Despite the dread lurking in the air, Gulmarg continued to look picture-perfect, all blue skies, fresh snow and dramatic sunsets. A visit to Kashmir brought home the dual identity of the valley to Bibek Bhattacharya.
I visited the Kashmir Valley for the first time on a cold February day, in 2013. On assignment from the travel magazine where I was working at the time, my objective was fairly straightforward — get a feel of Gulmarg in all its snowy winter glory, do some skiing, experience a new luxury resort, and write about it.
Politically, Kashmir was just emerging from a volatile period. In 2010, major anti-government protests had erupted in the valley, which only subsided once the state government announced measures to ease tensions. Later that year, the state decided to grant amnesty to over 1,000 young people accused of stone pelting. Although 2011 and 2012 had been mostly peaceful, there was some restiveness in the air, with the official Indian acknowledgement of over 2,000 unmarked graves near the Line of Control. These contained the remains of the many Kashmiris who had disappeared after being arrested by security agencies during the insurgency.
VALLEY OF WONDERS
Bu hikaye Verve dergisinin December 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Verve dergisinin December 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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