The orchardists in the north and the south of Kashmir are a worried lot. The absence of a proper snowfall from the last 45 days has cast a dark spell on the yield prospects for next year. The orchardists claim that the moisture rendered to the soil by the accumulated snow is absolutely essential for the crop yield of the next year. There has been no snowfall this winter. The harshest period of winter called, “Chillai Kalaan” in vernacular is almost half over. By now we were expecting many feet of snow to accumulate in the highland skiing destination of Gulmarg. We were expecting the tourists and professional ice hockey players to swoop down on the ice hockey rinks. We were expecting skiers to negotiate the curves and ups and downs in the snowy meadows of Srinagar.
Snow is unique to Kashmir. There is no other skiing destination in the whole of India as beautiful as Gulmarg, as vast as Gulmarg, and as affordable as Gulmarg. The administration had done its best to prepare Gulmarg for winter tourism.
The weather prediction also looks awfully scary. There is no major prediction of a major snowfall in the next ten days which essentially means we are left with a window period of ten days from 21st January to 31st January wherein a snowfall is actually long-lasting enough to improve water volume in rivers and rivulets and grant enough moisture to land which is suitable for horticulture. Horticulture is indeed the backbone of our economy. The part of GDP which horticulture provides is much higher than what the tourism sector provides.
What is the plan B if it does not snow till January 31 at all? What are our agriculture scientists up to? How would we sustain a good horticulture yield even with lesser or no moisture granted by accumulated snow? There has to be scientific ways to lessen the damage to the yield.
We can only hope and pray that a spell of snow falls soon. Snow is unique to Kashmir. Snow is what makes Kashmiris a unique set of people. Without snow, we are not who we truly are. Praying for a good spell of snow.
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