I am writing this from Srinagar
Airport, on the last day of my 3-day visit. I returned to Kashmir after 12
years. My last visit was here in 2003, when Vasuman and I drove down from Leh
to Srinagar via Kargil, Dras and the treacherous Zozilla pass. That visit to
Leh was incredible in many ways. We had (Chitra with us) travelled from Manali
to Leh by rickety public transport bus. But that was not the most painful part
of our journey. From a height of 6500 ft we had climbed to Sarchu at 15000 ft
on the same day, giving ourselves practically no time to acclimatize to high
altitude. All three of us were suffering from headache, lack of appetite and
feeling nauseous, and cold, but Chitra faced the brunt. She was so miserable
that she was willing to dictate her will, only that I had no strength left to
take down the notes. Next day, we crossed the second highest motorable pass,
Tangri La at 17500 ft, when even Vasu and I wanted desperately the ordeal to be
over, such a splitting headache we had. But soon after crossing, we started
descending down, and things started improving, but leaving us totally drained.
It was only when we sighted the mighty Indus river (Sindhu) that we had a sense
of exhilaration, with fatigue also then retreating. At the crossing, we could
even enjoy our cup of tea, with what else but ‘samosa’. But I must reiterate
that journey was a new experience in our Himalayan travels. Nowhere in
Himalayas, you get to see such changing landscape. From the lush green pine
forests to bushes to green meadows, then to the naked mountains, with not even
a blade of grass. And the mountains changing so many colours, I now cannot
recall all. After staying at Leh, Chitra refused to go with us to Srinagar by
road, and preferred to return to Delhi by air. But she was a sport in
accompanying us to Khardung La at 18500 ft, the highest motorable road in the
world.
Vasu and I carried on to
Srinagar by road via Batalik sector, Dras and Kargil. The Kargil war had taken
place only four years ago, and we saw huge army presence and big convoys of
armored vehicles. We also saw the famous Tiger hill, and experienced a strange
feeling when we stayed overnight at Kargil.
2003 was the year, when Kashmir
valley was experiencing its first rush of tourists after a gap of many years.
The hotels, guest houses, house boats, markets, restaurants, places of tourist
interests were full of people from the plains. And we had to wait for long time
at STD booths, whenever we wanted to have a long distance call. Kashmir at that
time perhaps had no mobile connectivity.
Over the years, since the start
of militancy and ‘liberation movement’ in Kashmir, I have heard many
intellectuals, socialists and opinion makers advocating, ‘let the Kashmiris
decide, whether they wish to remain with India, or go with Pakistan, or have
fully independent state’. Many times I too felt that way. However, after my
visit to Kashmir in 2003 and savoring the incredible beauty of its landscape
and warmth of people, I now know that we cannot afford the loss of Kashmir. We
cannot separate ourselves from Kashmir.
I found this time a marked
change among the people in Srinagar from the time of 2003. There was free
movement of people everywhere and all the time. There was no obvious army presence
in the civilian areas. There were no road barriers or security checks of
vehicles etc. Even at late night, the vehicles and people, including women,
were moving around freely. However, the floods (sailaab) of last year have
taken a heavy toll on the city. Most of the city looks weary, old and
colorless. The entire city is in need of major repairs and renovation work. It
is here that people are bitter of government’s sloppiness and lack of serious
intent on improving the lot of citizens. The relief has not reached needy
people, while government says it has spent 1500 crores. It does not require an
intelligent guess to know where the money has gone. They are angry over the
previous chief minister, who just sat like a nincompoop doing nothing, literally
like the proverbial Nero who sat twiddling thumbs while Rome was burning.
The present government keeps on
lamenting about lack of ‘central assistance’ for all its incompetence,
inefficiency, and corruption. PM Modi had visited Srinagar soon after sailaab and
had assured people of ‘achhe din’ and ‘parivartan’, but nothing has been
visible on the ground. The people are angry and bitter. Manjoor, who was
chaperoning me around, sums it up differently, “this is all ‘Allah ka kahar’,
Kashmiris are paying for their own sins; first, they suffered the wrath of
militancy, and now this sailaab”. He says, ‘Kashmiris have become lazy and
corrupt; they are entrusting all work to the Bihari migrants, and have
forgotten the virtue of work and labour. He is not wrong about the work force
from Bihar. Most of the hawkers, vendors, and unskilled, semi-skilled and
skilled workers are now from Bihar. Even for their traditional and unparalleled
skill in shawl and carpet weaving, they are employing outside labour.
This time I found people much
relaxed; they were open about talking of so many of contentious issues. Even if
many people were driven by an ideology, they could talk about all the ill
effects of militancy of nearly three decades, that militants are nothing but
social outcasts, thugs and interested only in making money, and abusing
firepower and women. They also state that Kashmir cannot afford to go with a
failed state that Pakistan is; it cannot demand a fully autonomous and
independent status, when it is surrounded by three nuclear powers. They accept
that Kashmir’s destiny is linked with India only.
In last few years, the number of
vehicles have grown beyond the capacity of roads. New roads and alternate
routes do not exist. A welcome change, however, is the number of women drivers
on cars as well as scooty.
One observation has been
constant in all my visits to Kashmir, that is, all the governments without
exception, have done precious little about the development of Kashmir. We do
not tire ourselves of comparing Kashmir with Switzerland, or that ‘if there is
a heaven on Earth, it is here, here, and here only’, but what a state we have
reduced it to. The state of roads, infrastructure, developmental projects, all
are as bad as they were in my earlier visit in 1987. On the name of
development, Kashmir has only unplanned hotels and guesthouses and real state
to show.
During the Mughal period
in particular, Emperor Jahangir and his wife Nur Jahan were so enamoured of
Kashmir that during summer they moved to Srinagar with their full court
entourage from Delhi at least 13 times.
Shalimar Bagh was their imperial summer residence and the Royal Court. They
crossed the arduous snowy passes of the Pir Panjal mountain range on elephants to reach Srinagar.
The black pavilion built during the early part of Jahangir's reign in the top
terrace of the Shalimar Bagh, has the famous inscription in Persian, which says:
Agar Firdaus bar rōy-e zamin
ast, hamin ast-o hamin ast-o hamin ast.
Translated to English, it means, ‘If there is a
paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here’.
It is also mentioned
that when Jahangir was asked on his death bed about his cherished desire he is
credited to have said, ‘Kashmir, the rest is worthless.’
