And Quietly Flows The Jhelum

The proverbial crown often makes the head uncomfortable and if such a crown is crafted by quisling apostates, adept at coercing the head to force the whole body to twitch, the matter becomes a bit too serious. Kashmir, the crown of India, has been manipulated by many such shrewd individuals for too long, causing excruciating pain and agony to many. But every suffering, like every joy, does end at some point in time!

Electoral promises, being what these are, have always been short-lived in the biggest democracy of the world. Common people, the key stakeholders, have got used to such a phenomenon. The troublesome neighbour is not too far behind; he is used to typical tolerant reactions to one and many of a thousand cuts that he keeps inflicting on his big neighbour every now and then.

The usual script, however, changes one fine day and a subtle change begins to happen. Those who observe things closely notice the change while many others just brush them aside, calling such changes nothing but flashes in a hot cast iron pan.

 And then the truth reveals itself – absolutely naked and stark- beyond doubt and impossible to ignore! Yes, a lot goes into running a country; no different than an iceberg, only tip is visible and yet a lot sails underneath. There are institutions and then there are agencies. Beyond visible, there are many entities who work 24x7 and remain obscure and unsung! Yes, it takes a lot to run a nation!

About the Author

Colonel Ajay K Raina, SM, is an Indian Army veteran and a military historian. He has authored 25 books, including a five-book series on the 1947-48 Conflict in Jammu & Kashmir. He is the founding Trustee of the Military History Research Foundation ®, which aims to enable military historians and authors to take their well-researched works to the public. The author can be contacted at ajaykrraina@gmail.com