srinagar-essence of kashmir; an account of the trip

8/3/2019 Srinagar-Essence of Kashmir; An Account of the Trip

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SRINAGAR- ESSENCE OF KASHMIR; AN ACCOUNT OF THE TRIP

By J.N.Vohra

When the plane was hovering over the Srinagar Air Port for

landing, I peeped through the window panes and could

take a mobile snap of the snow covered peaks of

Himalayas. The pilot of the plane announced outside

temperature 17Celcius, almost 16 lower than Delhi

Airport, from where we boarded the plane. It was pleasant

outside in Mid-October.

Earlier, I had made couple of visits to the valley for well-

earned leisure tours with family. This visit was almost after

a decade. I accompanied Dr. Gulshan Sharma, president

Asian Motivation Forum and a hardcore tourism fit with

Ph.D. in tourism from U.K. The purpose was to participate in the Indian Travel Mart (ITM) and to visit

Kashmir University where Dr. Sharma was to deliver lecture on Skills and Employability.

A professor of a college was deputed to receive us at the Airport. Straight away we entered into talk

with the professor. He informed that three things hamper the development of Srinagar; Connectivity,

lack of industrial setup and shortage of power.

On way to our place of stay we passed in front of the fortified residence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah

situated at Gupkar Road, the calm and serenity that prevailed around the place was not signifying anystory of turmoil over the death of a member of National Conference, few days back. Though, later many

of the persons I conversed with; taxi drivers, shopkeepers, hotel attendants, and Shikarawallas and

others, during our 4 days stay confined to Srinagar only believed that something sinister had happened

inside the habitation causing death of Haji Yousuf.

We stayed at Jamal resort located in Ishber. The hotel is in close

proximity to the Dal Lake, Nishat Bagh, and Royal Springs Golf Course.

Jamal Resorts is promoted by JCI (Jamal Carpet Industries) Group of

companies. The owner of the resort, a down to earth person though

considered one of the rich of Srinagar, received us. We had a confortable

stay at the resort.

Dal LakeDal Lake is the heart of Srinagar. We daily passed through its boulevard to reach to Zabarwan Park, the

place where ITM was organised. Our taxi driver informed us that you drive about 27 kilometers around

Snow Covered Peaks as seen from

Airplane

Jamal Resort


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the Dal Lake from start to finish at a point. The Lake is surrounded by mountains on its three sides and

five basins and a number of well linked channels of Jehlum tributaries as source of water.

The Lake reappeared in this part, in the desiccated Valley of

Kashmir- (According to folk etymology, the name "Kashmir"

means in Sanskrit: Ka = water and shimeera = dehydrated. Itis also said that Kashyapa, a Hindu sage, had drained out all

the water and there appeared the magnificent Kashmir

Valley).

We could see hundreds of house boats (Shikaras) in the Lake

for the tourists to reside on the lake in an atmosphere of

peace and tranquility. Though many tourists, mainly from

Bengal and Gujarat were moving around the lake but not many shikaras were found active.

India Travel Mart (ITM),During the inauguration of India Travel Mart (ITM), the state tourism minister declared that Kashmir

received large number of tourists in this summer season. Record number of tourists visited Mata

Vaishno Devi Shrine and to Srinagar and Leh-Ladhak Region, indicating that all is well in Jammu and

Kashmir. He said that ITM was organized in Srinagar to acquaint tour operators of other states about the

Kashmir tourism so that they can work in their respective states to increase inbound tourists in the

Valley. Tourism departments of Malaysia and Thailand also participated in the ITM.

Srinagar is endowed with triple advantage of having unique tourism places for pilgrimage, leisure and

adventure tourism. Pangong Lake situated at Leh-Ladhak region became popular after 3-idiot film in

which this lake was shown. People at India Travel Mart were of the opinion that there should be more

flights to Leh-Ladhak from Srinagar and Jammu so that people coming for pilgrimage or leisure tourism

can also go for adventure tourism.

