Two very polarising journalistic narratives are coming out of Kashmir and both of them are untrue. The first is apocalyptic, brought out by journalists who were close to old political establishment in the state and who now find themselves adrift in the new order created by New Delhi. These journalists have been veterans of Gupkar Road, the main power centre of Kashmir from where its political and security grid operates. Those who were used to saying, “Farooq, can we have a meeting over breakfast” do not know how to accept the fact that Farooq Abdullah ’s residence has no internet. When these journalists returned after their brief stay, they painted an extreme picture of clampdown and desolation, which is only half the truth.Things are not normal in Kashmir. There is a total communication blackout because of which ordinary people are suffering. But apart from that, there is no clampdown as the painters of apocalypse have been suggesting. If one had a car, one could move about freely, except through high-security VIP areas. During the ten days I spent travelling across Srinagar , and the South, which has been most prone to violence since terrorist commander Burhan Wani’s death in 2016, I went around in a small car with a local number. I had no curfew pass. There were barricades on roads, but security forces could be convinced to let go, as we did several times. There had been clear instructions to security personnel that they need to be well behaved with the public. It had come from the Union home ministry. Of course, that things are normal cannot be inferred from just vehicular traffic on roads.The other problem became local TV journalists who would be glued to their OB vans and refused to go anywhere. Their counterparts in Delhi office kept tweeting on their behalf that they were unable to go anywhere. This is nothing but journalistic dishonesty (DC Srinagar clarified later that he had issued 161 passes to local journalists). We met one such journalist in Sarovar Hotel in Srinagar where he was sitting with a group of friends, eating sandwiches. He instantly offered to take a friend from Delhi “anywhere” he wanted and advised him to not to be scared. The friend said he was not, and that he had been able to move around freely in his own car.That some of us had a little access to internet became another source of heartburn for many. On Eid, the government took more than 60 journalists on a chopper ride over Srinagar. It was the day when restrictions on road, soft till then, had become stringent. No one in a vehicle was allowed to move about. You could only move on foot. Despite that, many reached their neighbourhood mosques where prayers were held. Some of us tweeted about it. But then we again became targets of our own colleagues in Delhi who tweeted slyly about internet access and chopper rides for a few. “Where are you getting internet access from when no Kashmiri is getting it?” they asked. Why should a journalist reveal that when it can land the source itself in trouble? If the government offers a chopper ride without conditions, should a journalist not take it?By 2pm, on Eid, restrictions had been taken to the old, soft levels. But, like I said, the calm is uneasy. People are angry. This anger may spill on to the roads, though many in the security apparatus now think that a big clash is unlikely. A few days ago, as an experiment, security was totally removed from downtown Srinagar between 4-7pm. Boys came out, they painted a little graffiti, but they did not indulge in clashes. But instead of making attempts to tell this layered narrative, many Delhi journalists used all their energy in undermining their colleagues.This is a new phenomenon since 2014. Resentful at the fact that they could not see the ascension of Narendra Modi , many spend their time in just keeping a watch on what other journalists are saying and targeting them if they did not follow their template. There is no attempt at understanding why so many people have voted for one man, how dalits think beyond “beef festivals”, what the RSS thinks, why the Left leaders are nothing but Twitter warriors and what the Left cadre feels about it. It is nothing but lazy journalism. It is easy to write essays and sly tweets. But it takes effort to speak to a cross-section of Kashmiris : families of policemen, people from Shia community, and other silent ones who cannot openly say they are okay with 370’s abrogation because they will be killed.So far, the Lord Kitcheners have made no attempt to bring out other stories.