Amarnath Yatra, 2011

Pilgrims pray for lasting peace

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria in Baltal Base Camp


Pilgrims on way to the Amarnath cave shrine are enjoying peace in the Kashmir valley and are praying it lasts forever. It is a pilgrimage for peace for them.After having witnessed four-month violence during the summer last year, a positive change is being felt by the Amarnath pilgrims arriving here and the local residents.

Talking to The Tribune, Suresh Kumar, a pilgrim from New Delhi, who has been visiting the cave shrine since 1996, said, “I witnessed the unrest during the summer last year when I came for the Amarnath yatra, but this time a congenial atmosphere has restored the confidence of the pilgrims and the tourists visiting the Valley”.
An influx of Amarnath pilgrims into the Valley was a good omen for the people of Kashmir, he added.
“In 2010, stone throwing and the imposition of the curfew were routine and I was shaken by the situation then. But this year, it seems, peace has finally returned. Now, we should not allow the elements inimical to peace to vitiate the atmosphere again,” said Suresh.
Triloki Nath, a pilgrim from Gwalior, said it was better to forget the past and move ahead. “ In 2011, I hope peace will prevail throughout the year and, if possible, forever, because Kashmir is one of the most popular tourist places in the country.It should not face any law and order problem,” said Nath. “We all know that peace brings prosperity and tourism being the mainstay of the state’s economy, the people of Kashmir should come forward to give peace a chance,” he added.
A CRPF jawan, Deepak Kumar, guarding Hanuman Mandir in Srinagar city, told this correspondent on Tuesday that there was a realisation among the common man that peace was necessary for more tourist and pilgrim arrivals in the Valley. “After witnessing militancy for the past two decades and the unrest during the summer last year, the people have realised the importance of peace because everything from academics of children to livelihood and tourism were badly affected last year,” he said.
A cab driver, Latif Ahmed of Srinagar, the only breadwinner of a family of seven, like several others, had to face a harrowing time last year. “Last year, the entire tourism sector was adversely affected by a continuous cycle of violence. Thank God, this time the arrival of pilgrims has improved a lot. Overall, I can say that there is a 75 per cent improvement,” said Ahmed.
“Now, I can think of paying bank instalments of my cab on time,” he said, and added that Kashmir faced a continuous shutdown during the unrest last year.