Abstract:
Agha Shahid Ali, the Kashmiri poet,
explores the untold miseries of the generations of loss whose
plight after independence was no better than before. Most
of his poems echo the lament of the land and cultural
maladies of citizens of Kashmir, bearing the imprints of
Indo-Islamic tradition. He contextualizes poetry in terms of
history and passes through the landscape of memories
through Ghazals. The major problem a Kashmiri faces is
whether to identify himself as an Indian or as a Kashmiri.
The unique position of Kashmir intensified the conflict and
thus the land has turned to be a space for the othering of
Kashmiri self. The present study aims at analyzing Agha
Shahid Ali’s poems through defining the land,
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differentiating it from nation and examining the concepts
such as nationalism, regionalism, terrorism etc. with the
objective to eradicate the prejudice towards individuals
standing on the margins. Problematizing the very notion of
unity in diversity envisaged in the Constitution it tries to
throw light upon the shadows of poet’s vision, moving deep
into its roots. The relevance of the analysis lies in
unraveling the predicament of an individual who feels as an
outsider inside the broad shelter to which he is supposed to
get entangled. The issue addresses not only Kashmiris but
also the ethnic, religious, linguistic communities throughout
the world who are confined inside the barbed wires of
sectarianism. The scope of the reading can be extended to
delve deep into the history of India , the idea of freedom and
its dimensions and the post-colonial aspect i.e. the dual role
that language plays in relation to history, viewed through
the looking glass of contemporary existence.
