Aharbal: The final destination
Mir Tajamul Islam
Kashmir is the home to many tourists destinations, sheathing-fertile Greenlands, fresh rivers, scenic mountains and captivating valleys. Aharbal waterfall (Niagara falls) is one of the destinations, where people all over the country prefer to pass their day to meet their desire of being part of the mesmerizing place. Aharbal lies in Kulgam district of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, 75 km south of UT capital Srinagar.
Once a tourist destination, now final destination (for some), the Aharbal fall handover the conundrum of whether to visit the place or not, and brings the pause and feeling of dismay at the same time. No, the place is not haunted.
From the past couple of months, various people had made that corner their final destination by ceasing their existence into the heated surges of Aharbal fall. Kashmir is labouring multiple natural, as well as man-made bad breaks, post 5 August 2019, after the revocation of article 370 and 35 A, rising suicide cases is one of them.
Over 500 suicide cases from different areas of the valley have been reported at Srinagar’s SMHS hospital in the last year. Fuelled by unemployment, mistrust, crippled economy, people, mostly youth end up with suicide. In the mud dance, Aharbal fall is no exception in fitting a hotspot for suicide, attempts.
People prioritize the tragedies that seize at Aharbal by capturing the suicide scenes and disclosing them on social media, which not only draws the suspicion of worry but also fuel up the grief of the family members, friends and relatives of the victims. What do such people want to do? To modernise death? To provoke those souls who are on the verge of ending their lives?
What we should call such people? Incomprehensible or what! Rather than fulfilling their moral, legal and social duties, people play irresponsibility. Preferably, people with the aid of social media must promote the positive aspect to society. People must attempt to encourage public meetings, posterize schools, hospitals, parks, all public places related to defeating the Suicide trend. Any person in trauma, anxiety, depression must be motivated, counseled to positivity and willingness.
The government on the other hand also ceased to function, turned away, to conquer restlessness and tragic deaths. At least it was not a tough task for the government to deploy a protection squad to overcome the suicide attempts around the Aharbal fall or constrain the entry around (close) the boundary of the waterfall.
To bring Aharbal again into the realm of tourist destination from the nightmare of final destination, the government must propose such strategies which could protect the value of the natural resort Aharbal as well as the lives of the people visiting.
“Look deep into yourself, you are beautiful”.
(The author is pursuing a Bachelors degree in Legislative Law from the school of law, University of Kashmir. And can be reached at [email protected])
KV Network
