Like it or not, Indians will have to address the issue of Kashmir as it is: an unfinished agenda of Partition. Appealing to the better senses of Indians to stop the killing of innocent civilian Kashmiris asking for their legitimate right to self-determination is going to fall on deaf ears. I am truly scared at the thought of the future of a nation where such antagonism exists between two major groups, anatogonism that appears to be irreconcilable. Hindus and Muslims have to learn to live together, or within a few years, if not sooner, you will have another Partition in India, much bloodier than the last. India has lost the present generation of Muslims following Gujarat, with young Muslims remarkably disillusioned with the concept of India and Indian-ness. It remains to be seen whether the next generation is lost also. India's future is not safe in the hands of religious chauvinist groups, and the common man should understand that. This time, Muslims will not leave India, they'll take the ship down with them, and Hindus should understand that, and learn to work in a positive way with the forward-thinking members of the Muslim community. It is the ONLY way India can survive.