At present there is only Wednesday flight from Srinagar to Leh. From Jammu, Air India flies only on

Monday and Friday. With this arrangement leisure tourists from Srinagar opting to spend time with

adventure necessarily have to extend their stay at Leh for 5 days, which is too much.

Darbar Move

Srinagar, located on the Kashmir Valley at the banks of the River Jhelum, is summer capital of Jammu &Kashmir state. The capital shifts from Srinagar to winter Capital in Jammu City starting from the first

week of November. A replica of state assembly is located in Jammu for the legislatures to jostle with

during winter assembly session. Earlier, we had witnessed on TV that a legislator had thrown a chair

towards the Assembly Speaker during summer session in Srinagar.

Bi-Annually, entire staff of J & K Secretariat, menial to ministers, Raj Bhavan, High Courts, offices of DGP

moves to Jammu to their winter habitations. Unmindful of any mishap that may occur on 300 Kilometer

Dal Lake


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route to Jammu and back, causing loss of some precious

Government records, many truckloads of records of these offices

move on one way traffic on national highway. Govt. functioning

comes to halt at Srinagar.

A week long holidays along with temporary transfer allowances aregiven to staff and officers for Darbar move, to & fro. Residents of

Jammu, amongst the staff, await and rejoice this shift and so do the

staff belonging to Srinagar for their shift back in summers. As usual,

this year also the darbar will move in the first week of November,

they informed us. What a colossal waste of public money!

We were told that the practice of Darbar move was started by

Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872, to escape extreme weather conditions of Jammu during summer and

harsh winter in Srinagar. British when ruled India had made Shimla as their summer capital. They felt

heat in planes during summer. At that time there was no provision of air-Conditioning. This practice was

discontinued after independence. Is it essential or relevant anymore to continue this tradition of

Darbar move started by His Majesty? The J & k state should find alternatives, such as room heating, to

keep the Government functioning in Srinagar itself during winters also. This will save lot of money

besides many hassles.

Maharaja Sir Hari Singh, who signed the instrument of accession to India, ascended the throne of Jammu

and Kashmir in 1925 and governed the state till 1950. He was known for his reforms. He threw the

temples open to Harijans, banned the flesh trade by the women and allowed the remarriage by the

widows. Hari Singh was a secular king. Standing at Zabarwan Park our guide pointed towards the high

mount seen on the other side of Dal Lake, where HariParbat Fort was situated. Inappropriately, I felt, the

fort of Mughals and ascendants of Maharaja Hari Singh is now known as Kabutar Khana (habitation of

pigeons).

Kashmir GoldmineLong back a Kashmiri Hawker selling Pashmina Shawls in the streets of Chandigarh informed me, on my

asking, in his own rustic understanding that neither Pakistan nor India would like to dissociate with their

claim on Kashmir since both know about the goldmine underneath some mountains situated in the area.

That may not be true but the abundance wealth which the area possesses is in the cultivation of Saffron,

Sericulture, Dryfruits, Pashmina and Shahtoosh, altogether is not less than gold.

The use of Shahtoosh, known as King of fibers is banned since it is believed that this fiber is obtained by

killing Chiru, an antelope, living on high mountains of Leh Ladhak. As this animal spices is vanishing, it is

now protected spices.

Our guide drove us about 20 Kilometers towards a place Pampore, famous for world's best saffron. We

were assured by the salesman, sitting in a roadside shop that what we got is pure saffron (@Rs.200 per

Gram) and best of the Akhrot Giri (Walnut kernel @ Rs. 1600 per Kilogram).

J & K Assembly at Srinagar


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Upkeep of Tourist PlacesI had some time off from the intended work in the last

day of our stay and visited The Nishat Bagh that was

built by Mughal Emperor Jahangir for his wife Nur

Jahan, in 1619. The Bagh is considered the high point of

Mughal horticulture. I had visited this park earlier also

and noticed that the water ways which passed from the

heart of this magnificent garden had dried up. The

guide informed that the water body is under repair. It

should have been done before the summer season

starts, I retorted. Yes, they spend lot of money on this,

we dont know how soon it will be operational, said the

guide.

