M A I N   N E W S

Curfew & confession: Valley pours its heart out
Azhar Qadri/TNS

Srinagar, March 17
Ever wondered what Kashmiris do when they are grounded inside their houses under lengthy spells of curfew? They pour their heart out, and that too online.

In the Valley, which is reeling under shutdowns, the trend of making confessions has caught up in a big way. The people are talking about their school days, childhood chums, “teen crushes”, lost love and lot more.

The social networking websites are full of school confession pages, college confession pages and university confession pages. Kashmir has remained closed due to shutdowns and curfews for more than 21 out of 37 days since February 9 — after hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

A leading psychiatrist from Valley, Mushtaq Margoob, draws a link between imposition of restrictions on life and reminiscing about the “good memories” of the past.

“Whenever a human being is confronted with a situation where he feels helpless or feels he is in a very horrible or painful state, one of the ways to escape that trauma - psychologically and momentarily - is to think about one’s good days,” says Margoob. “The suffocating impact" of restrictions can hit the personality development of the new generation which is experiencing an increased feeling of helplessness,” says the psychiatrist.

Social networking sites are giving an escape to people from this feeling of confinement, he says. On these sites, the range of confessions is astonishing. While some are remembering their school days, recalling the time spent in classrooms and their childhood friends, others are talking about their “crushes” and infatuations.

The conservatives, however, haven’t taken well to this trend and are already expressing their anguish by invoking religious ruling against it.

trend goes viral

• Confined in their homes for long periods of time, Kashmiris are pouring their heart out online
• The trend of making confessions has caught up in a big way. The people are talking about their school days, childhood chums, “teen crushes”, lost love and lot more
• The social networking websites are full of school confession pages, college confession pages and university confession pages