He talked about facing violence, and there he connected with the people of the Valley, noting that those who face it only know what it feels like. And rightly so, he lost his grandmother, Indira Gandhi to violence; he lost his father to sheer violence and sharing that pain and agony with the people of Kashmir must be seen beyond politics as it speaks volumes about his emotions and how eager he was to share, something, that is quite personal to him, with the people who were also eagerly listening to each of his words.
People of Kashmir, apart from facing violence, have always been at the forefront to share the pain of others who were victims of the violence and lost their loved ones; when Rahul lost his grandmother and father, Kashmiris mourned equally and on the stage, when he was sharing his childhood stories; stories about loss and grief, every single Kashmiri was patiently listening to him, relating to what he was narrating; they saw how passionate Rahul was while sharing his story, trying to tell people that he understands their sufferings and how he has understood the nerve and pain of Kashmir.
His address to the people at the end of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, while a galaxy of other leaders was present on the occasion, is going to have historical importance, perhaps, it is going to be more important than the address of his grandfather and the first prime minister of independent India, way back in 1949, because Rahul did not promise anything unlike Nehru, instead, he did everything to reach out to people, to connect with them, to tell them that he can feel them beyond skin; something that is more important than making promises: leaving behind the discussion on fulfilled, unfulfilled promises.
Before he appeared on stage, people finally saw Rahul donning a pheran, and even had some jolly moments with his sister Priyanka, playing ‘Sheene Jung’; those scenes, too, moved people; melted their hearts in a jiffy. His outlook, his energy and his deliverance at Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium provided a peek into his being—a shy, jolly and empathetic person, who now wears a long beard. More importantly, he was successful in synchronising with the people of Kashmir. It was snowing all day, maybe, because the sky was talking about Rahul Gandhi’s success!!!
