May 20, 2001 04:33 AM
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It was 1987, when on a visit to Jullundur in Punjab, a publisher friend requested me to translate two books of the famous writer
Sayadat Hassan Manto from Urdu to Hindi. The payment was not in cash but in kind ; a fabulous trip to Kashmir. Setting up base in Srinagar, I would visit the beautiful valley towns during the day and do the translation at night through the early hours of the morning.
Kashmir's greatest historian Kalhan writes about his native land: ''It is a country where the sun shines mildly, being the place created by Rishi Kashyap, for his glory - big and lofty houses, learning, Saffron, icy cool water and grapes rare in Heaven are plentiful here - Kailash is the best place in the three worlds (Tri-lok), Himalayas the best place in Kailash, and Kashmir the best place in Himalayas''. And Sir Walter Lawrence writes ''The valley is an emerald set in pearls; a land of lakes, clear streams, green turf, magnificent trees and mighty mountains where the air is cool, and the water sweet, where men are strong, and women vie with the soil in fruitfulness.
Legend has it that the Valley was a vast lake, ''as deep as the sky'', the playground of the gods. However it was haunted by a demon that plundered and troubled the people living on its shores. In despair, they appealed to the saint Kashyap to save them, which he did by striking a depression to the wetland draining the lake of its waters. The demon was slain, and the Valley was named after its saviour, Kashyapa-mar, or Kashmir.
Cradled in the lap of majestic mountains of the Himalayas, Kashmir is the most beautiful place on earth. Kashmir has a myth and history, language and literature, art and architecture, culture and tradition, and religion and ritual that are distinct, yet similar to the civilization of the Indian sub continent. The most famous among the Kashmiri meadowlands is Gulmarg, or the Meadow of Flowers. It is a saucer-shaped hollow over hanging the main valley of Kashmir. From Gulmarg, a ski lift provides access to the slopes where winter skiing used is very popular. Throughout the year, Gulmarg is a popular destination among tourists. A few kilometers from Gulmarg, beyond a pony ride crossing meadows; ridges and forests lay the snow slopes of Khillanmarg. On a clear day, the views from Gulmarg are superb. The foothills slope down to the valley, the fields of rice and clusters of walnut, pear and mulberry, and in the distance, the roofs of Srinagar glinting in the sun. But the most thrilling of all is the view of the great mountains to the north the magnificent peak of Nanga Parbat.
When Mughal Emperor Jehangir visited Kashmir, his comments were''It is paradise on earth.'' But since 1990 this paradise has been turned into hell by planned and organized secessionist-terrorism that has brutalized Kashmir, the valley of peace and exquisite beauty. Systematic efforts have been made to destroy its culture, traditions, and heritage, by an orgy of mindless violence fueled by religious fanaticism and extremism, aided and abetted from across India's borders. Religious ''codes of conduct have been imposed on common people. The rapture of birdsong and murmur of gentle streams of yesteryears is replaced by the misery of physical and psychic violence.
One day – may be one day soon the peace and tranquillity would return to the Valley and I would revisit Gulmarg, Khilanmarg and Pahalgam
