Sir,
Apropos Manu Khajuria’s article, ”Latent Fear Rules Jammu” DE Mar 27. It is yet another eye opener, worth her effort. Jammu is constantly in fear and unease. Talk to anyone, he feels insecure. Jammu is, as the author describes, a home to the Dogras who formed this unique state of Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The present face of J&K is due to Jammu. Yet there is perpetual environment of fear and helplessness amongst those who are perpetually upholding the secular and pluralistic ethos of the state. There is a perception that Jammu’s very identity is nearing extinction. This phenomenon of insecurity is arising not from a common man who is typically not well educated or politically less aware but from those who are well educated and politically highly aware; not from poor or lacking opportunities but from those who have everything including wealth and access to opportunities and not from those who have migrated to Jammu out of fear but from those who are perceived to provide security to the feared. It indeed is a running movie signaling bad ending as per the celebrity columnist. To my mind, this fear is growing because neither the present democratically elected coalition Govt nor any such Govt in the past worked honestly keeping the mind the sentiments and concerns of people of Jammu. The attitude of past Govts apparently was discriminatory and oppressive.
There is a perceived cultural threat to Jammu from those who believe in different religious and cultural values, be they internally displaced, purposely settled in and around Jammu or externally immigrated. ‘Nothing much can be done’ as per a proverb, ‘when the fence starts eating the crop’. Least the feared Jammuites can do is brush up their understanding of the fear, forcefully share their views of this phenomenon and watch out for the future collectively while hoping and waiting that Delhi will one day take note of it.
Yours etc,,,,,
Col J P Singh, Retd
Gandhinagar, Jammu
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