Omkar Dattatray
This year’s Shri Amarnath Yatra is unprecedented in the sense that it will go on for more than two months and to be specific it will be for 62 days. The first batch of Amarnath Yatra was flagged off from Yatra Niwas Bagwati Nagar Jammu by LG Manoj Sinha amidst much fanfare and enthusiasm on the early morning of July 1. The two month long duration of the Amarnath Yatra shows the positive transformation in the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and this long duration of the Yatra this year is a living testimony and evidence that the situation in J&K has fast returned to normal and there is a big and positive change in the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir read Kashmir.
The fact that the political parties, general people of J&K as well as the political leaders including the top leaders of the National conference and Peoples Democratic party are welcoming the Amarnath Yatra.
In this connection it is noteworthy that former chief ministers Omer Abdulla and Mehbooba Mufti have welcomed the Yatra and called it the part of the grand cultural heritage of Jammu and Kashmir and they have also exhorted the people to welcome ,support and facilitate the Yatra by participating in Yatra.
The fact that three lakh pilgrims have so far registered for the Amarnath Yatra is itself the reflection that there is positive and significant change in the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Amarnath yatra has been going in the past also and it is true that due to the militancy and insurgency in the hay days of turmoil there was some lull in the Yatra but now from last many years the Amarnath Yatra goes on peacefully with the active support and involvement of the local Kashmiri Muslims and this is a big achievement and shows that peace and normalcy is fast returning in Jammu and Kashmir.
Amarnath Yatra is not only a religious sojourn but it is historical ,cultural and even economic as the influx of the pilgrims leads to impetus in the travel and tourism sector of the economy of the UT. The Kashmiris are associated with the Amarnath Yatra from the good olden days so much so that the cave of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati had been found by a local Muslim family of Malliks and a part of the donations which are made in the holy cave are also distributed to the Malliks and this is the living example of Hindu-Muslim unity and it should inspire the people of Jammu and Kashmir for generations together.
The enthusiasm and fervor among the Amarnath pilgrims as well as among the local people of Jammu and Kashmir indicates that the situation is fast returning to normal and this is in the interest of the people and all political parties and the people at large should appreciate and acknowledge the wind of change and normalcy which are brewing in Jammu and Kashmir.
The more than two month duration of the historical Amarnath Yatra points towards the hard fact that Jammu and Kashmir is limping back to normal and this in fact is the positive transformation in the UT and it is not hidden from the people howsoever the vested politicians try to describe the Kashmir situation as bad .Such selfish politicians will not be successful in their nefarious actions of impressing in the people that situation is not normal in Jammu and Kashmir but as per them it is far from normal .However there are no takers of their narrow and selfish view and the people in and outside the country well know and appreciate the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is fast returning to normalcy as is evidenced by the fact that there is a heavy rush and footfall of tourists including the pilgrim tourists and the people of Jammu and Kashmir are welcoming the tourists and embrace the pilgrim tourists with open arms and this shows that there is change for better in the UT and the credit for all this positive change and transformation goes to the efforts the centre government and the painstaking efforts of the LG Manoj Shina.
The fact is that Jammu and Kashmir has fast marching towards peace and normalcy and is also moving on the track of development and prosperity thanks to the constitutional changes made by the Modi government in 2019.Thus post abrogation of controversial article 370,35A and the division and bifurcation of the state into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has resulted into a discernable improvement in the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the terrorist acts ,and violence is now a history.
There is no stone pelting and no bands and Hartals in Kashmir and the UT has moved away from terrorism and violence as these are the things of the past .The investment and economic development has picked momentum and adding to the economic wellbeing of the people and this is a big development.
The increase in the duration of the Yatra is a big milestone in the history of the Amarnath Yatra and in the history of the UT .Earlier the yatra period was restricted to 15-20 days due to security reasons and other considerations but since now there is much change in the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and there is increase in the tourist footfall and also the number of the pilgrim tourists is swelling and all this shows that there is significant change in the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir and this we can see in unprecedented rush of the tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. The Amarnath Yatra is historically significant and it is associated with the livelihoods of the common people of Kashmir .It is no ordinary development that PDP chief and former chief minister as well as the NC leader and also an ex CM has appealed to Kashmiris to welcome Amarnath Yatra and facilitate the Yatra and show hospitality and warmth towards the Yatra.
Thus the Amarnath Yatra will showcase the mutual brotherhood and composite cultural heritage of Jammu and Kashmir. To conclude it can be safely and correctly opined that the two month long duration of the Amarnath Yatra in fact reflects the positive transformation in Jammu and Kashmir and fast returning peace and normalcy.
(The author is a columnist,social and KP activist).
