Restricted to their homes, yet women here are politically aware

Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 23

Jawahara Begum (45), a home-maker, has been restricted to her home since the crisis in Kashmir began on August 5. She says it is suffocating to be in the situation of a clampdown but like other women in her old city locality she is keeping a watch on the political happenings.

For Jawahara, in her locality of Safa Kadal, which is one of the volatile parts of old Srinagar, she is used to curfews and restrictions as witnessed n 2008, 2010 and 2016, and she has always been politically aware of the everyday events in Kashmir. “Like men who go and discuss situations at the bakers’ shop or in the street, we are equally curious. We are anxious and tired,” she says adding that she discusses the situation with other women in her locality.

While Jawahara keeps a watch on things she says, “It is affecting the mental health of the people as they feel trapped in their homes”.

“Normally, we would go to visit our relatives or go to the market or go out for some other purpose.It is frustrating to be just at home. And we don’t know when this is going to end. Mentally, it is tiring. We don’t talk about any other things as our discussions are so depressing,” she says.

Adding that the difficulties have doubled due to the ongoing indefinite communication blockade in Kashmir. Barring some landline phone in a few areas, all kinds of communication channels in Kashmir are blocked since August 5. Like Jawahahra, Haseena is also worried but her bigger concern is her children.“We saw some peace in Kashmir when we were growing up but my children saw nothing. It has been violent since they were born. I don’t see any end to this or a secure future for them,” says Haseena a resident of Batamaloo. Haseena, who is a mother of three children aged between 18-27, says, “Everyone in Kashmir is suffering from anxiety.” All her children are studying.

“My husband runs a shop and if the situation is like this, it is obviously stressful. We have lost hope and the government is responsible for it. They deliberately do things that puts Kashmir on fire,” she says. While half of the day Haseena is busy cooking, cleaning and serving her family of six, but she keeps watch on the news and events unfolding in Kashmir.“Everyone wants an end to this but no one is listening,” she says. “We have seen this for decades”. Mymoona, a resident of Bohri Kadal locality, says she used to go and pray at the grand mosque once during the day, which she is not able to do now. “We are deprived of all these things now,” she says.