I admired the forests on high mountains above the Garden. People of Kashmir believe that as long as

forests are there, life will exist. People fear forests will disappear through 'timber smuggling'. Besides

strict forest laws that are in place for felling and cutting, exporting of Timber continue, said the guide.

What about the Kashmir willow used for cricket bats? Though, during my college days I had used English

willow bats. Some industry of making these bats exist near Pampore, informed the guide.

We visited The University of Kashmir located on the western side of

the Dal Lake and passed by Hazratbal, the mosque that enshrines

the relic of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. We regrettably noticed

excessive weed growth, lessening water clarity, and high microbial

activity in the Lake, especially when we moved passed Shalimar

Ghat. Over the years, the water quality of Dal Lake has deterioratedconsiderably, informed our guide. This was the result of haphazard

planning around the Dal Lake that resulted into discharge of large

quantities of untreated sewage in the lake water.

Earlier, on eastern side of the Lake we could see some motor-propelled fountains and mechanical

devices in operation in the Lake bed for water cleaning. Government is spending lakhs of rupees in the

Dal Development project, which has yet to show the desired results, informed our guide, rather

ruefully. Why this cleaning of Lake Water is not carried out on western side nearer the revered shrine is

a question that lurked in my mind?

Kashmir University & Down-TownHaving passed by Hazratbal, we entered the Kashmir university gate. The lush green land with campuses

of exquisite beauty was in view. We noticed young girls, donning cricket gears playing cricket in the

ground. The head of the department of Management studies informed us that the institution is multi-

faculty University, imparting instruction in various subjects in the faculty of Arts, Social Sciences,

Education, Commerce and Management Studies, Law, Applied Sciences and Technology, and Oriental

Dehyderated Water Body at Nishat Bagh

Weed Growth in Dal Lake


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Learning. He felt proud to inform that the faculty of the

university has considerable teaching and research experience

and some of them occupy places of eminence in the academic

world. The campus has a central library, called Allama Iqbal

Library, with a vast collection of books.

The lecture of Dr. Gulshan Sharma was arranged in the

university conference room, adjoining Library. It was attended

by final year Management students. Majority of them were

females dressed in a mix of modern and traditional Muslim

attires, both at the University and at second place of the

lecture at Islamia College of Science at Commerce.

Unexpectedly, female students were more active and

answered correctly most of the questions asked during the

lecture.

On way back, we passed through Jama Masjid, the oldest

mosques in Kashmir situated at Nowhatta, the middle of the

old city, known as downtown. A few months back this area

had witnessed stone throwing by miscreants. Old brick

buildings line the banks of Jama Masjid.

Lal ChockA day earlier we had passed through main city center of Srinagar and shopped at Lal Chock areas, which

so often was in news for some sort of protest rallies. The place had also witnessed the hoisting of

Pakistani flags several times, a grim reminder that the valley shelter many pro-Pakistani elements. At

this place in November 1947, Pundit Nehru, standing beside

Abdullah, addressed thousands and said The fate of Kashmir

will ultimately be decided by the people. We have given that

pledge and Maharaja (Hari Singh) had supported it.

Lal Chock area was bustling with routine activities without any

scares of many protests and violence by militant groups it had

witnessed in the past. Srinagar is as normal or different a city as

any other capital city of India, perhaps media overplays and

report the protests in different light, I imagined.*

In a recent survey conducted by the London-based think tank

Chatham House, 96 percent of respondents from the Kashmir Valley identified unemployment as one of

the main problems facing the state of Jammu & Kashmir along with conflict and corruption.[Reuters]

Kashmir University

Lal Chock

Students attending the lecture


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Skills & EmploymentAccording to information provided by the Employment Department of J & K, there are 1.2 lakh educated

unemployed registered with various employment exchanges in the State. Though, Government of India

economic survey estimated the number at 4 to 5 lakhs. More serious challenge for the government is

that 48 percent of the 71 percent of youth population between the ages of 18 to 35 in the Valley are

estimated unemployed.

