It was 6:30 in the morning when the sun peaked out from behind mountain tops. You can see the first rays of the sun grace the city. The clouds become lit with warm colours as the rising sun announces the coming of a new day. The whole valley was alive at this time with velvety green grasses, the mustard fields and blossoms of almond, cherry, and apple. Harpreet starts her day with a warm cup of tea and sheer happiness glittering in her eyes, as she is about to explore the most beautiful city in the country, Kashmir. A region that is being disputed among two nuclear power countries, India and Pakistan for 72 years now.

Kashmir is one of the most sensitive regions in India and has welcomed media attention from all over the world. The region has caused a lot of tension between Pakistan and India since its independence from British rule. Both the countries justify their claim over Kashmir with religious, political and historical reasons, but the economic robustness of Kashmir and its contribution to the country's power play is one of the key reasons for both the countries' claim over Kashmir.

Harpreet had already booked her taxi with Iqbal Bhai and Qayoom (travel guide) who would be taking her for sightseeing. On her first day, she is off to visit the historical sights of Kashmir. First stop, the Hazrat Bal Shrine (Dargah), a majestic site. The name of the shrine comes from the Urdu word Hazrat means- Respected and Bal means Hair. Thus it means the place which is given high regards and is respected among the people. The shrine is situated on the left bank of the Dal Lake

Besides the Mughal invasion in Kashmir's past resulting in the construction of aesthetic monuments, the region also holds a very diplomatic past in its recent history. With colonization coming to an end, India sought a strong candidate for the position of Prime Minister. Muhammed Ali Jinnah demanded his right to be the first Prime Minister of unpartitioned India. Due to his health issues, his request was rejected, as India was just out of the British rule after 100 years, it required an efficient and strong leader to cater the needs at its most vulnerable state. Fury out of denial, Jinnah demanded a newly independent nation for his people as he thought he and his religion were underrepresented in the eyes of independent India. This resulted in religious propaganda across the country leading to one of the most devastating events in the history of India, the partition between India and Pakistan. After which Jinnah was named the founder of Pakistan.

Harpreet is now off to her next destination, the Jamia Masjid. Srinagar and is considered to be Kashmir's holiest Muslim shrine. It flaunts a Mughal and Kashmiri style of architecture, which makes this shrine truly gorgeous and captivating. The mosque was built by Sultan Sikandar Shah Kashmiri Shahmiri in 1394 AD and is known to be the victim of stone-pelting and clashes at the time of crises, but Harpreet's thirst for exploration wanted to experience the presence in the mosque.

The religious propaganda in undivided India resulted in a majority of Muslim dominated states seeking their allegiance with Pakistan except for Kashmir. Kashmir was a princely state, in other words, it was an independent country and had a choice of either joining India or Pakistan, but the then leader of Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh chose Kashmir to be an independent nation. But after the partition of unified India, the tribal militias backed by the Pakistani army invaded Kashmir which resulted in a lot of crime like murder, rape, and thievery. With no other option left, the Maharaja sought Indian Army's help to fight the militias but on one condition, the condition of being a part of India. Then Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession on October 26, 1947. That's how Kashmir became a part of independent India. Besides Kashmir's allegiance to India, Pakistan had always had an interest in the region and one of the main reason behind it is Islam being Kashmir's state religion. As all other Islam dominated states were a part of Pakistan except for Kashmir, Pakistan still holds it as one of the major reason for Kashmir to be a part of it. On asking Dr Suma Singh, Head of Department of Economics, Mount Carmel College for her view on this issue, she says 'Kashmir is a reflection of the crux issue on which India's partition of 1947 is based. Partition was based on religion, the decision of the then ruler Hari Singh to merge the Muslim majority state with India was a blow to the very idea that formed the basis of Pakistan's existence, for India, the idea of secularism is closely linked to ensuring Kashmir remains a part of the Indian union.' She further adds 'Kashmir is what has given the military dominant status in Pakistan. If over 50% of Pak's budget goes to defence it's largely due to the Kashmir centric policy.'

Harpreet offered her prayers in the mosque and sat there for a while seeking peace. After having breakfast, Harpreet decides to visit Dal Lake. Kashmir's Dal Lake is renowned worldwide for its beauty. On the tourist trail in Kashmir, Srinagar is synonymous to Dal Lake and Dal Lake is synonymous with houseboats and shikaras. She says 'There is something different about Dal Lake; it attracts us, the calm water of Dal acts as our perfect solitude companion. The Dal itself seems to look like a baby which is cradled by the mighty Zabrawan on one side and Hari Parbat on the other side.' The lake is surrounded by 4 majestic monuments Hari Fort, Pari Mahal, Shankaracharya Temple, Dargah Hazrat Bal which adds to the beauty of the lake by giving it a charm and a scenic view. Harpreet had her first shikara ride in Dal Lake. As she was enjoying the shikara, there was mild tranquillity in the air with birds chirping, and Azaan (prayer) from a nearby mosque and it seemed like the entire valley singing the music of god.

Water has been one of the major reason for human settlement along the riverside. Indus valley has one such story. During the Aryan invasion in Asia around 1500 BCE, the clan settled down on the banks of Indus valley. Indus valley civilization is one of the most prominent examples of how essential water is for human settlement. Two most prominent cities Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro rose around 2500 BCE along the Indus valley.

