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| MY TORN TENT ON 3 BAMBOO POLES WRITTEN BY ASHOK RAINA | | | |  Amidst the turbulent winds of this power struggle, how were the artworks of life being shattered, and in the midst of it all, how did my own story become a mere tale? Many scenes remain vividly etched in my memory.
I had only just embraced the threshold of youth, and my eyes longed to behold the captivating sights of beauty. Many wonderful dreams were hidden in my eyes, and the aspirations to achieve something great were certainly blossoming in my heart. But the circumstances of displacement, the hustle and bustle of life, and the scorching heat of the sun were urging me to strive even harder.
Whenever I think about it today, I feel deep down that even though I lost everything in my childhood, that time was still better than the present. And when the memories of life spent in a tent supported by three bamboo poles come flooding back and become vivid again, every moment seems precious and significant.
In those days, people were fleeing the Kashmir Valley in droves, arriving day and night in lorries and trucks. The government was also scrambling to deal with the situation, trying to resettle them on vacant, overgrown, snake-infested plots of land adjacent to cemeteries and remote cremation grounds. Bamboo tents were erected in these locations, and thousands of families were gradually settled there. My torn tent, on three bamboo poles, was also set up among them, and that's where I began to live a strange new life.
The sun's heat was extremely oppressive. I was constantly thirsty. There was no source of water in those distant, sandy lands, and to quench my thirst, we had to walk at least two to three kilometers, especially in this unbearable summer heat, which meant I would get thirsty again even before I reached my destination.
During the displacement and due to the heavy rains, I repeatedly lost several important and expensive textbooks in my tattered tent, which was supported by three bamboo poles. I had worked hard to obtain and buy those books.
The prices of the bamboo poles used for election flags were rising every time, but only we knew how those gusts of wind made us feel – we were terrified. The constant swaying of the electric lamp between the three bamboo poles, and the sudden collapse of the tent and the poles on top of us, trapping us inside – this situation was not depicted by film personality Anupam Kher in his film " Kashmir Files 2022," which failed to show the environment and circumstances in which our lives have been lived since our exodus from the Kashmir Valley.
I had absolutely no idea how to live life in a tent. Life, entangled in the ropes of the tent, still taught me many lessons. The assistance provided by the government was negligible; it wasn't even enough to provide basic food, and in such a situation, pursuing education was a huge challenge. Besides managing my daily clothes in a small space, the cooking area, and the constant noise from other families living in nearby tents, all created significant difficulties in my studies.
With the dawn of each new day, the daily protests against the government's negligence and the cremation of numerous bodies of people dying from the scorching heat added to the misery.
In this situation, I had a great goal of surviving, and I spared no effort in learning the art of living. In my search for a government job, I passed several prestigious all-India examinations, but unfortunately, the government's attitude towards me has remained unfavorable to this day. Achieving education and succeeding in competitive exams was no less than an award for me. But I regret to say that the central government's attention was never focused on me, and I still feel ashamed about who received the jobs.
The unfortunate part is that the government was fully aware that the food and water provided to the displaced people were insufficient, yet I was forced to knock on the doors of the courts for justice. Earning the lawyer's fees before fighting for my rights and then appealing to the courts was no small feat. Fighting against injustice for many years and the government's misuse of my precious time was nothing short of a barbaric act. Every endeavor I attempted was thwarted by government interference. Being denied employment in my own country was a direct attack on my civil rights. Even after obtaining court orders, the failure to implement those orders demonstrates a complete disregard for the rule of law.
My time was also wasted by the governments, who kept me tied up with ropes in my torn tent supported by three bamboo poles. When I chose the profession of journalism and tried to highlight the problems faced by displaced families from Kashmir and Doda district, the government once again became vigilant and forcibly prevented me from pursuing journalism based on truth. During this time, I was forced to suffer considerable losses, while how the new era of journalism was initiated is not hidden from the public eye.
Like an ant, I never gave up hope of climbing the wall again and again, but this time the governments tried to demolish the wall itself to eliminate the root of the problem, forcing me to go to the world stage to find relief in this challenging phase of my life and for ask them about the experience of my life starts from in my torn tent on 3 bamboo Poles is still struggling for seeking equal rights, all basic amenities, job opportunities. Own business venture, liberty of life and right to livelihood and right to freedom of expression in my own sovereign secular India.
(The author of this article is Ashok Raina editor of daily Northern times )
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