There are programs of Government of India to provide job-

oriented training to graduates, post-graduates and

professional degree holders in the state over a period of five

years, besides National Skills Development schemes. What

avenues are available in the state to provide gainful

employments to the trained, skilled and educated youth in

the State? We entered into conversation with the professor,

who very kindly was escorting us to various places.

There are many uneducated people with inherited skills who

are absorbed in their traditional avocation such as shawl and carpet weaving, wood and metal works,

cultivating saffron and sericulture. There are no establishments of corporate houses for IT,

pharmaceuticals, or consumer durables. No big industries can come up in the valley without damaging

the environment and scenic beauty of the place. The potential of the state in generating hydro power

has also not been exploited for creating some sorts of employment opportunities.

Perhaps, the only avenue for employment lies in corporatising service industry; tourism, health related

industries and centers, event management, film cities and IT enabled services such as Call centers and

food processing and packaging industries. Some of these trades can also be channelised for self-

employment. For all this to happen it is imperative that a sense of peace, harmony, and safety prevail in

the state.

In the absence of employment avenues within the state educated youth would need to seek

employment in other parts of the country or go oversees or seek government jobs, which are not

enough even to absorb miniscule of the youth passing out from the universities in the state. The general

opinion was that it is more dangerous to build a battery of educated unemployed than uneducated,

because educated unemployed youth will get frustrated soon for not getting the occupation of their

standing after having spent time and money for getting their education. In other words, in coming years,

the conflict in the valley may get aggravated within rather than from outside, if some steps to solve it

are not taken immediately.

The OpinionWe had occasion to talk to some of the educated youth regarding their opinion about India-Pakistan

relations. Most of them refrained from talking on the subject or did not understand the complexities of

the same or were not interested about the prevalent situation. Some articulated and said, look neither

Carpet Weaving
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Kashmir+Carpet+Weaving&um=1&hl=en&client=gmail&sa=N&rls=gm&biw=1441&bih=646&tbm=isch&tbnid=FCBF1U7O4_X9zM:&imgrefurl=http://2nomads1narrative.com/2010/09/17/photo-friday-craftwork-in-kashmir/&docid=t3tC6unkNnArBM&imgurl=http://2nomads1narrative.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/kashmir-carpet.jpg&w=4288&h=2848&ei=NXWuTo-0Cs3jrAfR2aXdDQ&zoom=1


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India nor Pakistan can get each others territories of Kashmir without going for a war, which is unlikely,

both being nuclear countries.

The only chance is negotiations and compromises; the best thing would be to revoke Shimla agreement

that was signed between India and Pakistan after the 1971 India-Pakistan War. What they understood

was that in this agreement it was accepted that the Line of Control (LOC) in the state of J&K wouldcontinue as the de facto border and both countries would not try to de-stabilise the same. Other than

this, they opined that borders of both sides of Kashmir be made porous as we have with Nepal.

So some of them have an opinion, unmindful what has been the resolution of Indian parliament or what

the separatists of the valley maintain. The utmost need of the state is to defuse tensions, conflicts and

state of uncertainty, I thought.

Whatsoever be the situation in Valley, the essence of Kashmir is best summarized by Jahangir,"GAR

FIRDOUS BAROYE ZAMIN HAST, HAMIN HASTO HAMIN HASTO HAMIN HAST", if there is heaven on the

earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.

*After ten days of our visit, in Lal Chock and at other places in Srinagar there were blasts and grenades werethrown on army bunkers, indicating that the valley simmers underneath or is the cause of the neighbor.

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