ENGLISH-15 The Collaborator, a Mirror of Indian Hegemony over Kashmiri Muslims: A Post-Colonial Study

Abstract

Mirza Waheed in ‘The Collaborator’ shows how power works and affects the identity of discriminated and marginalized people of Indian held Kashmir. This research focuses on the powerful use of consent and coercion to exert their power over the weak territories.  Antonio Gramsci’s concept of hegemony is used to explore the operation of power in Waheed’ The Collaborator (2011).This analysis clearly identifies that this work is full of hegemonic trends and patterns of Indian government in Kashmir and Kashmiri Muslims. The study also makes us aware of the Kashmiri Muslim society which can never become autonomous. The narrative enhances its impact by expounding neglected voices of Kashmiris who are neglected both by their own people and aliens in the valley. This paper aptly finds that Indian administration is making every effort to impose its hegemony and supremacy on Kashmiri Muslims. Waheed affirms emphatically that the poor inhabitants of village Nowgam are spending tragic lives facing threats, danger and long crackdowns because of vicious and menacing behavior of Indian forces. This paper interprets the selected text of “The Collaborator” as a representative of hegemonic Kashmiri Muslims’ narrative.