Curfewed Night : A memoir

I recently wrote a book review for my alma mater in journalism, The Kashmir Times. It appeared in the paper on April 10, 2010 and you can read it at: What Went Wrong With the Place Called 'Heaven on Earth'

It is a review of the book "Curfewed Night" by Mr. Basharat Peer. The book is a very impressive work, in terms of 'an eye for detail' that Mr. Peer shows throughout his growing up years when militancy and paramilitary forces became a part of life in Kashmir.

If you can get a hold of the book, the book is worth reading!!!!

Is This Heaven Too???

A very dear friend of mine sent me some photographs from his recent trip to Jammu and Kashmir and I thought I will share the same with you. Sorry for interrupting in my Kashmir sojourn but I couldn't wait to share these pictures with my fellow bloggers. These pictures belong to the Billawar area of Jammu region, which is a very beautiful hill station located 66 kms from Jammu city, along the national highway.

As the photographs suggest, the virgin beauty of this place competes with that of Kashmir but somehow, not many of us (even within J&K) are aware of it. Years ago, I had gone on a short trip to Billawar. It was during my days as a journalist and the trip had been organised by the State Cultural Academy. The purpose of the trip was to honour a local poet, Mr Romal Singh Bhadwal, for his lifelong contribution to art and culture in the region. The poet, well into his 80s, was felicitated in the presence of his family and villagers at Dadwara, one of innumerous lesser known villages in the state.

After the feliciation ceremony, there was lunch, cooked in typical village-style, on earthen choolhas (mud stoves) in huge utensils. The meal was basic fare of rajma (kidney-beans), chawal (rice) and the best of all, Amball {a sweet and sour side-dish prepared wiht pulses, Kaashifal (kind of gourd) and tamarind juice}. Just FYI, Amball is a staple side-dish in Dogri cuisine and is cooked on important occasions like marriage, felicitation etc. The lunch tasted awesome and eating it under an open sky increased its flavour.

Anyways, waking back from my reverie, let me tell you something more about the place. Billawar was founded by a king called Raja Bhopat Pal in 1598-1614 and it remained the capital of Basohli Rajas. The descendants of the Royal family are known as “BILLAWARIAS”.

Billawar town boasts of a number of ancient monuments, old temples, famous among them being Sukrala Mata temple, situated atop a hill and the Mahabilvakeshwar temple. According to popular belief, Pandavas visited Billawar during the last year of exile and were impressed with the "Bill" trees, present abundantly throughout the area. According to historians, Billawar-Basohli (another small town located near Billawar), along with Jammu and Poonch are the three original states wherein the Duggar or Dogra community thrived.

The pictures are self-explanatory and so is the scenic beauty. So, the answer to the title question is...........

Yes, of course!!!!!!

Paani Ki Lehron Par Hichkole Khaati Naav!!!!!!!

Hi Friends,

Hope you enjoyed my last post and here is some more on Kashmir.

This time, I am talking exclusively about the houseboats, the miniature hotels, located on the periphery of the Dal Lake, that have been there since 1860 and are now on the verge of extinction.

It is really sad to learn that the court has ordered the houseboat owners to shut their operations because of the rising pollution levels and depleting natural life within the lake.

According to officials, the Dal Lake figures among the 93 sick lakes of the world and the state pollution control board reported in 2004 that the level of pollutants in the lake was six to eight times above the permissible limit. Along with other factors, the houseboats are considered to be the cause, thus, the restraining order on houseboat operations.

However, those who have enjoyed a comfortable and interesting stay inside these houseboats are not happy to hear that, which brings me to a brief description about the houseboats.

Houseboats in Kashmir:

After descending on the scene more than a hundred years ago, the houseboats have come to be an integral life of the valley, especially the Dal. The official records claim that the first houseboat, named Victory, was designed by a serving officer of the British Army, M T Kenhard. Since then, these houseboats were mostly used to serve as vacation homes for the British officers, who were then facing mutiny in the rest of the country.

After traversing a long course of history of pre and post independence India, the houseboats have become a signature of the Dal Lake. Among other things, their popularity is because of the comfort and real flavour of Kashmiri culture preserved inside thes dwellings. Houseboats are generally made up of cedar wood and contain of living quarters, drawing and dining areas.

