It is half past 11 am and people in Shalidar Kellar, a quaint village nestled among hills in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, are yet to come out of their homes. A strange hush has enveloped the entire village carpeted with thigh deep milk-white snow.
While the minimum temperature tumbling to minus 15 degree Celsius, nothing save the sound of wind soughing through the area could be heard.
After half an hour, the front door of Abdul Rashid’s house creaks open. Bundled up in woolens, he comes out to feed his cattle inside a brick and wood shed located right in front of his house.
“People do not come out of their homes till afternoon due to the biting cold”, said 50-year old Rashid. He said that he had no idea of ever seeing such frightful winters in his lifetime.
A meteorologist said that the Valley has witnesses such a frosty winter 30 years ago when temperatures plummeted so low.
“I can’t say specifically about Shopian, but in 1991, many parts of Valley including Srinagar recorded a temperature minus 8 degrees or below “, he said.
In nearby Tharinoo village, only a few students in the morning with rucksacks could be seen going to tuition centres.
“In this bone-deep chill, it is very difficult to leave the bed. But we could not afford sitting at home”, said a 10th standard student. He added that it was so cold that even his curls freeze in the morning.
Bashir Ahmad Wani, a local resident says that the life in frosty winters particularly in the rural areas becomes dull and people are left with almost no means of earning a livelihood.
“As both the farming as well as construction works during this season comes to a standstill, people are left with very limited options to earn their livelihood”, he said.
“While men particularly during the winters used to weave carpets on looms, women engaged themselves in spinning Pashmina inside their homes. Now, both the looms and spin wheels have well-nigh vanished from the Valley”, he said.
80-year old, Ghulam Hassan of Shopian town said that decades before, people used to weave Pattu blankets and mufflers from sheep wool to keep themselves warm. “I clearly recollect that even in late 80s, people used to drape such blankets over their Peherans during the winters”, recalled said. He added that the winters used to be harsher. “This town used to receive around 6 to 7 feet deep snowfall, but people were always well-prepared to fight the winter challenges”.