The Valley is second home to Bharti and Adik who spend nine months of the year working for the local people

Preeti Raghunath

	Bharti and Adik (centre) in the Valley

Pune: There are several NGOs and organisations that work for the people of Kashmir. But what sets 28-year-old Bharti Mamani and 24-year-old Adik Kadam apart is the nine months a year they spend in the strife-torn Valley to ‘‘bridge the communication gap between Kashmir and India.’’

Working mostly in Kupwara district, one of the worst hit by militancy, Adik says, ‘‘It took us almost one and a half years to win the confidence of people. They would cross-question us to make sure we had no political links.’’ Convincing locals, security forces as well as militants that, ‘‘we were only concerned with the plight of Kashmiris was a difficult task.’’ Of the 369 villages in Kupwara, Bharti and Adik have visited 250.

Against all odds, these youngsters stepped into Kashmir for the first time in 1998. With no idea of whom to meet or where to stay, ‘‘we would just walk for hours at a stretch and come nightfall, somebody would offer us a place to stay.’’

With several close shaves, they agree that ‘‘it is a divine force that helps us as we have never been hurt in cross-fire.’’ Recalling an incident that still gives them goose bumps, they say, ‘‘We were riding through the Tregam block at Kupwara on a bike. There were only rice fields around and all of a sudden, we saw seven militants in front of us. They held onto the bike and stopped it. We were sure we would be shot down. But for three hours, we were cross-questioned before they let us go. We chatted with them and they recounted what led them to militancy. Most of them were post-graduates and spoke fluent English. They gave us information about safer areas and where we could move about freely.’’

‘‘Army officers would wait to see if we came out alive and only then would they feel safe to venture in,’’ says Bharti.

But what drives them to work in hostile conditions when they could have opted for plush corporate jobs and trendy lifestyles. ‘‘When I was nine years old, my dad told me about the tragedy of Partition and how people suffered,’’ recollects Bharti, a PG diploma holder in school psychology from Jnyan Prabodhini, who has written to Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and to the late Rajiv Gandhi. ‘‘I have got replies which include a two-page letter from Rajiv Gandhi. I was 13 then and I wrote asking him why there is this huge difference and he replied about international agencies being involved and said I was too young to understand all of this.’’

For 24-year-old Adik who has completed his MA in political science from S P College things took a different course after his history teacher mentioned that his birthday on August 13 coincided with the partition of India and Pakistan. This sparked off a desire to learn more about the issue.

Having worked for the past five years with local NGOs as well as UNICEF, Bharti and Adik decided to start their own NGO. Registered two months back, Borderless World has a total of 28 members with nine from Pune. Satish Khandare, Bipin Takawale, Yogesh Pawar, Sandeep Ghote, Sunil Rokde, Gaurav Kaul and Mir Tanvir assist in legal matters of Borderless World and help bring in funds.

Having just completed a three-month survey for the UNICEF on the effect of armed conflict on children, their work includes working for Anna Hazare’s model village project, helping orphans, widows and others in Kashmir and assisting local NGOs in Kashmir as well as in Pune.

Sure about where they see themselves 10 years from now, they say, ‘‘We would would like to see everyone self-reliant where they no longer need help from the government or organisations. We see ourselves settled in the wonderful land of Kashmir among wonderful people.’’