The life ison hold. Uncertainties of the present threaten to worsen in future. That is theonly certainty at the moment. There is no roadmap in sight to help J&K tocome out of the present quagmire caused by the pandemic, tightening its gripwith every passing day.
Nothing isvalid, not even the questions: how it happened, where was the failure and howsuccessful have been the efforts to contain the pandemic, because there is nodefinite answer from anyone. There can be assumptions, but not the factualpositions. Statistics tell only a limited story. The reality lies somewhereelse. It will be known only when the whole extent of the problem is diagnosedand revealed. And, an added fact is that facts will not come about the pandemicany time soon. It is an era of pain andmore pain unless nature reverses its course to normal that we enjoyed and alsoused to plunder the nature by all possible corrupt and irresponsible ways.
Kashmir isin lockdown. That means more than the word lockdown denotes. This time it isbecause of the pandemic, but what will happen in future is not known, not evensoothsayers have the capacity to peep into future and predict it. Kashmir haslived with unpredictable times for years together, but the unpredictability ofthe pandemic -induced fears is unheard of.
For the timebeing, it is crude and rude to say so, J&K will not be able to revivetourism anytime soon. There are fears inthe minds of the people – first, they don’t know when the things will becomenormal, the kind of which we were used to before the outbreak of Covid-19.
Shri MataVaishno Devi shrine that used to attract nearly 10 million pilgrims annuallyhas been suspended. It has broken the economic backbone of Jammu region. And,when will it resume, no one is able to say it with certainty. The people acrossthe country are getting used to watch prayers at the temple on TV channel. Thephysical distances have been covered by the airwaves. But, certainly a timewill come when the devotees would return to seek blessings of the deity. Thedeity is testing her devotees and their resolve and faith during these times.But there is an economic angle too – the devotees not only make offerings atthe temple but also contribute in a large way to the economy of the region.
And, thosedevoted to Kashmir and perennial lovers of its beauty are waiting for the”paradise on earth” to re-open for them. Some of the social media activists aredoing a great service to the cause of Kashmir, its image and its hospitality byposting pictures of the beautiful places, mountains, lakes, rivers andlandscape. It is a hopeful sign. They are seeking to generate confidence of thepeople of the Valley and the would be tourists from across the world thatKashmir has not changed, its beauty and hospitality lives on even during thetimes of the crisis that has hit worldwide. There is an underlying message,come and stay here in the lap of thebeauty. The time line of the visit is left to the visitors.
But, they also know that the would be tourists, as and when they would pack their bags for holidaying in Kashmir, fears will accompany them. One of the fears that they will bring along with them is about their safety at the place of their holidaying. It is true not only with regard to Kashmir but all the tourist destinations in the country and abroad as well.
J&K hasto find a way out – here tourism is much beyond the economy and its image. It is a battle to discover new ways. Thetourists will need confidence of newset-the virus-free Kashmir. The termsafe was used to say that there is no fear of violence against them from anyquarter. But these are different timesand safety has changed its definition universally, Kashmir is no exception.
First thing required for better times, conducive for the revival of the tourism, is that the whole of J&K has to stand as one – social distancing being the top most priority – to help in fighting and finishing off the virus. The task is far beyond the zero cases from across J&K, it is also to ensure that how the people within J&K can travel within and visit the places, showcasing their love for picnics. That activity as and when possible would bring dividends. Within our limited resources we can help glorify ourselves and the places where we live in. We will have to take first step to revive tourism. Then social media will help us to get the tourists from green zones across the world.