The recent rumour of child deaths due to polio vaccination created a situation of fear, anxiety and anger in entire Kashmir. It got so bad at the end that thousands of parents with their little ones ran from pillar to post for reassurance and in the process some miscreants victimised the doctors and damaged hospital properties. Let me make it clear that there was no death because of the polio vaccine. In fact, India including Jammu Kashmir is polio free because of the said vaccine.
Rumours are not new to mankind and have played an important role, positive or negative, throughout history and are known to peak during conflict, disasters and epidemics. Rumours have been described as public communications that are infused with private hypotheses about how the world works, or more specifically, ways of making sense to help us cope with our anxieties and uncertainties. Sometimes rumours can be the only source of entertainment when boredom peaks due to conflict situation and other sources of leisure are banned or prohibited. The prohibition can be due to cultural or religious reasons or simply enforced due to the prevailing situation.
A lot of work has been done on rumour and rumour control during World Wars and other conflict situations. It is thought that rumours influence the morale of people and can threaten national interest at times. Various theories and laws about rumours have been formulated.
As per the ‘basic law of rumour’, the rumour strength will vary with the importance of the subject to the individual concerned times the ambiguity of the evidence pertaining to the topic at hand. People came up with criticism of this ‘basic law’ suggesting that the factor of importance is hard to define and it does not take the emotional context of rumour into account.
A modified theory of rumour mongering was proposed which suggested rumours as an attempt to deal with anxieties and uncertainties by generating and passing stories and suppositions that can explain things, address anxieties, and provide a rationale for behaviour. Rumours can be ‘wish rumours’ invoking hope and ‘dread rumours’ invoking fear and disappointing consequences.
People tend to spread rumours that they believe as credible (even the most ridiculous stories), but if the anxieties are intense, rumour mongers are unlikely to ponder on the logic or plausibility of what they are trying to pass to others.
Research suggests that rumours serve as a window into people’s uncertainties and anxieties. Rumours might be projections of societal attitudes and motivations. Three categories of rumours have been suggested including pipe or dream rumours, bogies or fear rumours, and wedge-driving rumours.
Kashmir can be called the epicentre of rumours in the current age. From seeing Sheikh Abdullah’s name on leaves, children will die unless seven bowls of rice are donated to Makdoom Sahab’s (RA) shrine or seeing thousands of dead bodies floating in recent floods, are just a few examples. What could be the reasons for the rumour epidemic in Kashmir?
Keeping in view the above discussion, it is not hard to imagine why rumours have a special place in our society and how many times all of us, irrespective of our background, have played into rumour propagation.
Have rumours helped us to safety at times?
Thinking about the last few decades, how many times have you run for your life, directionless not knowing why and where based on some rumour? How many times the driver refused to go further when he was told the people are getting a beating? Rumours often played a part in getting people together, building cohesiveness and brotherhood.
I am not trying to argue that rumours are good or bad. But do rumours play a role in building the resilience of the society against the onslaught of disasters is another debate? It is interesting to note that death is a common theme of most rumours which speaks volumes about our fears and day to day experiences.
The never ending war like situation in Kashmir explains it all. The valley has hardly any means of entertainment, everything which used to be done for leisure vanished with time. I remember the on street stage plays in villages when I was young, the folk tale etcetera often being played in the paddy fields during harvest season. There are no avenues of entertainment for children, no parks, sports grounds or safe spaces. Most of the open land is now fenced by barbed wire for various reasons. There are no theatres or libraries. Important of all, it is the safety and sense of insecurity, which does not allow people to do anything but to stay indoors. The children are hardly allowed to wander free and explore and rightly so. There is a perpetual sense of insecurity and burden on shoulders of all, be it young or old. One can simply describe the entire population of chronic dysthymia, where pleasure and joy have become an alien concept. Any expression of happiness is seen as immoral or wrong for various reasons. Hence, we have lost the usual cultural defences over decades but have not been able to adjust to the changes that have come with time. Even faith has become a matter of abuse than contentment.
With little to do, lack of employment, and ample time on hands, what else can one do but to play the rumour game? With the advent of social media, rumours have gained a high ground and it spreads like wildfire, not in days or hours but in seconds and minutes.
In addition, one does not need to leave the safety of the home, to be on social media. Everyone, old or young has a smartphone with internet connectivity and it is the only source of entertainment for all practical reasons. It gives a sense of false security for people in the conflict zone, to login and do whatever without thinking about consequences. One often forgets that this virtual world comes with its own realities and can lead to anarchy and chaos. It also leaves a record, unlike the traditional rumours.
Take the recent rumour about the polio vaccine, started by someone either out of boredom, malice or mere ignorance. Within hours, Kashmir was in frenzy and it was hard for any parent not to worry. People flocked to hospitals, worried sick about their young ones, seeking reassurance. We all know what happened. Authorities were too late to respond to the state of emergency created by a rumour. In the process, many people lost their cool attacking doctors and ransacking hospital property. Who is to blame here? One can say it is the first person who started the rumour, or all those who passed it on without verifying. But do we ever verify anything, be it mouth to mouth or now mobile to mobile? As a result, what happened, everyone had something to do and talk about. Did it actually matter at what cost? Lakhs of parents probably did not sleep the night watching their children anxiously. Many on social media went on abusing the parents of being ignorant, but seriously, do you really think it was their fault? One of my doctor friends messaged that although she knew it was a rumour; she couldn’t stop herself from checking the temperature of her little one for about hundred times in few hours.
It is fair to say what parents did was right and they deserved to be reassured. But at the same time, nothing justifies beating up the doctors or damaging public property. There is no reason to blame and take a dig on parents and calling them ignorant. In such situations when thousands of people throng hospitals looking for answers, it cannot be left to the doctor on duty to deal with the chaos.
In a civilised system, it would be the head of the state, who will immediately use all the means of communication possible like TV, Radio, social media etcetera, and address the people putting them at ease. If not the head of the state, at least, the Director Health Services and other officials of the health department would take the front and deal with the situation. Unfortunately, in spite of so many disasters and tragedies over the years, our health system is yet to come with a plan or protocol for dealing with emergencies of any kind be it manmade, natural or simply as a result of rumour mongering. Here the blame lies wholly with the health officials who not only failed worried parents but also their own employees.The administration has also failed to keep pace with the social media revolution to use it for the benefit of common people.
What is the solution to rumours in current age? There is no easy way out. Conflict is not a choice and may not end any sooner. We all need to be responsible with the social media and use it rationally. One has to understand that it is as real as two people talking face to face and has same or even worse consequences if wrong things are said. Rumour mongers need to reflect and find some other avenues of entertainment or seek help for their misery if required. Something needs to be done about leisure and entertainment other than social media. Let the social media help us to build a better society than create chaos and anarchy in an already disturbed and paranoid society.
