Kashmir's Magnificent Mountains Stoically Remind Us That Nature Can't Be Manipulated

An unexpected summer during the month of September in Srinagar, in the scenic beauty of the valley, feels like a personal betrayal for wanderlust seekers who visit the valley in the hope of a nippy winter, which is further cemented via photographs and films. Yet in this tug of expectation and disappointment, the magnificent mountains arise each day between its magical mists and its mysterious silhouette against the moonshine. It stands stoic to remind us that nature can’t be controlled or manipulated to suit our selfish desires. 

Kashmir, A Land That Bears Witness To Tainted History 

Amidst the surrealism of mountains, one finds within every few meters, the sight of the army in the valley which has had such a long association with its troubled past. The army trucks with gun-totting armed force, dressed in camouflage, stepping over the fallen Chinar leaves. It feels like a violation in God’s paradise. One ends up questioning why such ethereal beauty needs the reminder of a weapon, to continue the pursuit of normalcy. Could the answer be in the genocide of the Kashmiri Pandits who were forced to leave their homes, to restart life in the camps of Delhi and Jammu? 

The army is on their toes with a finger on their trigger and just the sheer number of the large army trucks is a necessity yet a moral aberration amidst the tranquillity of the Dal Lake and the silence of the Nigeen Lake, where the defiant lotuses bloom in its sticky surroundings of murkiness.

On the land, there are meters and meters of circled barbed wire all around vantage points as territory is demarcated, between the army and the general public. 

Between the barbed wires is also the angst of the general public who want Kashmir back to its heydays. Many civilians who were mistaken as militants in their own homeland have deep bruises to overcome. Which won’t be an easy task ahead. As generational trauma for most individuals continues to scar and deepen the wounds, unlike generational wealth which can vanish easily if left in wanton hands. 

Kashmir has left the rest of the country writhing in pain as the Kashmiri pandit had to flee from their homes in fear of losing their lives. The place bears witness to the unjust exodus. There are abandoned homes, with broken glass panes that once housed the diversity of the community. 

The locals are angry about the death of many youths. But every uprising has casualties and atrocities towards civilians, women and the vulnerable. So in the name of peace, the innocents are sadly at the helm of betrayal. Yet this justification falls flat on the ears of the locals. They continue to tell you tales of disappointment and disaster. 

One mood is clear, that a majority of the locals are unwilling to vote for the upcoming election to be held in the valley after almost 10 years. We are yet to see the turnout in the polling booths this month and in October. 

The impact of the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K and the constitutional changes with the reorganisation of the erstwhile State of Jammu-Kashmir, into the Union territories of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh have now ensured that it has been fully integrated into the mainstream of the nation. This has opened doors for tourism to once again flourish in the Union Territory of J&K. But youth say there are no investments being made to create jobs apart from handicrafts, hotels, cricket bats and apple cultivation, which isn’t enough to change the status of a family or the economic power over their lives. 

As one delves deeper, many youths said that basic human rights are violated as free speech is now monitored. One cannot criticise anything openly. Many writers and artists live cocooned in the fear of not getting into the limelight. 

The Missing Sight Of Deji-Hor In Kashmir 

Passing through Pulwama, towards Pahalgam the army presence is even more visible in these areas. In Anantnag lay the ruins of the Martand Sun Temple which dates back to the eighth century CE and was dedicated to Surya, the chief solar deity in Hinduism.  

Surya is also known as Martand. The temple was destroyed by Sikandar Shah Miri. As you leave the temple, one passes through the predominantly Muslim areas, where Burhan Wani was shot, and there is a strong army presence. In the midst of this is a little shop that has a poster of Benazir Bhutto on its walls.

In this eerie quiet, one searches for the sight of the “Deji-Hor, the ornament worn by married Hindu Kashmiri women. But the eyes will dry up as there is not a single one going about their life in their homes. This 500,000 displacement of the Hindu Kashmiri remains unaddressed to date. 

This time is the lotus season as pink blooms fill the Dal Lake, reminding one of beauty, but in this, one can shockingly find Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Khomeini’s posters and banners between trees and homes in the interiors of the lakes. One does feel a sense of relief as you leave the posters behind. This isn’t only in the lakes, one can find sporadic posters of Khomeini elsewhere too.

The late Ayatollah Khomeini has an interesting Indian connection, as his ancestors had migrated towards the end of the 18th century from their original home in Nishapur, Khorasan province in northeastern Iran for a short stay in the Kingdom of Awadh, a region in the modern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, whose rulers were Twelver Shia Muslims of Persian origin. Yet in today’s environment of gender apartheid in Afghanistan and Iran, the late Ayatollah’s posters make one feel cold in the veins. And one feels extremely glad to see women rowing their shikara as they carry their children and pluck vegetables from the lakes to cook a meal at home. One is relieved that this is India and women are free. But the posters still have a backstory that isn’t quite clear. 

Kashmir is a love story that won’t leave a visitor as it touches the soul with the sheer beauty of the place, the atmosphere of serenity, as rivers gurgle in their destination ahead and its beautiful people, especially the women who are highly intelligent, having witnessed a bloody history of their roots being washed away in the Jhelum yet again they rise up like the smoke of the Kahawa against the darkening skies of a valley torn yet resurrected with its traumatic past. 

Mohua Chinappa is an author, poet and podcaster who runs two podcasts, The Mohua Show, and The Literature Lounge and is a member of the prestigious London-based non-profit think tank Bridge India.