In a project to show their solidarity and support to the people of Kashmir- a state under communication lockdown for nearly six months now- a group of friends have revived the medium of letter exchange with ‘Letters to Kashmir.’

“A Kashmiri friend in Delhi shared that even his close friends felt that the abrogation of article 370 would in fact be good for Kashmir and India. This left him feeling isolated and detached from his Indian friends and we realised how important it was to express support and solidarity and let Kashmiris know that we are with them and to hear them out. The friend went back to Kashmir and we lost touch, but when I went to visit him in October, some of us who felt helpless and wanted to express our solidarity decided to write letters, not knowing what we would do with those letters. We thought they would be angry seeing these letters, but anger was also a response,” says one of the friends behind the project Letters to Kashmir.

Kashmir has been under lockdown since 5th August 2019 when the government withdrew Article 370 of India's constitution, which gave the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir partial autonomy. Since the blockade, communication with the state has been restricted to snatches of what the media chooses to portray. However, the internet blackout has led to the revival of one of the oldest forms of communication, letters. A fading ray of hope in an otherwise bleak state of affairs, at least to the artists who started this project and saw potential that gave them hope.

Letters to Kashmir is a project started by a group of friends (who wish to remain unnamed for personal reasons) to express the solidarity of those Indians who care about the estranged state and its people. The group behind the project has encouraged Indians to write, enquire and show their love and support to Kashmiris through gentle, evocative letters. They have also received a few responses from Kashmiris, which we have archived below.

 The letters from Kashmiris are particularly moving, as for the first time we hear the voice of those who haven’t been allowed the freedom to speak. The letters often carry salutations and lament in equal measure and speak (amongst many other things) about a strange little problem, the lack of music.

Sensing this seemingly insignificant but also deeply important need, the project also invited people to dedicate songs with messages and made playlists to send to Kashmiris. It may seem small, but music does have the power to evoke, inspire, transform and sometimes offer a necessary amount of solace.

For the initiators of this project, offering these letters to Kashmiris took some courage. Not a strange emotion as many Indians carry guilt and shame over the treatment of Kashmiris by India.

“I cannot forget that moment in Srinagar, when I went with about 11 letters and wasn't sure how I could even go up to people and give them letters. I wasn't sure if it would mean anything. I even thought that it would make them angry, but I was ready for any response because we did not even give them a chance to express themselves or be heard. My friend who read all the letters first suggested we share them with the young people at a café and see how they felt about them. When people started to read, they read every letter very patiently, they started talking about those letters, they were reacting and responding to those letters, some of them took photos of letters they liked and promised to write back, some made photocopies of all the letters and took them home. And one of them actually wrote a letter and sent it with me. I who was feeling hopeless and helpless for months, in that moment, when they were reading those letters and reacting, felt the kind of hope I hadn't felt in months,” says one of the organisers.

The result of this beautiful exchange may be feeble in its political outcome but it still offers firm reassurance to a few Kashmiris that there are many in India who do not support the harshness of this lockdown.

The organiser says that 'Letters To Kashmir' is still in its infancy, but it has the potential of creating a ripple effect. “It is important for Kashmiris to read what people are writing and at the same time it is important for the world to hear how Kashmiris are feeling. There has been no platform to vent, not even the right to protest peacefully (like in any democracy) and no internet for 5 months now where people could have voiced their opinion. This effort brings that breather and that room for communication,” she adds.

 To contribute to the project visit Letters to Kashmir.