Hyderabad: Two hundred days of the lockdown in Kashmir have been most difficult and those who are away from home are hurt that it is now a ‘new normal’ that is different from the rest of India. Tourism season looks like it may be a no-show: the summer months which see a heavy in-flow of Indian tourists may not be so in 2020. There are no bookings so far for March, which will be a major financial hit.
University students in the city said they have been through anxious moments when they have been unable to speak to their dear ones for days together. “There is still no internet in Kashmir which shows that nothing is normal there,” Hadif Nisar of the University of Hyderabad said.
“Worst hit are students as their forms of examination, and other procedures cannot be taken up. Students in Kashmir are in agony and most cannot move out of the state.”
“Similarly, many of us have stopped asking for money from home as there is little income. It is a tough situation,” Nisar said.
Women students in city are helping each other out. They do not indulge in any activity or outing where they have to spend money. Some are also sharing the mobile recharge.
“We have pooled resources for Kashmiri students in August and helped them out for the semester expenses,” Professor Abdul Kalam, MANNU proctor said. “They are strong people who do not ask.”
Some students who had been to Kashmir recently said people were keeping themselves confined in their vicinity and movements restricted. Those who travel outside the state and sell wares like clothes, handicrafts and arts, are able to take money back.
NGOs in Hyderabad have sent medicines, books, education kits, necessities and also facilitated them in the sale of handicrafts. The NGO’s have found that Kashmiris are not willing to talk about their situation until and unless asked. This withdrawal makes it difficult to connect with them regularly.
