Harudin Kashmir
By: Sahil Manzoor
Autumn is the season of harvesting crops in Kashmir and the season calls tourists from all corners of the world.The Chinar tree remains the most adorable attraction for the tourists.
Kashmir Valley observes four seasons, like spring, from 21st of March to 21st of June. Summer from 22nd of June to 21st of September, autumn from 22nd of September to 21st of December, and the beautiful, pleasant, and mesmerizing for the foreign tourist called winter.
Winter starts with the arrival of ChillaiKalaan. ChillaiKalaan is a harsh and hard period of 40 days where every water drop freezes and becomes like stone. Winter arrives every year from 21st December to 21st March. Every season has its importance and has great economic aspects.
Seasons are classified on the basis of weather conditions and on the basis of cultivation and harvesting of different crops in Kashmir valley. Today we are experiencing the charming beauty of autumn, and farmers are about to start the harvesting process of different crops like maize, apple plucking, and cereal harvesting.
As we know, Kashmiri apples are famous worldwide due to their unique taste and purely organic taste. This apple fruit plucking starts with the arrival of autumn. During the autumn season, every household in Kashmir Valley has a good quantity of apples, walnuts, corn, cereals, etc.
Autumn is commonly called the Harud in Kashmiri and mousam e khizaan or padjaddkamousam in Urdu. Autumn is such a pleasant, endowed, lavishing, mesmerizing, and beautiful season in Kashmir Valley. Harud is the season where every leaf changes its colour and looks like a flower.
Autumn, or Harud, is the season where people of Kashmir start dumping rice, fodder, and timber for the winter. Mostly autumn remains dry and caters an opportunity to the farmers to harvest crops. Autumn has great and immense importance among the Kashmiri people, as winters are just nearby.
With the arrival of autumn, it looks like the sun has changed its direction; the sun is no hotter, and the intensity of the sun is no more. People feel cold inside their homes, the elderly love to sit under the sun during the day. The people are busy everywhere, mostly farmers.
This season is as good as the festival bonanza for farmers in Kashmir Valley. Mostly in villages, people avoid marriage ceremonies and other functions during this season. In villages, people prefer weddings and other functions at the end of October or starting November. So that every bit of their hard work should not get into vain.
Chinar tree or plane tree has great importance during this season as the broad, naturally crafted leaves look red. Chinartree, or bouen in Kashmiri language. Has great importance. The bouen is the state tree of Jammu and Kashmir. Cutting down Chinar trees is illegal and punishable.
During the autumn, tourists from all corners of the world like to come to Kashmir and capture their beautiful memories with the golden, reddish leaves of the Chinar tree. The Chinar tree has great importance in Kashmir Valley. The ChinarBagh, located in the summer capital of Kashmir, witnesses a huge rush of tourists, and every tourist and local is engaging in photography.
Almighty has bestowed Kashmir valley in all respects, so I am confused as to why the youth of Kashmir are having no employment opportunities. Why is our youth in deep anxiety and involved in drugs? Every youth should try what is suitable for him and start giving shape to his or her dreams. The tourist sector has immense potential, and the tourist sector is creating immense potential for the unemployed youth.
Alhamdulillah, new tourist destinations are on the list. The government should promote the new tourism place and should make reservations only for the locals. It also needs a polytechnic at the district level that can train our youth in hotel management and provide our youth skills so that they can earn their livelihood with dignity and feel independent.
Hotel management or tourist guides, snow skiing training, how to operate ATVS with safe rides, and how to motivate tourists. Tourists should be treated as special guests at every corner of the Kashmir Valley throughout the year.
