Mother, the street is so quiet
On the psychological impact of the conflict in Kashmir
Mother, the street is so quiet.
It is not even snowing
Like that morning of half-sun
When you woke me up with
Your hand full of blood apples
From my favorite tree
By the lake of flowers
It was blooming still
Looking like one
Red feather fairy
From my dreams
Amidst the white of the
Snow from above
there is a heaven they say
And it was quiet
So quiet
Me in your warm lap
Eating the blood apples
Knowing of that one tree.
But the quiet of today
seems different,
Mother.
It might be because
that tree is no more.
Mother, the street is so quiet.
~
Vaishali Paliwal
“In light of the recent developments in Kashmir, civilians are feeling even more alienated and perturbed by the revocation of Article 370 which led to a communication blackout that was enforced to ensure total integration of the troubled state with India. The government has to take an empathetic approach to the people in Kashmir. With Prime Minister Modi’s recent speech aiming to position the revocation to be in service of improving Kashmiri lives, the pulse of the people in the state, at least for now, does not seem to resonate with this sentiment. In an effort to compensate the further alienation, systems must be put in place to encourage community-based intervention programmes that bring people together.”
