ROLLING MEADOWS, brush-stroked trees in all shades of green, majestic Himalayan peaks watching over the prancing polo ground ponies, namkeen chai (salty tea) and freshly baked Kashmiri bread brought in on walnut wood trays, white willows, huts with tin roofs and pagoda-style masjid… These are the sights and sounds that greet an enthusiastic traveller on the way to Kargil, the Kashmir district that was once the arena for pitched battles between the armed forces of India and Pakistan. When Member, Planning Commission, Syeda Hameed and Gunjan Veda, co-authors of ‘Beautiful Country – Stories From Another India’, reached the hill town they met up with one of the few repositories of Kargil’s history, who, over steaming cups of ‘kahwa’ and juicy apricots, revealed some of its best kept secrets. An excerpt from Beautiful Country – Stories From Another India.
Our first stop was seventy-five kilometres from Srinagar, at the ‘Meadow of Gold’, Sonamarg. Its name could not have been more apt. Rolling meadows, brush-stroked trees in all shades of green, majestic Himalayan peaks watching over the prancing polo ground ponies. Namkeen chai (salty tea) and freshly baked Kashmiri bread were brought in on walnut wood trays. As we sipped the scalding tea, its steam rose and hung in the chilly mountain air. After a heavenly half-hour, we resumed our journey towards the treacherous Zoji La We passed by white willows, groups of Gujjars and Bakarwals trudging along with their sheep in search of pastures, huts with tin roofs, and pagoda-style masjids.
At 11,578 ft, the three-km long Zoli La is surrounded by glaciers on all sides. While there are higher passes in the region, what makes Zoji La particularly dangerous are the frequent avalanches and blizzards in the area. Some say that the name Zoji La actually means the ‘Path of blizzards’.
Crossing Zoji La was both terrifying and wonderful. From then onwards, we followed the meanderings of River Dras. The first village we crossed in Kargil was Matayen. Next to Siberia, this was the coldest place in the world which had permanent habitation!
‘Next stop is Dras,’ our driver announced. The place, which has recently been made into a subdivision, had become a household name during the Kargil War. A small boy standing by the road pointed to some peaks nearby. ‘Tiger Hill.’ We saw the peak on which scores of young men had died defending the country’s frontier. It looked like an ordinary hill, its only distinguishing feature, the bloodstains on the chattans (rocks), browned from exposure to sun and freezing temperatures. ‘During the war, there was intense fighting in the region. This left many people, including children, traumatized. At that time everyone from Dras had fled to Sankoo, a small town located forty-two km south of the district headquarters,’ Kachu Afsandiyar, a wonderful man who was the district collector of Kargil, told us. Even today, villagers live in fear of the shelling which, they whisper, might start at any moment. …
The Dras Higher Secondary School was in the compound of the Council Bhawan. All its 231 students were in the arts stream. No other options were available. We entered a room filled with students. Girls sat in front, boys at the back, rows of bright faces and sparkling eyes. Everyone, especially the girls, wanted to study further. The restrictions placed by geography and politics notwithstanding, they nurtured their little dreams. Kaneez Fatima, her face framed with a white scarf, said: ‘I want a government job’. Abida Khanam, a tall, dimpled girl, wanted to become a member of the highest local body, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil. ‘I can do something for my people then.’ There were many with similar ambitions in that single-room school.
We had expected to meet a group of angry and traumatized teenagers but this was a bunch of youngsters filled with dreams and aspirations. We were elated. But the sun was beginning to go down, and fear of the sudden cold made us reluctantly leave this vibrant group. On the way, there were thousands of apricots drying, spread on rods along the river. Nearer to the Kargil district headquarters, the landscape changed. Leaving its green behind at Zoji La, it turned almost brown. Tiny lights in the mountains marked individual dwellings. Under a darkening sky, we followed River Dras, reaching Kargil in the late evening.
We began our first morning in Kargil with a visit to the home of Kachu Sikandar Khan Sikandar, father of the district collector of Kargil, and one of the few repositories of Kargil’s history and secrets. Born in 1920, this frail looking Ladakhi welcomed us with wonderful ceremony. Arrayed before us were steaming cups of kahwa (traditional green tea from Kashmir) and juicy apricots. As we savoured the dastarkhwan (meticulously laid ceremonial dining spread) spread before us, Kachu Sikandar told us of the forefathers of his people ‘They came from the Graso family of Gilgit, and arrived before the ninth century. Earlier, this area had been under Buddhist influence, which came from Tibet. Islam came to Kargil in the fourteenth century, when Syed Ali Hamdani visited the area. Shah Mohammad Nurbakhsh, a Sufi saint, followed his path and began teaching Shiite Islam. His followers are called Nurbakhshis. They believe Hazrat Ali to be the first Imam and the supreme Wali of God,’ he explained. We were spellbound by this man; then, all of a sudden, he left the room. A few minutes later, he returned with a slim, thumbed book in his hand. Flipping through the pages, he quoted: ‘Ladakh Khas includes land of Sham, Rupsho, Changthang and Nobra. Porig (Kargil) includes Shanghu Shaghroo, Drass, Baltistan and Zanskar. Ladakh Khas is on River Indus and Zanskar on River Zanskar. Rupsho is around Lake Somoorere and Lake Sokar. Porig is on River Suroo. Valley Nobra is on River Shewak. In all these regions except Baltistan, Nobra is the largest, 9,200 square miles. To its north are the Karakoram mountains; in its south, Mount Kailash which separates Sind Valley from Shevak Valley.’ Closing the book with great care, he presented it to us.
‘This is Qadeem Ladakh. It will provide you with a snapshot of our land and its people.’ (WFS)