The Lost Paradise

TOPIC : "Kashmir the Lost Paradise"

The valley known as the Swizerland of Asia, Kashmir is the paradise yet to be discovered by many. Kashmir the land of the saints and the valley of shrines is a place like no other .The weather combined with the howling scenes that change with the ever so changing seasons , one can perceive the land to the heavens.

“Gar Firdaus bar-rue zamin ast, hami asto, hamin asto, hamin ast.”

The beauty of the place is such that when the ruler of the Mughal Empire Jehangir visited Kashmir in the 17th century , many asked him about the place , but he always replied with the quote that is mentioned above, so famous and fits the aptitude of the place in such a way that it is still used in association with the place even in 21st century.When translated into English the quote means: ‘If there is heaven on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here’.Even the great Kalidasa said “The place is more beautiful than heaven and is the benefactor of supreme bliss and happiness. It seems to me that I am taking a bath in the lake of nectar here.

As a child growingin a place which has such a rich tradition , moral values and ethics ,which became the early and the innitial lesson of my life. But the view of the childhood is always overturned by the perspective of growing up. The land which was covered by the white layer of snow is now covered by a red sheet of blood. It is at the center of an age-old dispute between Pakistan and India that has dragged on from the independence of both nations over fifty years ago to the present time, with no resolution in sight. The combined population of the two nation totals over a billion, so no conflict between them is of passing importance, especially when nuclear weapons are involved. Pakistan and India share a common heritage, language, and traditions, yet the subject of Kashmir can push them to the brink of annihilation. Fifty years of animosity have built up as a result. A proxy war still brews in Kashmir, claiming dozens of lives every day, running up a casualty total over time into the hundred thousands. Kashmiris have suffered untold horrors and Kashmir has the notorious reputation of being one of the world’s most dangerous.

As a result of such a conflict the lives of ordinary people have turned into a war turf ,which does not seem to end soon. The education,infrastructure , development of the place is hindered by the two nation whose leaders are at rest in their luxurious homes , but it the the common man who is grinded every day of his life in struggle to survive and provide for his family . The civil killings and the disabilities that is brought by the situation of conflict is keeping a fullstop on the goals of many.Dreams of many are shattered every day , but I want to keep minealive through the wisdom bought by education.

The land has provided everything we need and it should be our motive to serve it back by bringing the current scenario to an end. I’m still in quest of the land that my grandpa tells stories off.I am still trying to find the lost smiles of people. The lost paradise is still some where . But the question still remains whether we are able to find it or not