THE KASHMIRI !

The Kashmiri !


 When I went to kashmir last winter
The first one to welcome me was a child -
An enduring girl in white salwar kameez;
She was the only child of the town's guard.


Nothing special about the town, she said
Teeming with the spirit of an experienced native,
I stepped on the boat, which she rode
Dipping the oar in the bluish waters, she twinkled at me.


I became more pensive as I neared the guard's house,
Oh papa, deko koun aaya ! She uttered
Her father with a white kurtha welcomed me
I was taken to the guest house, not few yards.


Morning as I woke up, the tea was ready
The little girl decorated beautiful flowers around the table,
She said the morning sun had stole it's way,
And appears not twice a week.


When I asked about her mother she was rather quiet
I changed the topic "please take me out "!
I wore my swetter and she started to mutter,
About people becoming victims of ' terrorism '.


This is for what even I had come, I thought,
When we neared the jamindar's bunglow,I saw an old woman
Crying at the body of her only son,
Who was killed last night when he crossed the bridge.


The jamindar was very sad
As he lost 50 acres of cultivable land and all his flocks;
To the leader of the Kashmiri gundas,
So I left the place , without a sound.


At night I ate roti with dal,
And an extra blanket, as the storm arose,
Sounded like lightening on the top of the house,
The terrorists are up was the storm about.


Every house was crying of mercy of no crime,
The child pushed me to the underground room and locked the door,
A shot was heard and everything became quiet,
The child lost her father who lay colder.


The terrorists spared the child, being very young.
They just took the guard's money
Saved by him for his child
And they rode away, once again the house became silent.


The child cried at her father, who lay still
The next day the funeral was held,
And the girl became silent and watched the sky,
Perhaps her silence may awaken her from her sorrows, thought I.



That evening I packed to leave
Before I left, I said I speak to the youth congress
They seemed to be much exhausted in the hall
The girl was beside me , as I spoke to the leader.



They were not ready  to leave the victory
"We would lose our lives too !" was the cry
Their patriotism was much greater than ever,
They gave me their card and climbed up to scene.


I asked the child , who was all alone,
To come with me to my state
But the child did not like to leave kashmir,
During her mother's death she had said,"ma muje kashmir me bahut kam he"!


Perhaps she could be "kashmir ka rani", I wished
I thanked the child and hided a thousand rupee note under her cot-
I gave her my address and took her a photo
Though she smiled by hiding her cry, there was signs of 'thodenge nahin kashmir ko' !!!

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