Sheikh Imran
The echoes of the name of the supreme almighty fill the air of the valley with a spiritual environment. One finds peace by taking his name, strength and courage by walking towards the path of his abode. The environment is so pure that it feels as if God himself has come to bless the pilgrims. We are fortunate enough that, for a few days in a year, we get an opportunity to serve the lord and his people.
I am Sahil, staying in the beautiful, picturesque location of Sonmarg with my family and 2 horses. Every morning I open my eyes to the beautiful landscape visible from the window of my house. Looking at the beauty around me, I thank Allah. Along with the beautiful landscapes, my motherland has also been granted a boon by Baba Barfani who is the Supreme Commander of this beautiful creation. The boon which helps in running the fires in our houses throughout the year provides us with food and shelter. It’s a saga of devotion to the creator. Looking at the prevailing situation in the valley, I sometimes think, if God has not created division between us, why do people create problems? It’s not wrong to take care of one’s family and try to give them all the comforts, but it becomes a sin when, by providing for your own, you destroy the lives of others. There is no greater sin in the eyes of God than pushing someone on the wrong path leading to their destruction. For getting your bread and butter, you cannot let others sleep on an empty stomach.
You all must be thinking why am I talking this way? I am pained to see the situation of people like us who are punished for no faults of theirs. There is unrest created by well-oiled and funded masterminds from across the border. They target vulnerable youths in the name of religion, duty to Allah and at times with force. By an act of target killing, IED blasts and harming the security forces, they try to create an environment of fear. The masterminds understand if there is peace in the Valley they will lose their grip, which they cannot let happen. They are aware that a robust economy is the pillar for development and prosperity for any region. Tourism is one of the most important branches of the valley. In order to keep a leash on the people and create hurdles in the development of the people of Kashmir, they need to keep on funding unrest in the valley with their nefarious plans. If there is a peaceful environment, there will be positive publicity which will attract tourists and the footfalls will add to the economic prosperity of the region. New avenues will open, like film shootings and others which have taken a break due to militancy in the Valley. Once the film fraternity gets confidence that the Valley is secure for them to shoot their craft film, then there is no looking back. These revenue avenues will make the people of the valley self-sufficient and independent, thus losing their grip from across the border.
To make the valley always in the middle of controversy and fear, even tourists were targeted in the valley that they would develop fear in the minds of people. They knew that once fear grips the mind of an individual, they will not take the path which leads to it, however beautiful it may be. Because of these manipulative and orchestrated terrors, there were times that our family was on the verge of going without food for days. We didn’t have warm clothes enough to save ourselves from the claws of bone-chilling winters. We face these situations because of no faults of ours but because we are used as pawns for people who need to spread unrest and spread their supremacy over us. My motherland not only has beauty but also has places of religious and spiritual importance. I earn my living by taking tourists on rides on my horses, showing them proudly the mesmerizing beauty of the place. The most satisfying job I do comes in the month of June to August, when I can have an opportunity to take the pilgrims to the doors of Baba Barfani. Such is the Sukoon during these treks that one feels that God has bestowed all his blessings on us. Along with the pilgrims, we walk towards the path of spirituality and blessings. Looking at the devotion of these pilgrims, we ourselves feel blessed from within. We thank God for giving us the chance to be part of this journey. The pilgrims come from different walks of life and different social and financial status but on the path of Moksha everyone becomes one. There are no rich or poor. No Hindus or Muslims. Everyone who comes here is a child of God. Such is the aura of positiveness and happiness during those days. We earn nearly 75% of our yearly earnings during those days. During our prayers, every horseman like me wish that Yatras like these should be organized every year and we get a chance to be a small part in paying our gratitude to Baba Barfani.
It is rightly said that one rotten apple spoils the other fruits in the basket. Our situation is also on similar lines. There are a few people who are sympathizers of our neighbours. They feel it’s their duty to create unrest and problems in this beautiful valley so that their masters across the LOC can be happy. They show the world that the followers of Islam are doing a great duty to Allah by creating disturbance in the valley. Such is their foolishness that they don’t understand that they are being used for benefits across the borders. Just for a few riches and comforts, they try to spoil the Aman in the valley by supporting terrorism and cross-border infiltration. Targeting government officials and security forces in order to disturb the peace in the valley is their top agenda. They are not concerned about how the strikes and decline in tourists will affect small-time labourers like us. They are just concerned about how they can eat Wazwan every day and have phirans with embroidery of Gold for their wives.
Tourism is the most important industry for the valley. What is the use of the beauty of a place when there are no people to appreciate it? The more a tourist visits us, the more we get an opportunity to make our lives comfortable. The inflow of tourists is directly connected to our earnings and improving the social and economic living conditions for us. Yatra is one of the most important events on our calendar for spiritual as well as financial growth for us small-time traders. When we have a peaceful Yatra, the percentage of tourists increases in the valley, giving a boom to local artisans and traders. Our earnings are more than adequate if the inflow of tourists is good. The earnings help us to sail through during difficult times. We can give good education to our kids and think about a better future for them. The year 2010 was the worst year for us when, because of the unrest, we were affected. We were on the verge of going bankrupt and starvation because the Yatra was stopped due to the unrest.
We are common Kashmiris. We are not concerned about people from across the borders. They are not our people. We want a peaceful life where we can prosper. The security forces here are not our enemies, they are the shields who protect us. We don’t want to be separated from India. Pakistan is not our friend. We are an integral part of this country. We don’t want to be puppets for others, we want to run our own show.
My message to our so-called caretakers across the border. Before lighting a fire in my country, be sure that the spark does not reach your house. My country and its security forces are well equipped and capable enough to extinguish every fire that you try to light. Our peaceful dialogue is not our weakness but a chance that we are giving you to mend your ways. Our silence has the power to turn you into ashes any moment, but my country believes in living and letting others live peacefully. The more you try to fund terrorists and help them in creating unrest for us, the more you will fall flat on your face. Remember that. My country is the most peaceful country in the world, but if it comes to protecting its people, its roar will not only make you shiver to your core but will make you vanish.
Our people have the blessing of Baba Barfani, who resides with every human being here. He is in the soul of every pilgrim and resides in the hearts of people like me who are companions on this journey. We bow our heads in respect and love for him as we are looking towards Mecca and Medina. The journey towards Baba Barfani is filled with Kashmiriyat ki Kahani
