V National Identity –Evolution and Celebration in the Poetry of Agha Shahid Ali and Mahmoud Darwish

Chapter- V National Identity –Evolution and Celebration in the Poetry of Agha Shahid Ali and Mahmoud Darwish The concept of national identity is as complex as its nature but in the nineteenth century the formation of nations was mostly inspired and influenced by the examples of England, France and Spain and to a lesser extent Holland and Sweden. It is due to their economical and military success story during the period of their formation in Western Europe which made these nations the aspiring countries in the world. These countries were seen as model nations in the sixteenth and seventeenth as a key to success. It was actually the concept of nationalism which catalyzed nations as well as national identities. National identity is a sense of belonging to one state or to another nation, it‘s some sort of a feeling one shares with a group of people, regardless of one's citizenship status. It‘s not an inborn trait; various studies have shown that a person's national identity results directly from the presence of elements like national symbols, language, national colors, history, national consciousness, blood ties, culture, music and cuisine etc. In other words, what we mean by national identity comprises both a cultural and political identity that is deeply rooted in a political community as well as in cultural fabric. Any attempts to attain or forge a national identity are political exercise with political ramifications. Scholars like Judith Butler argue that national identity is simply an individual choice; (1999) some like Anthony smith would argue that it is socially constructed and culture plays the most important role in it; (1996) others like Richard Jenkins would argue that national identity is an implication of boundary of social groups a symbol of one‘s ethnicity.(1996) In the post colonial world the ideology of national identity became a central issue in the literary cannons which describes the relationship between colonizers and colonized. It is perceived that the colonial literature was used as a tool to perpetuate the authority or to support the ideological control over the colonized territories. On the other hand post colonial literature has been seen as a way out from the colonial past. The post colonial 154 poetry like other genres of literature depicts anger; protest against the atrocities, oppression committed by the colonizers and asserts the value of a national literature or the national identity. The concept of national identity has been used with increasing frequency, especially by poets, novelists and intellectuals arguing for the political self- determination. In order to survive and prosper in a hostile international environment the national groups particularly those nation who are still up against the injustice often require the national identity for a proper claim to self-determination. The sense of identity provides a powerful means of defining and locating individual‘s and others in the world, through the prism of the collective personality and its distinctive culture. It is through a shared, unique culture that people are enabled to know ‗who we are‘ in the contemporary world. Historically the ultimate objective of all nationalist movements is to make the nation and the state co-extensive. In other words, as they become conscious of their national identity, nations almost invariably claim the right to govern themselves. The writers and poets of all these colonized nations stood up against the distorted and manipulated version of history and culture portrayed by the colonizers. The Post- Colonial poetry is one of the popular genres of literature where poets who either come from places with a history of colonialism appreciate the resistance and subversion of former colonizer. The national identity, landscape, rituals, culture and tradition translates the core of post-colonial poetry. The trend continues to assert one‘s national identity and glorify the landscape of his/her country. As Edward Said argues: Post-colonial writers are able to take on or appropriate the forms, styles and symbols—in short, the cultural vocabulary---of the dominant texts and myths of colonial Europe. By subversively adapting, refracting, and manipulating these, by playing on the contradictions in the texts themselves, they ridicule and refute how they themselves have been represented. Moreover, crucially, in so doing they express their won subjectivity, their own perceptions of the world. (Quoted in Patricia Waugh, 2006) 155 The leading post-colonial poets from Africa, Australia, Canada, India and West Indies write to underline their national identity and highlight their cultural landscape. The themes of political misrepresentation, marginalization, exploitation and national identity are implicitly found among the poets who come from the contemporary contested lands where conflict is still raging on. They create new and more fascinating images although they are gory and grim to celebrate their disputed national identities. They try to interconnect