Life in the mountains

Life in the mountains may seem beautiful, but it is not as rosy as it seems. Living in the mountains has it's share of challenges. I always believed that living in mountains could be fun as the climate is awesome, population is less and absolutely no pollution. Reality hit me hard when I stepped in the most beautiful part of India, Kashmir.

I had been on a pilgrimage to one of the famous Temple's there that opens up for only 3 months in a year. The beauty of Kashmir was undoubtedly strinkingly beautiful, but the extreme poverty there made me realise that we are in a much better position. People there have to walk miles to get basic things like rice and salt. Water would freeze if kept in open. They have to heat it to consume it. Most of the families there rely on their horses for their income. They make money by plying pilgrims on their horses to the snow capped mountains to have a look at the idol. I had been there around 12 years back and a to and fro trip of 4 says on a horse back along with a man who walked at the same speed as the horse for 4 days costed me 1200 INR. While we stayed in the freezing tents, our horse and the man who tamed it had to rest in the open. The horse and the man took a trip again with another Traveller the moment we returned from the mountains leaving them with no time to rest. I won't say that the entire state depends on such income. There are people who earn well, but the place I visited was deeply poor.

It is only during those 3 months that these people earn. Other months the mountains are covered in deep snow and tourists don't step there.

Unemployment brings poverty and unemployment also makes the youth get into drugs. Young boys waste themselves to sedatives and resort to stealing money from tourists to feed their addiction. That was my first and last trip and I hope things are changed for better now.

Here are some pics that my friend got me from his trip to the snow capped mountains that reminded me of that beautiful Kashmir trip of mine.