Let me first pay my deepest condolences to the family of Thirumani who was killed by stone-pelters in Kashmir on May 7. While I was watching the news about the youngster’s death, a thought crossed my mind: It could have very well been me or my family member as we were present in Srinagar just a day before this incident. After much deliberation, we decided to visit Kashmir after giving Sikkim, Munnar and Coorg a pass. It was a brave decision, considering the on-and-off encounters and stone-pelting incidents in the Valley.
We were lucky to have returned home after a memorable trip to Kashmir. But we had our share of tense moments with the bandh and stone-pelting incidents. One day, as we were driving down a road in Srinagar, a passerby alerted the driver that people were pelting stones a few hundred meters away. The driver immediately took a diversion. After a while, when we returned to the area, we found many stones on the road; not mere stones but huge broken concrete blocks.
But the sheer beauty of the place helped us overcome the anxiety. Kashmir is indeed paradise on earth with beautiful landscapes and snow-covered mountains. The pristine water flow in Doodhpathri, lush green landscapes in Pahalgam (mini Switzerland), miles of ice at “Zero point” in Sonamarg, snowfall in Gulmarg should never be missed. The best part about the Valley are the people who are known to care for the visitors, an attitude often termed as Kashmiriyat.
How can things go wrong in such a beautiful place with hundreds of people getting killed every year? A place blessed with unmatched natural resources and very friendly people. The cities and towns looked so normal like any other place in India. With my broken Hindi I managed to talk to a few locals. They are up-to-date on encounters. They have learnt to “live with encounters”. But people have very strong political affiliations. Killing of civilians makes them angry.
It was shocking to see “Go back India” slogans written on walls. It was equally shocking to find thousands of people attending the funeral of slain militants. The economy is hugely dependent on tourists and stone-pelting incidents will severely impact the region.
Had the situation been normal, I am sure Kashmir would have overtaken Switzerland or Austria as the most popular tourist destination. But that looks impossible as of now.
G Krishna Kumar
Email: krishnak1@outlook.com