Unrest casts spell over Aru hamlet
Agencies
Srinagar, Sept 05 : Nearly 150 families at Aru, which shot to fame through Bollywood blockbusters like Betaab and Karma, are virtually on the verge of starvation in the wake of the recent spell of violence in the region that has completely stopped tourists from venturing there.
A number of blockbusters showcase the mystic charm of the place with majestic snow-capped Himalayan peaks, lush green meadows and surrounding forests housing rare fauna. Mesmerised tourists used to throng Aru, some 15 km from Pahalgam which has a tradition of sharing their income that serves as a major strength of the tiny hamlet housing some 150 odd families in small huts made of wood and stone. But violence in the valley has its ominous spell in the village where all horse owners share a day's income among themselves equally irrespective of the fact that whoever gets a tourist. Nearly 2,000 odd population of the village is left to starve in this holy month of Ramzaan with no trace of tourists daring to venture against the backdrop of unrest in Kashmir which has already claimed more than a 65 lives. "We are starving. We have 150 horses in the village giving us livelihood. We used to fetch about Rs 3,000 a day taking it to about Rs 6.5 lakh during the season -- May to November. This season so far we have hardly earned a few thousand rupees making it impossible to make both ends meet," village chief, Ghulam Mohammed told PTI. "The other day we had a few tourists coming here and taking two of the horses for Rs 800. Imagine our plight. For, we got a princely sum of a little over Rs five each," horse owner Manzoor said. Imagine the plight of villagers. Even in Ramzaan, when they eat less, they have nothing to eat, Tarique said proudly adding, "Movies like like Betaab, Elan -E- Jung, Karma, Sikander, Farishtay etc were shot here. "We have seen heydays when film makers with their cameras resulted in signs of joy. But now neither any one comes here nor to the adjoining Betaab valley, which got its name after Bollywood hit filmed there," he added. Ali, 60 who has a small shop at the entrance of the tourist spot for selling pakors and tea laments, "Violence in Kashmir has spelt gloom for the place. I have four daughters to take care of but I am unable to perform the duty of a father. I have let everything to Allah. For sports lovers, the 24 km long trekking route to the Kolahoi glacier at the head of the Lidder Valley at about 3,200 meteres altitude is a major attraction at Aru. The place also houses some rare and endangered animals such as musk deer and leopard. But the the land of breathtaking beauty is deserted now and the adjoining Betaab Valley too has very few visitors.
Read Also