“Kashmir has always been more than a mere place. It has a quality of an experience, or a state of mind or perhaps an ideal”
Jan Morris
‘Time is the biggest healer’, who better than the Awaam of Kashmir would agree to this axiom. Three decades of sufferings, pains and hardship had to end one day, and it actually has, though it may be difficult to identify the exact date of this transition, but the change is quite palpable. The valley is flocked with tourists from all parts of the country; the hustling and bustling of Lal Chowk has replaced the eerie silence that at one point of time served as its metaphor; the youth, who until few years back were hurling stones at the Security Forces, are today holding the National Flag with great pride; the local business is booming and the smiles are widening.
The peaceful and an incident free conduct of the latest DDC/ Sarpanch/ Panch elections in Kashmir in the month of Dec 2020 and the overwhelming participation by the locals, marked the beginning of the change that awaited the valley for so long and put paid to the speculations, apprehensions and the forebodings that preceded the event. Such an unprecedented and a healthy participation by the Awaam in the first major democratic event post the Abrogation of Article – 370 was not only a tight slap on the face of all the separatists, politicians and stooges of our western adversary, who were unremitting in their criticism of the efforts undertaken by the Govt to conduct these elections, but also, the moment of truth for all those besotted under the false notion of 'Azaadi’.
The Kashmiri society, inter alia, is a very close knit society and the locals have in themselves, a deep sense of respect for their culture, customs and traditions. Visit Kashmir and you will realize that the warmth and the hospitality extended by the locals is unparalleled. The true meaning of ‘Kashmiriyat’ gets clearer only if you indulge yourself in a conversation with a Kashmiri and without you knowing it, he would have made you comfortable to an extent that you start feeling like home and one amongst them. That’s how enigmatic and enrapturing Kashmir is. With Bollywood now making Kashmir as its favourite film shooting destination, the boost to the tourism industry and the associated sectors would further attract more tourists to Kashmir and the local businesses will flourish like never before. Time is not far when Kashmir will find a mention in the list of ‘World’s Top Ten Tourist Destinations’. Inshallah!!!
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