, media, bureaucracy, national and international diplomacy , worldwide as well as efforts to solve social problems, are proof that Kashmiri people do not act with a “herd” mentality at all, rather they make wise decisions.
Intellectual freedom of Kashmiris: The intellectual freedom of the Kashmiri people is the result of their social, social and educational consciousness. They make their own decisions and don’t care about any external pressure or taunts. Kashmiri society has always maintained its self-respect, independence, and intellectual freedom.
Restoration and Reclaiming of intellectual freedom: Despite Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad’s “4 million (lacs) taunts”, the Kashmiri people have maintained their intellectual freedom. They make their own decisions, fight for their rights, and prove through their social and educational achievements that they are not in need of any external scorn or blame. The historical challenge has always been there, but they have always attempted to maintain their intellectual freedom, self-respect, and wisdom while facing this challenge. The Kashmiri people neither act with a “herd” mentality nor care about any outside scorn. Their academic, non-political, and social achievements are proof that they are independent, intellectually independent, and wise decision-makers.
Lack of intellectual discourse is one of the reasons sceptics believe is causing the decline of critical thinking in Kashmir. Intolerance of opposing viewpoints and ideologies is common, and social media platforms make this behaviour abundantly clear. People who express their opinions on various topics are often subjected to harassment, abuse, and even violent threats. Critical thinking is discouraged in this intolerant society because people are afraid to express their views for fear of being ridiculed or targeted. Intellectual endeavours and critical thinking are also generally undervalued and underappreciated in Kashmir. Intellectuals and critical thinkers are often ostracized, dismissed or labelled as “psychos”. This marginalization is the result of the media, political culture and education system. As a result, people are not sufficiently motivated to engage in intellectual activities, and critical thinking is not respected. When thinking minds are discouraged or disappear in Kashmir, it has significant ramifications. This has led to a lack of creativity and sound judgment in many areas. Because people are unable to critically evaluate and question, there is a lack of critical thinking, which has also contributed to the perpetuation of social and economic inequality. All parties have to make joint efforts to solve this problem. Media plays an important role in shaping public opinion and promoting logical thinking. Due to the lack of exposure to alternative views, critical thinking is highly discouraged. In summary, the disappearance of critical thinkers in Kashmir is a serious problem that needs immediate attention. The people, the media, the political culture and the education system all must work together to deal with this problem. Kashmir can overcome its present problems and take steps towards a bright future by encouraging critical thinking and intellectual pursuits. The self-respect and ingenuity of the Kashmiri people, critical thinking and decision-making will always be appreciated. Because they know that their intellectual freedom is beyond any pressure of critical thinking and decision making. “The scorn of 40 lakhs” can never weaken their ambitions and they will always stand up to restore their honour and dignity. Some of the translated verses of a beautiful ghazal by the poet,” Itebbar Sajid” may be relevant here.
“The choice of the path has become necessary,
Now the conclusion of the chapter has become necessary,
If we remain silent, more accusations will come:
Now some kind of answer became necessary,
We kept denying and delaying so that this turn did not happen:
Then the punishment of Hijr became necessary,
It became a habit to sleep early every evening:
Every night a dream became necessary
This black dome does not break with sighs
Now crystallization of Sang Aftab- Sunstone will be necessary.”
The author is a surgeon at Mubarak Hospital and is very active in managing positive awareness of various ethical and social issues. He can be contacted at drfiazfazili@gmail.com
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