the landscape with the people‘s sentiment and tell us how the evocative memory of the past recreates the somber present. These ongoing and unresolved conflicts particularly in the Asia are directly or indirectly rooted in the British colonialism and their unknown political ulterior motives. As we know that the British colonialism had profound and wide-ranging effects on the political contours of Asia and Middle East. One of the most profound legacies of colonial period is the ongoing Kashmir and Palestine conflict in the region. It was the Labour party of 1945, with Creech Jones in the colonial office, initiatives were taken to dismantle the empire and create a new Commonwealth of independent states. India gained independence in 1947, but partition left Kashmir a disputed territory. Burma and Ceylon achieved independence more easily. In 1948, Britain terminated its Mandate over Palestine ingloriously, abandoning it to war, the forced exodus of thousands of Palestinian and the declaration of the state of Israel. The Continuing troubles of Kashmir and Israel/ Palestine are, partly, a Labor Legacy.5 (Desaiet al 213).The Palestine-Israel conflict has become the catalyst of all problems in the Middle East now for over half a century and continues to shape the Arab political discourse. The partition of Palestine in 1947 was immediately revised by the war of 1948 and was altered again by the Six-day War, the Camp David Accords, and the Oslo Agreement but nothing conclusive happened on the ground. However the Palestine leadership and the people in Arab world in contrast to their kings opposed the partition. This brewing unease and resentment among people finally lead to the 1967 War when the neighboring Arab countries of Palestine attacked the Jewish settlement to free Palestine from their occupation. But unfortunately this Arab daredevil culminated with the Israel taking complete control over the territory between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea. This war leads to the massive refugee crisis and according to different independent sources more than four million Palestinians were uprooted from their homeland after the 156 creation of Israel state. The 1967 war Naksa (setback) exposed Arab regimes that not only lost creditability among the people but their rhetoric‘s of caring about Palestine suffered a huge setback which they often use for local consumption. Amidst fear and threat to their national identity the Palestinians were left with no option to launch an armed resistance against the occupation. Although there is no match with the formidable war machines of Israel but the armed resistance brought the Palestinian conflict out of the humanitarian ambit and made it an important unresolved political issue in the world. In this struggle of nationhood tactics are dictated by circumstances, abilities, emotions and limitations, and included the full gamut of tools used in anti-colonial struggles. However the ebb and flow of violence from both sides has done little to the Israeli-Palestine conflict because it has not yet contributed anything except grave miseries and sufferings. On the other hand Indian administered Kashmir in the South Asia is another long standing conflict between the two nuclear armed countries India and Pakistan since 1947. It has become a nuclear flash point in the region and from the last six decades both the nuclear neighbors have fought four wars were over it. Alike Palestine Kashmir imbroglio has also its roots in the British colonialism when on the 15 August 1947 they partitioned the sub continent into the two independent nation states of India and Pakistan. All the 565 princely states of undivided India were offered to choose between the Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Kashmir under the last DograkingMaharajaHari Singh was also given choice to decide their future because majority of his subjects in his kingdom were Muslims. However the internal revolt in the Chinab valley and then the armed invade on 22 October 1947 by the tribal militia of NWFP of Pakistan to annex Kashmir. To quell the revolt and invasion, Maharaja signs the instrument of accession, acceding Kashmir to India without the consent of the people: On October 27, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh agreed to Kashmir‘s Singh agreed to Kashmir‘s accession to India. Troops were airlifted to Kashmir to Kashmir, and the Indian army succeeded in halting the advance of the tribal forces, driving them back to the western third of the state. That portion of the state then acceded to 157 Pakistan as ―Azad (Free) Kashmir. On March 5, 1948, Shiekh Abdullah became prime minster of the state‘s interim government. (Human Rights in India: Kashmir Under Siege: 1991, P 8) This instrument of accession has since been controversial particularly in Jammu &Kashmir considering it temporary and farce document. It was the first Prime Minister of India; Jawaharlal Nehru who promised before UNO that Kashmir‘s will be given right to decide their future in some point of time.

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