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Hope springs eternal in the heart of Kashmiris

Basharat Peer in Srinagar

Over a decade of bloody militancy has ensured that every happy thought that crosses a Kashmiri's mind comes with a rider -- will it last?

Eid this year has brought smiles to the war-weary faces of Kashmiris, but like every year it is tempered with caution.

They are happy, but at the same time there is gnawing sadness in their hearts.

The 12-year-old armed separatist violence has left the valley, bereaving its dead.

Various estimates put the death toll at between 30,000 and 80,000.

Coming after a violence ridden Ramazan -- the month of fasting, Eid is being seen as an escape from the grim present of Kashmir.

"At least for one day we try to forget the violence which has became a part of our daily lives. I make it a point to dress for the occasion and enjoy with my family and friends. You cannot be sure about the next Eid," said Sheikh Showkat, a post-graduate student.

Lal Chowk, the main business centre in Srinagar, is buzzing with activity and customers are flocking the shops having special offers for Eid.

But the crowds are no patch on the pre-militancy days.

"Earlier, Eid sales picked up a week before the festival. But this time it is only today (Sunday), a day before Eid, that people are shopping. Although you can see people happy today, but the charm Eid used to have earlier is missing," Shabir Ahmad, a businessman at Lal Chowk said.

Barely some hundred yards from Ahmad's shop, the tense face of a soldier in the bunker, the nozzle of the machine gun piping out of its tiny opening and the banner reading, Eid Mubarak, reflect the irony of Kashmir.

But there are some, who would not celebrate Eid this time.

The month of Ramzan had a heavy death toll in Kashmir and scores of families lost their members.

And for those who have lost a kin, this Eid would only be a reminder of the last festive occasion of the togetherness.

"What meaning does Eid have for a mother whose son got killed or for a child who lost his father. Yes, for those who remained untouched it is going to be celebration," said Aejaz Bhat, who runs a cyber café near Lal Chowk.

This time around, Ramzan was different from last year, when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared unilateral ceasefire in the valley and attempted to broker peace with the separatists in the valley.

Ramzan this time saw the local newspapers carry front stories on the seizure of a house by the Farooq Abdullah government under Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance and other incidents of civilian deaths.

Yet Ramzan saw the formation of core group by the Centre for renewing the peace talks with Kashmiris, which got lost in the din of the suicide attack on Parliament in New Delhi.

"We have become the accountants of death and destruction. I have not written a happy story in years. Hope this Eid brings some peace, some happiness to Kashmir," said a local journalist, who did not want to be identified.

The older generation is nostalgic about the peaceful times.

Abdul Rashid, a state government officer in his late forties, recalled the good old days. "There was no city like Srinagar. And the way Eid was celebrated was unparalleled. Now Srinagar is a city of grief."

"I hope peace will return some day soon," he said.

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