Women have it tough because they have to fight a two-faced monster: occupational militarisation as well as patriarchy in their daily lives. “When we talk about the mental health scenario in Kashmir it’s more or less the same across genders given the militarisation and the traumatic experiences on an everyday basis. To find an ally in something remote from one’s reality reveals a shared humanity and that you are not alone. I draw strength from Kashmir and their culture. But in Kashmir I also see determination, a keen sense of life and a will to life. The MSF report includes that political and economic instability and uncertainty have an adverse impact on mental health, ‘affecting the everyday life and livelihood of the population.’ I feel a deep resonance in Kashmir: I sense the pain of their existence, the continuous suffering, wait and anxiety. To quote from the report, “… With 41% exhibiting probable depression, 26% probable anxiety and 19% probable PTSD.” But first, let’s lay out some of that context for those who are unfamiliar.Īccording to the Kashmir Mental Health Survey (2015) conducted by the medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), 45% of the adult population or 1.8 million adults in the Kashmir valley have significant symptoms of mental distress. Let the songs and poetry interpret themselves to you. These songs I will mention helped me embrace that. The mind, Kashmir, Covid, these are all difficult to map, but they have all one thing in common: the uncertainty of it. What follows is not only an attempt to map my mind through song but also an attempt to map Kashmir - not in a geographical sense (that is an open-ended, tricky terrain), but make visible their struggles - mental health as well as socio-political, just as it did for me.īut it is also worth noting that it is also a geographical uncertainty that is at the heart of its socio-political conditions and subsequent mental health. Even the word ‘struggle’ is an understatement for Kashmiris. In The Lord of the Rings Gandalf the Wise says, “ You are not without allies, even if you know them not.” I feel like I found an ally in Kashmir and their endless struggles, in understanding and learning about them. Each of the songs goes on to do this in artistically different ways. Alif particularly helped me see love and hope, depth and beauty at a time I couldn’t see for myself. A period that in retrospect prepared me for this Covid-19 phase.
The songs are primarily by Kashmiri artists, Alif and Parvaaz.Īlif, my ‘ghamkhvar’ (consoler) came to me at a difficult period at the end of last year. I wanted to share a small, personal playlist that has helped me cope in difficult times. Songs are also one of those sacred spaces where one is really, truly understood. They tend to the heart and soothe the mind, as well as give little hints, clues, and tiny lessons about coping, living life. A friend told me that we listen to songs but they listen to us too. Or like an archaeologist, decipher the life in your soul. Like a philologist, it can see through your beginnings and trace the entirety of your life. Songs are able to sift through the dust of your existence. Music helps me ‘map’ my mind, understand the paths and routes of thought patterns and emotions, and invariably understand myself better. It feels more ‘real’ or an external manifestation of something that is hard to nab a bit like the coronavirus, the mind is a slippery creature. Music, like therapy, is a medium for that. ALSO READ: MANAGING ANXIETYĪn important aspect of managing my anxious thoughts and its subsequent symptoms and stress is getting to know myself, and the workings of my mind better. Playing songs, or listening to them, also helps me stay in touch with my mind, my feelings and emotions, and a sense of self, when stress has the potential to momentarily obliterate it all. My instrument and playlists give me as much fun and joy - one after all ‘plays’ the guitar - as they also provide an avenue for venting and expression, solace and safety. Music is an integral part of my life as I am also a guitarist and musician. I gather from them strength and a sense of identity. Songs take you back to who you are, the various shades and experiences hidden within. Uncertainty and the resulting stress can take over the mindscape. It has also triggered anxiety and affected our mental health.
The Covid-19 world has changed the topography of how we lead our lives.
0 kommentar(er)
