In a conversation with the Indian Cultural Forum, Sahba Husain, activist and researcher, and Gautam Navlakha, human rights activist, talk about why Kashmir is seen as integral to the Indian psyche, the role of the state in the militarisation in Kashmir, the language used when talking about resistance in Kashmir, and how impunity for the armed forces is built into the discourse around Kashmir. This conversation in four parts takes into account the political, social, economic and cultural impact of the presence of the armed forces in Kashmir, the lives of Kashmiris in the wake of mass-rape and torture in Kunan Poshpora, the migration, rehabilitation and enclosure of Kashmiri pandits in camps, and the thorny questions around plebiscite and ‘Azadi’.
Part 1
Kashmir as an integral part of the Indian psyche; the identity of Kashmiris as a people
Part 2
Sexual violence by the armed forces in Kashmir; impunity built into the discourse of the state; the ways in which Kashmiris fight for justice; and the language of the state when speaking about resistance in Kashmir
Part 3
Kashmiri demand for ‘Azadi’ and the ways in which Kashmiris remember the past
Part 4
Impact of the political condition on the land and culture of Kashmir; impact of political condition on Kashmiri pandits and their life
