Kashmir: the other side of the Valley

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about Kashmir? Paradise on earth? Our neighbour nation? bloodshed? or may be Article 370, due to much furore over it in the recent months?

There cannot be a second opinion on the fact that Kashmir is a truly paradise on earth, the very heaven created by God on earth. And this reminds me of the beautiful and famous lines about the valley: Agar ruhe zami asto, ami asto ami asto ami asto...
Undoubtedly, Kashmir is a beautiful place, and truly a paradise and perhaps one of the best places I have ever visited in my life. The mesmerizing Dal lake with hundreds of colourful Shikaras floating, the ever blowing cool breeze, slowly sipping sweet Kahwa, especially during the peaceful morning or the evening hours, I sat on one of the Shikaras. One could see tall mountains behind, covered with snow, shining as the sun rays fell on them. On the top of one such hill gazes the fortress of Akbar, which has now been closed for some security reasons. A large number of houseboats line up along the boundaries of the lake hosting the guests of the valley to give an unparallel experience through their hospitality. Further, Mughal structure could make anybody to stare at them. The Nishad Gardens, the Shalimaar Gardens, Chashmeshahi, Pari Mahal etc., are the perfect examples of the fineness of the Mughal art.

Moving on, the connecting tourist destinations, viz., Pahelgaam, Sonmarg, Gulmarg further exemplify the existence of heaven on this very planet. The glaciers, mountains- extending beyond the skies, waterfalls and what not. One would not hesitate from uttering- Nature is miraculous!

Kashmir could capture anybody's heart through its scenic and unparallel beauty. Its snow covered mountains, lash green valleys, breathe-taking hilly terrains, rivers, Mughal Structures and yes, the people are simply admirable. 

However, besides its beauty, the other side which is brought much in to discussion is the pertaining border issues, bloodshed, brotherhood and a claim over its integrity.

As one enters the city of Srinagar, one could see army barracks everywhere, with soldiers patrolling within the area of every 400ms, or even closer. It feels like that its not Srinagar, rather it is the 'Fortified Srinagar', with army keeping an eye on every single step of a person. Well thats for the security reason. As I passed through the streets of the city, all that I could think of were the regular bomb blasts, curphews, riots and similar things, as that is what we hear the most through our media.

For the first time when I saw an old man eating Rumali Roti with tea during the morning hours, I was shocked. It was quite different from what I saw everyday here at home and perhaps anywhere else. But afterwards it became quite normal for me as everywhere I went I saw people doing the same thing.

How easy it is for us, the people of the rest of India, to claim it as our integral part, without perhaps looking at the costs of such integration. The army is doing a commendable job of trying to prevent things from falling apart, while most of the times the masses sound disgruntled.

Its youth is ambitious of a bright, azad Kashmir. "We will be free one day, and thats what we hope for", says Shehzaad, the driver who we hired for the tour of Pahalgam, driving speedily through the mountains, making us to hold our breathe, singing songs all the way, commenting on his passing-by colleagues, in short, enjoying.

"Abdullah has done nothing for us. We brought him to the position because of the promises which he made. Mufti will come this time. We hope she will deliver her promises and do something for us", speaks Jahangir, our driver.

Tourism is the main source of income for the people. They work hard to earn the every penny. I wonder, what would have been the condition of the state, had there been a dearth of tourists.

"Illillah..., Illillah..."(the rest I could not understand), they shout as they pull our sledge-cart to the top of the hill. "Allah gives us strenght to pull", speaks Mehfuz, a boy of around 18, smiling, with a shining face, without any wollen covering on his body in the freezing cold, yet seeming full of energy. Trust me, it is very difficult to pull a sledge cart. Yet there were teenagers pulling up the carts with heavy men, women sitting on them. Truly, only God must be giving them such a strenght.

"What do you do in the off season then?", I asked the boy who was holding the reins of the horse which took me up to the hill on the difficult track of the Gulmarg valley from the Gondola (rope way). "We use the horses, down in our village for carrying goods. And sometimes we pull the sledge-cart as still many people visit during the winter." 

