Nissar H. Gilani
It was a bright sunny spring day of 1967. The flowers were in bud early that year, attracting many butterflies, after a severe winter, the citizens of Srinagar were celebrating the arrival of spring in the traditional way, near the famous fort gardens, where the almond trees were in full bloom, making the perfect walk or ride through the woods.
Joining the festival, a group of students from the prestigious SP college, including myself, were pedaling on bicycles on our way through the heart of the town, for our favorite destination (Badamwari).
The location in the center of the historic walled cantonment of Mughals, with the majestic almond trees in sprawling terraced gardens was best from all sides, resplendent in color, pink and white blossom, lush green gardens, the deep blue of Nigeen lake on the eastern side, displaying such hues and beauty with an intensity unmatched anywhere else in the world.
Spring (late March to mid-may) with average daytime high of 20,degrees C, is ideal for outings ,country fairs, home made food festivals and footpath barbecues, particularly when they can be under the cover of the pink and white flowers of the almond tree’s, making all such a memorable pastime.
Not far from the happy crowd, a tall, well-built turbaned phatan, SAMANDAR KHAN ,an Afghan national was busy delivering his sales speech with wonderful-collection of medicinal herbs neatly packed in crystal jars, against the back drop of a giant hoarding depicting magical and imaginary dinosaur life, a phatan taking aim with his double bore shot gun to shoot the giant animal. Mrs pathan, unmindful of her husbands intentions, is seen busy in collecting the “Salajeet “(a medicine that is used for revitalizing the body energy). A small crowd around the monolithic Afghan are applauding repeatedly his typical, “Pashtu “style urdu dissertation, (Sher Khan ney sher Kuo mara,bodooq say nhay hat say mara: that sher Khan killed the leopard not with the gun, but with his hands)
The crowd around the Afghan so dissolved, as tug- of -war was progressing between two school children groups. Feeling ignored, the pathan soon joined the fray, challenging every body around, and announcing a suitable reward to anyone who could defeat him. The ground was quickly cleared for the big show. What followed was an exciting match, the immobile, lone Afghan standing like a rock against dozens of hapless Kashmiri youth’s on the other side shouting.
“Help us, Dastgir
!(“Ya peer ,Dastgir,!
The crowd were becoming restive, and minutes later where joined by their brethren, irrespective of cast, creed, or age, only to see pathan dragged mercilessly to the ground. Hip! Hip! Hurray!. The crowd danced as the pathan was cleared off the road on a stretcher by the emergency staff of the local mental hospital.
Nissar H. Gilani can be reached at nisargilani57748@gmail.com
