A trim and a shave: Injured Kashmiri youth hope despite odds

When F.A sat on the chair with his bandaged eyes and injured body to get his hair cut in the hospital premises, he felt he was going to school again.
A class 12 student, he has been injured by pellets in Anantnag district of Kashmir that wounded his whole body including his eyes.
 For the past one month, confined to the SMHS hospital of Srinagar, he has been going through rounds of treatments besides two eye surgeries which have so far failed to correct his sight.
"All I have seen for the past one month was doctors, injections, blood, pain, wailing and media. I felt this is all my life now, F.A told Khaleej Times."
"But the moment I sat down to get my hair trimmed, I felt life again. It was as if I was going to school again or any gathering."
"It reflects positivity and hope. We are not broken, we are strong."
Like F.A scores of youth injured by pellets in Kashmir have found a unique way of expression their strength and hope. On August 8, about 48 injured youth, many of them having lost their sight, lined up to get some grooming at Srinagar's SMHS hospital. They got their hair cut , their beard shaved and shaped. This was done weeks after lying in hospital and going through series of treatment and surgeries.
While curfew has shut shops for 32 days straight, the salon and barber shops have remained closed across the valley.

A total of five salon boys were arranged by a local NGO, SRO Batamaloo to get a new look on the faces of the youth-a face, which they say, reflects their hope and strength.
Javed Ahmad, a volunteer at the NGO said they had to pick up salon boys early in the morning since movement is restricted during the day.
"We called them late at night and asked to be ready in the morning. We picked them up and brought them to the hospital in ambulances."
As the salon boys, mostly non-Kashmiris, began preparing for the services, boys-bandaged in eyes, arms and legs, sat on the chairs. There was a sense of freshness, hope and happiness in the atmosphere.
 48 boys got a grooming besides many other patients already admitted at the hospital. A total of 80 people availed the service.
"We all need regular haircuts, shave and grooming. But for the last one month even that has been so difficult to do due to curfew," said Javed, who is a PhD scholar in English.
 Recently, on their way back home, Javed and other volunteers happened to discuss the issues they face in getting even their hair trimmed.
"At that time I thought of all these youth in hospital didn't get even hair cut for month. They have been injured, bleeding and in pain."
He said that whenever these injured moved around the hospital, with unkempt hair and beard, a sense of gloom would prevail.
"We wanted fresh look on the faces of these youth who have been courageous  all through. They may have been hurt but they have hope. They are still going on."
" I have been operated and I will be fine. We want to show the world that we are not weak. We are still strong, we have the strength and hope alive. This they can see on our faces. We are ready to move on." A.R was injured when the security forces allegedly fired pellets at peaceful protest he was participating in at his home town in Anantnag.
As boys got their sessions of grooming, they looked a clear example of hope, with bandages on their bodies, hair styled and beard done.
The injured youth added that it also made treatment of wounds in head and face much easier.
Youth who had lost their sight were given their session of grooming on their beds.
"We try our best to help people here, Javed adds."
The said NGO has been running free calling helpline also in view that allows people to make free calls to their relatives and family besides other services.
Kashmir has been on boil after the killing of Burhan Wani, commander of Hizbul Mujahideen on July 8. Nearly 58 people have died and 5000 injured in the aftermath. Hundreds have been blinded by pellets.

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