By Hirosh Bhaskar
In Pahalgam's valley,
Memories replay,
Fresh as yesterday,
Recalled everyday
The stream's gentle noise,
The breeze's caress,
The ice-capped mountain,
A breath-taking vision
The stay by the riverside
A dawn trek on the lonely path
Hobnobbing with the shaggy mutts
The stinging cold jolting one
Even dressed in wool warm
As fresh as it comes whistling
From the white mountain
Is offset by the locals' warmth,
A group of guys kindred
Who are tourists' lifeblood,
Always ready to help and guide
And lend a helping hand
Their beaming friendly face
As precious a sight.
All making it a place
One would like
To visit again and again
All these just crossed my mind
When the news flashed
On the TV in full colour
I could not bear to see the horror
Unfolding in front of my eyes
With one cowardly act
One group of perverted bigots
Wanted to rip apart
The rich secular fabric
Of our society on religious lines
The valley's peace,
Shattered and torn,
A disaster befallen,
And people forlorn.
The majority held hostage,
By a few, radicalized, fanatics,
Seeds of hate sown anew.
My heart goes out to the
Victims, so pure,
To the locals obscure
Caught in the crossfire,
The aftermath's brunt,
They'll have to bear,
A silent minority, suffering, unfair.
But still, the locals stood
Strong and bold
one and all protested
Siding with motherland
The nation will respond,
Hitting the preprators hard
Sure to say in a fitting rebuke
Bringing solace
To the widowed women
Whose tears have fallen
But time will tell,
When peace will prevail,
And the valley will
Once again swell
With footfalls of numerous
Making them prosperous
The Kashmiri people, resilient and strong,
Weathering strife, their spirit not wrong.
This too shall pass, a brighter day will rise,
Peace will prevail, and the valley will thrive.