The Indus water flows through Kashmir and then enters the Pakistan region, this gives power to India to control the water flow towards Pakistan, however, the Indus treaty signed in the 1960s between both the nations ensures there is equal right for both the countries over the Indus water as both the countries are highly dependent on agricultural activities as their first source of revenue. Under this treaty, India got control over Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej while Pakistan got control over Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum. India has been controlling a stable flow of water to Pakistan because if they stop sharing water, then Pakistan will have drought and if they open water more than the limit, then there would be a flood in Pakistan. But the Indus treaty was brokered by the World Bank and ensures such activities are not to be done at any point of time. But the matter of interest is the hydroelectricity that generates about 16,475 megawatts of electricity. This power is transported to other regions and contributes majorly towards the economy of the country. As both the countries have equal rights over the water it is highly competitive amongst both to use the given resource to its optimal state. If Pakistan gets Kashmir, it at the same time can generate hydroelectricity in manifolds, it remains the same standpoint to India as electricity generated in Kashmir is distributed among various regions in the country. This is one of the most prominent reasons other than agriculture for India and Pakistan's interest over Kashmir.


After the shikara, Harpreet bought a small Shikara keychain from one of the vendors in the Dal market and was off to have her favourite dish Kehwa and pakoras from one of the cafes in the nearest houseboats. As she sits back and enjoys the sun slowly set in front her, the warm sun rays hit the water bodies and send out bright reflections all around the place which had lit up the entire set up. On asking her how her experience was, she says 'listen to the silence it has so much to say.' and continues to enjoy the view and eat Pakoras.

After a calm and historical trip on the first day, Harpreet kick starts her second day by becoming 'touristy' and going to the Tulip festival. The festival starts around the end of March or beginning of April in the heart of the city. Tulip Festival is an annual celebration that aims to showcase the range of flowers in the garden as a part of tourism efforts by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. It is organized during the onset of the spring season in Kashmir valley. Harpreet says 'An entry into this garden is akin to savouring paradise as God intended it to be.' These tulip laden beds when viewed from a distance, appears as if a rainbow has descended on the earth. The magnificent colours such as red, orange, yellow, purple and mauve tulips to name a few were alluring.

Tourism in Kashmir fetches around 40% of the state revenue. Around the year, about 40-50 lakh people are expected to visit the state. Kashmir is known as 'India's Switzerland' due to its beautiful scenic view and cold temperature as it is situated very close to the Himalayas. People usually come here to relax and take some time off their regular corporate jobs. Last year, Kashmir tourism took an initiative of introducing the concept of destination wedding which turned out to be a great success. People from around the world most mostly from Germany and Dubai were seen interested in getting married in Kashmir. The region is popular for its warm welcome culture which invites people around the year to visit Kashmir. The most prominent tourist types visiting Kashmir are solo travellers and married couples. The Ex-Deputy Director of Tourism, Riyaz Ahmad says, 'it's absolutely safe for the travellers, as it is one state with 0 crimes against the tourists' he also encourages and welcomes people from across the world to experience Kashmir by themselves and not believe the image portrayal by the media on Kashmir which is always about pelting stones and burning vehicles. He says 'Kashmir is much beyond what is being portrayed and one could witness it only by visiting Kashmir'.

Apart from this the historical tales of invasion of different rulers and artistic monuments like Pari Mahal, Mughal gardens, Lal Chowk, and zero bridge to name a few, Kashmir has welcomed a lot of people. Along the similar lines, the holy shrines of Jammu and the Buddhist monasteries of Ladakh continue to remain popular pilgrimage and tourism destinations. Every year, thousands of Hindu pilgrims visit holy shrines of Vaishno Devi and Amarnath which has had a significant impact on the state's economy. According to the official tourism website of Jammu and Kashmir, The Vaishno Devi yatra alone contributes Rs. 475 crore to the local economy annually. The expected revenue by the tourism department is projected to go up by 6% for the year 2018-19. Apart from this tourism has also generated a lot of employment to the younger generation further giving a push to the country's socio-economic condition and bringing various investment opportunity. Tourism can be especially important in regional development because it diversifies the economic base of the areas and also expands the employment market. Since Kashmir does not support large scale industrial activities in the region, tourism can play a vital role in enhancing the economic condition of the state and further the country. As developing nations, it is equally important for both the nation to boost their economy, Kashmir would be a wise choice to do so and it could be a contributing factor for India and Pakistan's interest over the region.

Tourism and employment take up just a share of 40%, whereas agriculture and horticulture still remain the majority with over 60% contribution towards the process of revenue generation. Kashmir's rich resources result in exporting various goods ranging from saffron, apples, dry fruits, cricket bats, furniture, flowers, and the most renowned Pashmina shawl to the rest of the world. Europe and the U.S are the largest consumers of goods from Kashmir, there is a lot of opportunities that the state opens for the country through exporting its resources. Afroz, a dry fruit merchant says, 'Kashmir is the 6th largest walnut producer in the world and the mass production of apples, carpets, and shawls have generated revenue close to 1600 crores.' According to the official website of Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir, the horticulture industry sees over 300 crore revenue from within the country and 80 crores from abroad. This has also made Kashmir one of the state in the country with the highest amount of SMEs, giving a boost to the entrepreneur within every person. Due to its spillover effect, it provides impetus to allied sectors like Handicrafts, Handlooms, and Transport. It has the capacity to provide jobs in the unorganized sector and acts as an incentive to preserve cultural and heritage assets. Kashmir is known to be the wealthiest region in the state with a mere 4% of poverty which is the lowest in the country. Yet, this could be another strong reason for both the countries interests in the region.

As the two-day exploration comes to an end, Harpreet packs her bag not just with clothes but also with a lot of memories from Kashmir. As Harpreet, Iqbal Bhai and Qayoom sat down for their last cup of tea before departure, it started drizzling and another beautiful day came to an end with warm shades of yellow glittering in the water and a very feeble Adhaan playing from the distance. The mosques of Kashmir have seen people come and go, has heard different stories and has answered peoples prayers from across the world. What was once one, remains divided forever, and yet it stands strong with all the emotions hidden beneath wondering if things can go back the way it was.