By Dr. Abdul Ahad
The purpose behind floating a myth among masses cannot necessarily be always dubious. It is generally circulated to achieve an objective of great social importance: the social transcendence and political emancipation of the masses under the conditions of their existence at a given point of time or their cultural and educational advancement within the ambiguities of their social and historical life. This is amply borne by the events that lead to the conclusion of the Treaty of Amritsar (1846) which ensured the wedding of two incompatible territories to shape the State of Jammu and Kashmir in its present outward appearance. This Treaty is portrayed as bai-nama” Amritsar.
Kashmiri historians, politicians and poets had enough justification to bank upon the myth of “Sale Deed” as a strategy of political engineering against the autocratic rule because it served an entirely modern and laudable purpose for arousing the Kashmiri feelings against their oppressor, besides a foci for emotional attraction in case of the common Kashmiri who could not intellectualize the nature and the scope of the movement of 1931.
Another glaring example is reflected in the following couplet:
Panae vetharan keyah choo shuban
Sher-i-Kasbmir zendabad
(In his book: Kutch too Lekhyai ki Loog Kahtay Hain, p. 14, Dr. Aga Ashraf claims to have been shown two such leaves engraved with an inscription of Sher-i-Kashmir)
This myth exhibits the Kashmiri longing for forging unity among the disgruntled masses and for the formation of one man leadership in the bazaar of too many leaders which was, indisputably, the need of the hour in a particular socio-economic and politicohistorical context.
It is worth reiterating, thus, that the myth fulfils an important function of not only of humour in an otherwise dull or serious atmosphere but also of adapting our instinct to social life through conjurıng tricks to make us believe in what has not actually happened in history. Its role in making possible a consciousness of reality by moving meticulously within the boundaries of wishfulfilment cannot be underestimated. For example take the case of the origin of Kashmir which is attributed to the wish-fulfilment of the Nagas who are mythically imagined to have paved the way for the first Kashmiri settlement by draining out the deep waters of the Valley in pre-historic times. The story seems to have attracted the attention of scientists who have now proved it beyond doubt that the waters of the Valley got dried up through a long geographical process.
There is hardly anyone to resist the power of enticement offered by the myth. It is very appealing, interesting and fascinatingly sweet, nay sweeter than the battasha of Kud. Its spicy character and sweetish disposition are irresistible .These are stuffed with such pleasing ingredients that they do not fail for a movement to enliven an otherwise dull and boring situation by terribly boozing up the environment. It promises a lot to its believers and always strives to chafe the neck of opponents who are bent upon thundering against its manipulative potency and inherent mesmeric rhythm. Its skill in converting a simpleton into a scheme person and portrayıng a scoundrel as a statesman or dacoit as a saint of consequence is exceedingly marvellous and amazıngly interesting. It is always to cruise around to trade in phantasm, dream, drama and illusion: the most reflationary items of pubic attraction and interest. To maintain the tempo of its influence, it mystifies an episode and makes it too piercing and tantalizing to be resisted even by the Communists. Their massive indulgence and interest in whatever is publicized or promoted by the myth is clearly revealed by this episode:
The Russian Communists would till recently simply humble about to provide no plausible explanation to the castigation for their weaving myth around the Black Sea apocalypse that proved increasingly discouraging to stall voyaging across its turbulent waves for reported vulnerability of voyagers to heavy casualties caused by horrifying terror of “ghosts” occupying the deep waters.
The “ghost” story got such a wide publicity that the sea passage remained virtually closed for traffic till finally its falsity was fathomed out to avert further catastrophe. A prolonged investigation made it possible to unfold the secret of the “ghosts” who were in reality the corpses of a contingent of Czarist forces killed by the Bolsheviks during the revolution of 1917 and whose bodies and uniforms had remained intact due to the intermingling of the residual deposits and the chemical Substances emanating from a pharmaceutical factory situated nearby on the banks of Black Sea.
But in quite contradiction to myth, the objective reality or truth is not at all suffused with the ingredients of delight. It is bitter and sour enough to cause great inconvenience to its followers by pushing them into a demystified state of mind where they are confronted with nothing but truth; a phenomenon absolutely free from any prevarication and confusion. Its potentates are required to endure a lot of pain, discomfort and agony without complaining, which is, of course, a very complicated course to follow; a rough and a thorny path to tread upon; and an uneven, unpleasant and unprofitable mission to adopt.
Imagine how a Kashmiri would react to the following revealing revelations: That Kashmir was a sinkhole of moral depravity; a gigantic brothel, steeped in animal lust with syphilis as its offshoot which used to consume the lives of our ancestors non-stop at a particular point of time”. And that a sizeable and fairly a large number of our forefathers were running errands for organized begging on the streets of Srinagar where they would often hold out threats to remove their testicles in full public view if denied alms by passersby.
His immediate reaction would be one of disbelief, annoyance and considerable discomfort. He will not like to digest it as this reality is totally opposite to his mythical glorious past. This is amply borne by his fabled rich and powerful ancestors, he usually boasts about. His exposure to this naked truth would drive him desperate to make frantic efforts to protect the chastity of his false notion, nurtured over a period of time, against its possible rupture and decline. It can even infuriate and provoke him beyond proportions to castigate,scold and rebuke or suppress or silence his “tormentors who dare venture to bring such realities into public focus. It may also lead to exchanging of angry words, or scuffling, or fighting of feuds to settle the point that is believed to endanger straightaway his dogmatism and national pride.
Antagonistically fixated on things that concern the society, the myth and the reality are, thus, seen frequenty engaged in showing their stubborn contempt and strident opposition against each other. Each is making every effort
to debilitate the other with almost manic intensity to catch the attention of a potential and sizeable clientele or a band of followers who in turn are expected to ensure its happy ensconcing a long competitive race and a never ending war of wits to make either of these appear weak and fragile. Their marked antipathy and naked hatred against each other get manifested in their ever increasing longing for an emphatic striving after the perfection of their arsenal which they spread around the matrix of our culture to attract the entire community of people to come within their fold.
Kashmir history, seen in the perspective discussed above, presents a wonderful spectrum of an amalgamation of these two aspects of our societal life; and a spectacular display of their contributions to the formation of our cultural and political institutions, ethos, beliefs and attitudes over a period of time. It Is replete with instances that make it abundantly convincing that the myth and the reality emerge as a result of a historical process and are always susceptible to re-fabrication and reinterpretation so as to enable them to come as nearer, as historically possible, to human good. The historians from ancient to our own times have constantly acted as a vital link and a formidable intermediary between these two concepts; bringing out their socio-economic import; weaving and twisting them together to analyse and interpret the historical events to make them more meaningful in our context and broad based for elevating our life both individually and collectively. With painstaking research and attention to detail and through a careful exploration of archaeology, numismatics, iconography, archives, zanuscripts and documents, they have given their best to rediscover the potentialities of Kashmiri life inspiring the younger generation to explore ever new possibilities.
Dr. Abdul Ahad is a well-known historian of Kashmir. He presents a perspective on the Kashmir issue and talks about Kashmir’s history and individuality and personality.
