“Occupation is a disease… Everyone suffers!
An army personal enters an ATM cabin in Khwaja Bagh area of Baramulla. He withdraws one hundred rupees from it, places the note neatly in his wallet. Next day, he returns again and withdraws the same amount from the ATM. Then he goes on like this for many more days to come. The guard at the ATM notices this wacky act but refrains from inquiring about the same, given the old and deep rooted fear of men in uniform. He resists for days, few more and many more. On a day when there are few civilians around, he musters the courage to ask, for he believes if the army personal gets enraged over him, the civilians around will rescue him from his wrath. The guard proceeds to ask: “Sahab, Why do you withdraw only hundred rupees from the ATM? Why do you trouble yourself on daily basis when you can withdraw a hefty amount that will last for weeks?”

The army personal rubs his forehead as he looks tired; tucks his trousers properly and before he makes his way out of the cabin, tells the guard who is waiting for the answer anxiously: “The mobile number linked to my bank account is used by my wife at home. When I withdraw cash from the ATM, she gets the message on her mobile phone. This way, she comes to know that her husband is alive”.

P.S: Occupation is like a ship. When the occupier digs a hole in it, he remains unbeknownst of the fact that he will be the first one to get drowned. You cannot yearn for peace when you are splitting people into pieces.

~Waseem Makai via Chayan Sengupta