If you ever Google “Tral, Kashmir”, images of violence and bloodbath are all you can see. But seated in the Darbar Hall of the Taj Falaknuma Palace, with their eyes taking in the grandeur around them, were 19 kids who showed us a different side of Tral — one of hope and aspirations.
As a part of the national integration tour — Operation Sadbhavana — conducted by the Indian Army, the kids from one of Kashmir’s most terror-hit regions are here to see the other India. After spending a little time in Delhi, the kids are here in Hyderabad.
After a visit to the Amazon office and the Golconda Fort, they set foot in one of India’s richest palaces. And their reaction is one filled with awe. Abid Ahmed, one of the students says, “People say that Kashmir is heaven on earth, for me this feels like paradise.” The others agree in unison while another student, Arif Irfan, adds, “After seeing Hyderabad, we are inspired. We also want to work hard and be someone. We see the vision here, the progress and the exposure that’s not present back home. We want to learn all of it and implement it there.”
The students are from different villages and got to know each other during the trip. “We have become friends now. When we go back to our rooms, we talk about the places we visited, what we learnt and more,” says Amandeep, adding that of course, they are going to stay in touch over Facebook.
When they were first told about the tour, most of their parents were hesitant. “Most of our parents are in the agriculture industry and some of them work in the government sector. They have no exposure at all. So when they heard that we were going on a tour, they just knew we are going to some ‘other state’,” says Muzamil, adding, “We know that there are seven wonders in the world. This feels like the eighth wonder.”
Having visited the Amazon office and with visits to other places like the Infosys office scheduled, all of the students want to know more about technology. “When we went to the Amazon office, one of the students asked, ‘what degree do we need to get into Amazon’?” says Muzamil. Yet, most of them aim to join the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force or wants to become a police officer.
