In the traditional style of the erstwhile Dogra Maharajas, the Durbar will be moving back by the end of the month. Well, we may have come to a democratic era but our rulers continue to follow the traditions of the Maharajas.
Unfortunately, during the time the Durbar is at one of the capitals, the other one gets neglected in many ways. Our State must now be the only place in the world where the entire government moves from one capital to the other for the convenience of the rulers! Some of the rulers did try to abandon the practice but did not succeed due to popular opposition in one of the capitals.
It is a fact that the continuance of the Durbar Move practice has resulted in some social and economic integration notwithstanding the communal fringe elements always profiting from public discontent and disorder. The two regions have become dependent on each other.
The plus point of the Durbar coming back is the local works in all fields will receive a boost. These had been hibernating in the below zero cold of the valley. Usually, the things in the summer capital used to start looking up well before the Durbar Move.
The roads were improved, lights were replaced, road dividers were repainted, flower pots on the road dividers were put up, traffic arrangements used to be spruced up. However, this time most of these activities seem to be missing.
May be the pre-occupation with the elections may have resulted in lesser attention being paid to the grooming of the summer capital to receive the Shahi Durbar? The involvement of the peoples’ representatives is totally absent! The negative point of the move in Srinagar itself will be the traffic hassles.
Traffic jams everywhere in the morning and the afternoon. On the Jammu side, the negative point will be the authorities forgetting about them in their sojourn in the salubrious climate of the valley! Nevertheless, we have to welcome back the Durbar whether we like this colonial exercise not prevalent anywhere in the world except Kashmir.
So, whether we like it or not, the Durbar will be soon here. Let us hope they do take care of their subjects who had been forgotten for the six months of winter!