Honoring a Life Spent Serving Others

My maternal uncle, who worked for more than 35 years in the Rural Development Department—the same department in which I am employed—retired at the end of last month. With that came the end of a very long career of serving the rural population. Such a remarkable career was not easy at all.

My uncle, who is quite humorous, very social, and easygoing with everyone—whether colleagues in the department or the people he served—earned a great deal of respect over the years. This respect was clearly reflected on the day he retired. Not only the people he served, but also those he worked with over the years were emotional, and it was all quite palpable. Even my uncle, whom I already mentioned is very humorous and social, and who always loves being around people, could not even speak on his retirement. It was truly a hard-to-explain situation.

As is customary, every retiring employee or official arranges a party for colleagues. A few days later, on the 11th of this month, such a gathering was organized at a tourist place in our area—Yousmarg. To serve the guests, we arranged a traditional Kashmiri Wazwan, a cuisine renowned worldwide and loved by people everywhere.

Everything was prepared very meticulously. We wanted to serve people well and ensured that nothing in our arrangements fell short. However, the only unfavorable aspect was the rainfall that continued for about two and a half hours. It made the surroundings wet, and the naturally beautiful area turned muddy, making it a bit difficult to walk around. But such things are part of life and often make occasions more memorable.

We served the guests with special Kashmiri saffron kahwa, and after some time, the delicious Wazwan was served. The food was highly appreciated by everyone present. It was truly the result of the hard work of the cooks, who stayed awake the entire night preparing the dishes. We also made makeshift arrangements to keep the food warm despite the chilling temperature of Yousmarg.

It turned out to be an occasion to remember for years. For me, it was even more special because I work in the same department. The people who worked with my uncle have either worked with me or may work with me in the future. That is why the function felt unique—I was both a guest and a host at the same time, which gave me a different kind of experience, one that I truly enjoyed.

Later in the evening, we were asked to leave, as the area has been under certain restrictions since last year following the Pahalgam attack, which claimed the lives of tourists in the beautiful Baisaran Valley. The shockwaves of that incident still resonate in our hearts and echo through the valleys of this paradise.

As people began to leave, it was my uncle who finally bid farewell to the department—a place that had been such a significant part of his life, and which now becomes as distant to him as it is to any common man.