Dear Editor,
Floods struck the Kashmir Valley in 1957, submerging a number of villages in Anantnag and Baramulla Districts. But then the Jhelum, which flows through Srinagar, did not breach its embankments, hence the the city was saved.
The recent floods have brought havoc in 80 per cent of the Valley. Aerial pictures of the submerged Valley reminded me of the epic ‘Rajtarangini’ which states that centuries ago, the Kashmir Valley was a vast lake of water known as ‘Satisar’ and that a small population then dwelt in the dense forests of the hills surrounding it. With time, the lake transformed into the modern Valley. The Kashmiris who are facing the brunt of the natural disaster will, in time, come back on track.
But what about the manmade disaster that struck more than three lakh Kashmiri Pandits in 1990, forcing them to leave behind their properties to save their life and honour for no fault of theirs? They were denied the right of living in the land of their forefathers.
M.K Koul
Ambala Cantt