Paradise Halved

Kashmir Valley, 2011

“Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast,
Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.”Translation:
"If there is a paradise on earth,
It is this, it is this, it is this.”

Truthfully, my initial fascination with Kashmir stemmed from the fact that I was convinced it was the most beautiful place on earth. Many of my childhood years were spent watching Bollywood movies set in Kashmir and marveling at the lush greenery, rugged terrain, snow-capped mountain ranges, crystalline lakes and fields of saffron and wildflowers. It had to be, in my mind, the closest thing to paradise on earth.

Shikara (wooden boats, some used as floating homes) on Dal Lake
Horse grazing in a meadow in Gulmarg, a popular tourist destination
Villagers in a residential neighborhood close to the city center
Laundry
Villagers of Naranag, in the foothills of the Pir Panjal mountain range
Outside Hazratbal Shrine, believed to house several relics related to the Prophet Muhammad, PBUH

The fight for freedom

In reality, however, Kashmir has been plagued by wars since 1947 and is the most heavily militarised zone in the world. Still a disputed territory today, 43% of the state (Jammu, Kashmir Valley, Ladakh, Siachen Glacier) is currently administered by India, 37% (Azad Kashmir, North Gilgit, North Baltistan) is administered by Pakistan, while a portion (Aksai Chin) has been claimed by China. In addition to that, several nationalist and liberation groups within Kashmir have been fighting for complete independence from all three countries.

Although most of the anti-Indian sentiments around Srinagar have been cleaned up by order of the Indian government, one can still easily find many remnants of the city's past during the peak of its turbulence, scrawled angrily on public property.

Magna feugiat

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