Rural Tourism bounties in Gurez
GUREZ SERIES…
There is a pleasure In the pathless woods There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society where none intrudes, By the deep Sea, and music in its roar: I love not Man the less, but Nature more… ~ Lord Byron As the litlu, litlu mules wheedled away carrying loads of maize bags, […]
The ‘Tricorne’ Hat of LoCs
GUREZ SERIES…
Gurezi people and the army’s inter-dependence After-war, Road to Paradise: It took a war, to bring a road to Gurez! Before that Gurezis walked to and from Gurez to Bandipore via the Athwatu Nallah. Then the patch was roughly motor-able for a few tough jeeps on this axis. Ponies were the chief transporters of goods. […]
The ‘Tricorne’ Hat of LoCs
GUREZ SERIES…
Bagtore Cricket bang on the LoC As I take the route to Bagtore or Izmarg, another LoC point, I notice how precious was firewood – the stray, dry twigs collected soon after snow-melt adds to the list of lifelines of lady Gurez. Gurezi women, mostly elderly, eagle-eyed, pick every tiny bit of wood and accumulate […]
The ‘Tricorne’ Hat of LoCs
GUREZ SERIES…
Gurez wears a strange hat; a unique triangular shape, it’s called – ‘The Tricorne Hat’ worn by George Washington- the Founder President of America. This triangular shape is symbolic and indicative of the connect Gurez has on three sides with the ‘Line of Control’ or the LoC, with Pak Occupied Kashmir. Loops of tall razor […]
“Go Gurez”…..
Potato and Seed Preservation Potatoes are segregated for propagation and seeds of peas, wheat, Rajma are buried in-ground for warmth, before winter sets in. Azizullah having a Kiryana Store in Achoora bang on the old Silk Road explains to me the indigenous procedure –“A pit is dug, loose soil is packed or compressed with […]
“Go Gurez”…..
GUREZ SERIES -PART –3
Weddings in Gurez – modern and summerish this time Ishret Munawar is Gurez’s new-age teen; she loves Kashmiri rapper Babar on YouTube and is also fond of artists featuring in tit-tok reels. However, what makes her heart is about Kashmiri girls wearing stylish Bollywood type of Gowns and a dancing bride. The […]
“Go Gurez”…..
GUREZ SERIES -PART –2
‘Gigantic walls of sun kissed ranges Mountain tops with tresses on fire As the wooded soldier sun, Slides into the pockets of the greedy night Silhouettes of shadows sway and play’….. Lily Swarm Lying in wait on the northern axis of Shamshabari ridge, […]
When October kisses Gurez!
Gurez Series- Part-II
PEER BABA SHRINE Four kilometres short of Razdan enroute Tragbal, towards Gurez, sits Peer Baba’s Shrine. Low clouds float like thoughts overlook a spectacular view of the shrine sitting atop a mountain; and it compels one to spend a few moments in silence speaking to the winds; for silence needs no language and words are […]
When October kisses Gurez!
Every place has a story, Every place has been through something that changed it Never judge a place by the chapter you walked in on Sipping the salty Kashmiri tea, warming my hands on the cup, I called out tenderly- “Hey little fellas! See I have ‘Nun chai’ from your ‘matamal’ – I have something […]
The Rise of NATO in Africa
By: Vijay Prashad Anxiety about the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) toward the Russian border is one of the causes of the current war in Ukraine. But this is not the only attempt at expansion by NATO, a treaty organization created in 1949 by the United States to project its military and […]