The interiors of these houseboats are decorated with carved wooden furniture, embroidered Kashmiri carpets and rugs, as well as various hand-made items, including paper machie objects.

The windows offer a beautiful view of the mountain peaks lining the Dal.

It is this piece of history, which is threatened with oblivion now and I fervently hope that that never happens. Pray with me friends.......

Gar Firdous Bar-Rooh-E Zameen Ast, Hameen Ast-O, Hameen Ast-O, Hameen Ast.....

The words written above are believed to have been uttered by Mughal Emperor Jehangir, when he first set foot in the Kashmir Valley, so smitten was he by the exceptional beauty of the vale. Roughly translated, these words mean "If ever there was heaven on this earth, it is this, it is this, it is..." For the past two decades, however, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has been in news for all the wrong reasons (read terrorism, administrative incapacity, civil unrest, regional strife and political opportunism).I feel so bad even talking about what went wrong with J&K. Therefore, I have decided to celebrate the beauty of my state and all the good things about it to ward off any bad impact that the dismal news arising out of there might have had on its reputation. So, for the next few posts, I will treat you to some rare glimpses into some of the beautiful locations of the valley (to start with). Similar photographs of Jammu and other areas will follow soon. So, enjoy friends.......

About the photograph featured above:

The photograph featured above is a panoramic view of the world famous Dal Lake, which is located within the summer capital of J&K, Srinagar. It is the most favourite destination for tourists, visiting from within and outside the country. It is a naturally occuring water body and is famous for the houseboats, vacation homes built during the British rule, that are one of the major source of revenue to the Kashmiris. Owing to pollution and overall negligence, the lake covers about 11 square kilometers of area, which is almost half of what it used to be two decades ago. It is divided into four basins called Gagribal, Lokut Dal (meaning Small Dal or Junior Dal), Bod Dal (Senior Dal) and Nagin. Tourist spots like Nehru Park, Char Chinar, etc are located as small islands within the Dal Lake.

Some year ago, the lake used to freeze over completely during the winter season, offering the people a chance to enjoy another facet of nature. However, due to global warming and negligence, the freezing Dal is soon becoming a thing of past.

Among other things, Dal has some interesting flora and fauna, including the lotus flower, Lotus stem (known as Nadroo or Kamal Kakdee, a popular Kashmiri vegetable), water lillies and water chestnuts.

Terror Strikes Again!!!!

I feel ashamed, violated, disturbed, anguished, disgusted, pained, grieved and much much more because of the recent terror strike in Mumbai, which left scores dead and even more wounded while rest of the public aghast.

As the Taj Hotel, the Oberoi Trident and the Nariman House raged with gun battles, explosions, fire and deaths, the only question reverberating through my brain was why should we suffer like this for no fault of ours?

Why are we subjected to this violating humiliation year after year, day after day, minute after minute, while these good-for-nothing politicians keep up their charade of sympathy for the public while at their heart, they are as clueless about what is going on in the country as the man on the street?

Terrorists, who strike at innocents on streets, take women and children hostage and kill without remorse or guilt, have been an almost accepted part of the life in states like Jammu and Kashmir. However, what enrages me is that instead of curbing their reach and presence, almost nothing has been done to prevent them from spreading their deadly tentacles to other cities of the country.

Although, there are some indications that things might be different this time and I am not talking about the political reshuffle, resignation of the Home Minister, talks about Maharashtra CM being shunted out, etc, etc. All this political white-wash makes me feel sick, really.

I am talking about the public outpouring that one has seen, in the form of blogs coming up to denounce violence of all kind, keeping terrorism separate from religion, taking the responsible politicians to task and, last but not the least, the angry outburst of the martyred Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan's father against the Kerala Chief Minister Achuthanandan, who was not allowed to enter the slain commando's house.

Things might really be changing now, as we saw in the unprecedented percentage of voters coming out to cast their vote in the elections, in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Kashmir and other parts of the country. Perhaps now, people have realised the real value of their ballot and may be now we will see an honest leadership emerging at the helm, which would not allow its people to bleed to death while the terrorists, after being arrested, are allowed to live on inside the jails.

I dont know how much of it is going to stay on and how much of it we are going to forget, but this time, i am sure, we cannot afford to let go of the lessons that the Mumbai strikes have taught us because next time, we might not be alive to regret that.....