warvet

  AMPHIBIOUS KASHMIR –II BY WARVET   Riverine life in Kashmir has been dominated historically by the boat people or ‘Hanji’. They were found to be very skillful as far as navigating the river in their boats of all sizes by the European tourists in late 19 th century. The community lived on their barges with family and was notorious for their foul language and unfair practices. The visitors found their lifestyle, particularly noisy quarrels with fellow Hanjis very entertaining. The fights were only verbal with only violence directed to the reputation of female relations and continued for hours till both sides got sore throats and then resumed after a break of few hours or a night. Hanji marriages led to celebrations in flotilla of decorated boats travelling down the river with all gaiety and was a spectacle to behold. During floods, the boatmen were in much demand to rescue people but they were notorious for extorting huge amounts of money from the marooned.  ...

  WADI – E- LOLAB BY WARVET   “Pani tere chashmo ka tadapta hua simaab, Murgahn –e –Sahar teri Fazaon mei hai betaab, Ae wadi – e – Lolab!”   That’s the first stanza of the poem “Wadi – e – Lolab” written by Allama Iqbal after his Kashmir visit. It means –   “Water of your springs is pulsating and quivering like Quick Silver (mercury), The morning birds are fluttering in the sky, agitated and in turmoil, O Valley of Lolab!” It’s a revolutionary poem lamenting the state of people under autocratic rule and intends to motivate them to struggle for freedom.   Iqbal, like Nehru had Kashmiri ancestry and was very attached and involved with the turmoil of 1920s. Sher – e – Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullah found his poetry very inspiring and has quoted Iqbal liberally in his epic autobiography – “Atish – e – Chinar” or “Blaze of Chinar”. I was looking for the vehicle I was promised would be waiting for me, a 4x4 Bolero pickup at the mouth of the Lolab va...

  AMPHIBIOUS KASHMIR – I BY WARVET   “Dulce Domum, Little Pinnafore, Beau –Site” – It’s a bloody Hattrick today!” I cursed. I and Mr Mr Shaukat were resting on the bench on Srinagar Bouleward – The most beautiful road of India. It circumabulates the Dal lake in Srinagar. “I trust Kashmiris to regularly enrich my vocabulary with the names they give to their business ventures” I continued. “Umm I think you will have to thank the Brits themselves for these names” opined Mr Shaukat the wizard (He is a wise senior citizen who is not only highly educated but a storehouse of all knowledge Kashmir. “What do you mean sir?” I inquired as I sensed some vital information coming my way. “My dear friend, I don’t think you know the origin of house boats. Jammu and Kashmir was the largest princely state in British India. The Maharaja had maximum sovereignty and was authorised 21 Gun salute, the highest amongst the princes in Indi...

WATER WOES – RANDOM THOUGHTS THIS MORNING BY WARVET   The other day, someone told me of the commotion at Srinagar riverfront as a number of houseboats had run aground. Jhelum had dried up after a prolonged dry spell with temperature hitting all time high of 37 Degrees C with schools being shut due to the unprecedented ‘Heat Wave’. It seemed apocalypse had finally arrived. It was 1530 h when I decided we should go to some cool place and I and my son Shreyas who was with us on vacation picked the Royal Enfield Scram 411 and announced to Hina we were off to Pir ki Gali. As son’s short vacation was ending she didn’t object, I suspected she didn’t know how far it was.   We zoomed out of Srinagar and revved on the NH to make good time. We left the NH at Pulwama and then rode through forests of apple orchards to reach the ‘Apple Town’ Shopian where we were surprised to see a beautiful crystal clear river in which taxi drivers were washing their cars. As we crossed the river...