There is more to Kashmir merely than its territory, its beauty. Visit there not just to admire the miracle of the nature, but also meet its equally beautiful people, ever-ready to host the guests to the valley.

Though both the sides might be having the genuine claim over the territory, yet the minds of the people of Kashmir are free, far away from the debates of the Parliaments of both the nations.

Travelling Kashmir was altogether a different experience and truly its the meeting with people which enriches your sojourn and makes you to appreciate the diversity and integrity of the country in an even better manner. After all it is not just about travelling and seeing landscapes, its people are as equally important and without talking to them, not just a trip to Kashmir, but any other trip would be incomplete.

Wandering... for an elixir of life.

I often wonder, how far have we come in this our sojourn of life, totally uncertain, full of ambitions, sounding tremendously hopeful even when there is no possibility of the slightest of the hope, and dreaming wide awake for a thing or the other.After experiencing something good, I have none but one thought that- how far it will last? Where it will end? How will it end? I end up concluding that certainly it will end, anyway. Nothing is perpetual. It will surely end someday, somewhere, all of it, suddenly. Having said this, another mind boggling question is posed- Why do everything in a specific manner, when the end of life is certain? Why to be good to others? Why not be selfish? Why not be egocentric? and many such ruthless, bewildering questions. At times people have had, and have harsh encounters with the chaotic world, and most of the times they end up concluding that actually, the world is a place which has been weighted with very selfish people all around, where no one exists for no one and only for the self. But still, somewhere it does make a sense to do selfless things, do good things, act gently towards others. Somewhere still there is a certainty of goodness, kindness, help, which can facilitate everybody prosper despite all the odds. Believe me, neither I a day-dreaming, nor I am trying to be idealistic. I really don't want to be idealistic here. 

You actually start being too philosophical when you start posing questions regarding your very existence on the already burdened, bursting at the seam planet. Am I here to accomplish something? Do I have some purpose? Or I am just another ordinary creation of a biological process?

There is a purpose. There is a purpose to life. Infact, it is full of purpose. The adage is very apt- "A life without purpose is nothing but futile". It is like searching for a black cat in in the dark (somebody has put this too). In a way or other, people look for that one exilir of life, throughout this sojourn, which in common perception is believed to be the very source of happiness, joy or elation. They wander in search of that one elixir. Everybody aspires to gain that ultimate happiness, utopia, I put it, unachievable. For that happiness or satisfaction, they they strive, persevere hard, failing or succeeding.

'Purpose'- People have different purposes in life in order to attain the much desired happiness. It can be cruel (justified to the person seeking) or altruistic (good for all, society). The definition is different for different people. I would like to further elucidate and elabourate by comparing two personalities who sought to change the order of the world according to their point of view. M.K. Gandhi and Adolf Hitler. Both of them had different puposes and perspectives and to an extent succeeded. Where one aspired to establish a value based system, which would do justice with everybody, the other aspired to wipe off a community from the face of the earth. Where one tried to exhume happiness by serving to the deprived, other derived joy from the pain and sufferings of the community. Choice undoubtedly rests with you as to which path you choose. But remember to choose the one from where you would derive the ultimate happiness without making others to compromise their's. Give your best. Devote yourself completely. Look for the higher truth, the ultimate one. Notions, ofcourse differ from person to person and hence it totally depends on you as which way you choose. In the end it would hardly matter what results it yields. What has actually been counted and will be counted in the times to come is that how much efforts you have put in. Efforts may not yield favourable results every time. Yet, if you are able to shake a leaf, you have made the might. If your efforts are able to influence a single person in any corner of the world, you have done your job. World is round my friend. People, ideas and thoughts have no corner of escaping. Nothing is hidden and escapes. There ought to be a beginning, regardless that howesover tiny it is. There is a lot to world beyond this small life.

The time you are eating in a seven star restaurants (as the time tells), millions of children are going to bed empty stomach. While you are enjoying a TV show at night, thousands of children are sitting scared in the settlements of Gaza Strip. Not doing something also amounts to doing something. Each of your action has some kind o bearing on the world. We are not helpless sitting far away. Wake up, go after your purpose and taste the actual elixir of life!