Serene Srinagar looks grey in the shadow of a curfew

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Surrounded by beautiful gardens against a backdrop of lofty mountains, picturesque Dal Lake in Srinagar looked serene last Friday, the day the valley saw protesters up in arms against the US-made film denigrating Prophet Mohammed.

The separatists, who look for every opportunity to call a strike in the valley, executed the ‘hartal’ in a well-planned manner by getting their men placed at strategic locations within the city and its outskirts.

Closed shops and establishments were an eyesore for tourists on whom the valley depends for its income. But strikes and curfews are routine for those who live there.

Having arrived in Srinagar only on Thursday night, I didn’t quite understand the seriousness of ‘hartal’. I walked to a nearby bus stop and took a bus (resembling our mini buses down south) and paid `4 to reach Dal Lake.

It was only after I boarded a Shikara (wooden boat), that I began hearing loud protests renting the air. Boat driver Tariq assured me tourists are never attacked in the valley.

The 25-year-old’s only worry was the money he has to muster to pay for his bride to get married.

However, the day turned out to be dangerous for tourists too as a senior government official from Delhi, who was travelling with his wife, was attacked and his car pelted with stones while they were returning from Gulmarg, a popular ski resort.

The voracious protests in the forenoon led to government machinery silencing the mobiles and shutting access to the Internet leaving many stranded without a communication network.

However, locals took everything in their stride as they are quite used to government, anticipating trouble, cutting all communication channels on important occasions like Republic Day and Independence Day.

While all Fridays are like curfew days for 55-year-old Maulvi, schoolchildren relished the Friday as they got another day off.

A few men sitting on the pavements were seen seriously debating on how the number of curfew days was rising and consequently affecting their livelihood.

Normalcy returned by sunset, but the enchanting natural beauty and the people’s warmth had already made my day in the valley.