Kashmir Scholar’s ‘Why Not Me’ Campaign Finds Roots in Sopore

 

Suhail Khan

 

Baramulla, Dec 10: From the town of Sopore a place often defined by headlines of conflict comes a quiet but powerful revolution. Darakshan Hassan Bhat, a scholar and grassroots leader, is reframing the conversation on women’s empowerment, education, and leadership for all of India.

 

In a nation grappling with the purpose of education and the future of its women, her message is simple yet radical leadership isn’t about titles it’s about purpose. And it starts by asking one question: “Why not me?”

 

In post Article 370 in Kashmir, beyond geopolitics, women are building a new future from the ground up. As India debates rote learning versus real learning, Darakshan speaks to the “why” behind education addressing the void felt by even high achievers who wonder about the practical meaning of their knowledge.

 

Darakshan Hassan Bhat founder of the Kashmir Women’s Organisation, a scholar in Women and Gender Studies, and a native of Sopore bridges tradition with urgent agency, offering a feminism that is both intellectual and actionable.

 

In an interview with Kashmir Convener, she stated, “A woman doesn’t always have to lead the entire world even leading her own community is powerful.” She spotlights women running garages, kitchen gardens, and self-defence classes the unsung CEOs of everyday India.

 

While rooting her argument in Indian tradition, which accords women “divine status,” she expands it boldly women must also have the right to “enjoy nature, progress, innovation, and her own freedom.”

 

“Life is more than eating and sleeping,” she asserts. “Each of us has a duty to the nation to be educated, engaged, and empowered.”

 

She poses urgent questions  “What is the use of becoming a doctor or engineer when a girl’s basic survival is threatened?” and “How can we push half of the population into stagnation and expect society to progress?”

 

“No woman should hide behind marriage or play a victim card,” Bhat insists. “She must ask herself why not me?”

 

A lifelong academic achiever, Bhat recalled consistently scoring above 96% in her early education. “My parents never pushed me, nor were my teachers harsh. I was naturally drawn to learning, but to practical understanding, not rote memorization,” she said.

 

“Our schools lacked spaces where science could become exciting or visible. Education seemed reduced to a formula: study, pass exams, get a job,” she remarked. This realization, she stated, gradually steered her toward activism and social research.

 

“I witnessed brilliant girls compelled to leave careers after marriage, daughters fighting for survival, and women enduring mental health crises due to domestic violence,” Bhat reflected. “I began to ask: what is the worth of becoming a doctor or an engineer if a woman’s fundamental safety and dignity remain unprotected?”

 

Despite securing postgraduate admissions in Human Genetics at Jammu University and in Comparative Religions at a Central University, Bhat made a decisive pivot. She chose to enrol in the newly established Women and Gender Studies department at the University of Kashmir. “That decision was the turning point. My true journey of understanding women and society began there,” she stated.

 

Speaking of her hometown, Bhat described a transformed Sopore, contrasting its past reputation with a present-day climate of support. “There was a time when being from Sopore—especially for girls—was met with apprehension, but calm has returned. People in Sopore now actively encourage dialogue and change,” she observed.

 

She said that leadership is born of courage and conviction. “Sometimes, one must listen to both heart and mind. We live only once; why not dedicate our lives to serving society?” she emphasized.

 

“A woman doesn’t have to lead the world—leading her community is profoundly powerful,” Bhat said. “Women can counsel, heal, manage, and create. They can be nurses, administrators, teachers, or run a garage or a café. What they truly deserve are safe spaces to live with dignity.”

 

While acknowledging India’s historical traditions of respecting women, she urges a contemporary reinterpretation. “Honouring modesty must not mean denying freedom or progress. The question is not whether girls can lead, but whether they are given the opportunity,” she added.

 

She sees leadership manifesting in everyday actions: educating neighbourhood children, teaching girls self-defence, or starting home-based enterprises. “Women in Kashmir are already breaking barriers—from mushroom farming to boutique businesses. Whether she steps out or works from within her home, her contribution is equally vital,” Bhat affirmed.

 

She underscores this mission with one principled condition: “Our actions should never harm our society, culture, or nation. But wh ere there is a will, there is always a way.”