SOPURE THE TOWN OF MY FORTUNE
By Ghulam Mohyuddin Wani
RISE OF SUPORE
Sopure is the most troubled sub-dstrict of Kashmir Valley.It is located on the bank of Wular Lake and was thrown into prominence after 1947.s grace.This articles describes my earlier visits and the development of cultural transformation through apple orchards. I lived and visited in this town and saw a lot of transformation in it between 1967 and 1976.
Now it is worn out town with hundreds killed in the war of independence by few and a rvolt by few.The town suffered and lost .
Baramullah before 1947
The road to Muzaffarabad goes through Baramullah town and it was a business hub pre 1947.It was the main source of good transport to the valley districs of Muzaffarabad ,punch and was directly the connecting route to Mirpur and SAILKOT.The rail link between Sailkot-Jammu was an important link for the goods transport for th rest of Kashmir,Gilgit,Askardu and even to china and to the erstwhile USSAR states of central ASIA.
The two town BARAMULLAH AND BANDIPURE were the trade centers and all the big and small business was connected to the rest of the world through these two business centers.
The KASHMIR PARTITION
The kashmir partition into Jammu and kashmir (UNDER INDIAN OCCUPATION) and Azad Kashmir(under Pakistan occupation) saw the routes to the world silk route through kashmie as well the train transport through silakot-jammu-uri sectors blocked.This was the economic blockade of Kahmir state by its two twin indepnsent states of India and Pakistan.This blockade is still continuing.The trade of fruits and grains was thus disturbed.The Kashmir state was thus deprived of its independence by the two small nations under international conspiracy.
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL SCENARIO
The two blocks and their agencies CIA.KGB suddenly saw their interests at stake in the independent Kashmir state.The kashmir state like SWIZ canal had a commercial importance as it linked India,china,Pakistan,and Afganistan to Russian muslim states.American interest to close the borders of communism pampered Pakistan as their partner and supported her.
The Russian saw their interestas safe under the yellow socialism of Congress and especially Mrs Indra Gandhi.Thier veto on Kashmir upteen times complicated the Kashmir situation in UNO and its resolutions ar still in abeyance..The kashmir Partition was the rise of new commercial centers,like Jammu.Srinagar,in the form of Sopore or sopur and Islamabad or Anatnag.The two towns become commercial centers and subdued the importance of Bandipure and Baramullah.
POLITICS OF SOPURE
Sopure became a new clonoy of interested politicisians from the both Sides and the twin trade centers became trade centers directly connected with Delhi,Jammu and other Indian markets.The rise of apple industry gave these two towns ,sopore and Islamabad prominence.Both became the exploitatin markets for the apple growers,in close association with Delhi based arties.The game of exploitation through middle menship in bussinss ,earning commission on the profit and loss of the growers.It may be explained as follows.The fruit rowers of Baramullah and Bandipure sold their fruit gardens of its fruit when in blossoms to thr agents of the Delhi.
They purchase the future fruit quite cheap and gave them nominal advance.If the fruit grew in plenty the growers will get the promised money in instalments spread over a year.The major profit and interest on the money shall go mostly to Delhi Arthies and their AGENTS IN SOPURE.If god forbid the fruit set was poor or hail strom or thr rains or disease or climate spoiled the fruit crop th whole loss has to be born by the grower as the agents and the arties shall vanish from thr scene.,leaving poor farmers ND GROWERS to suffer.
This treasury and deciet of the sopure fruit business made the people prodperous and a day reached in early 1960s when a small village of the sopur came to be named as chotta (small) London. CHOTTA (small) LONDON THE NOWPORA OF SOPURE The joke goes like this.A women was asked to board a car brought by her son a fruit agent.The poor lady saw it nicely mated with carpets.As our kashmiri tradition goes she left her shoes out side the car and on reaching Srinagar when she was descending from the car to be examined by a famous Physician the Ali Jan ,she was bear footed asking for her shoes.She was so simple as having thought the car as a room .This otherwise joke common for sopories reveals a lot about this apple town economic situation.
Later in late sixties it was so proprous town that most of the people owned cars and big banglows and were accustomed to all sorts of evils like wine,women and cards or gambling EXPERIENCES OF 1967 During mr intermediate college education at the Sopore Degree college ,I had an experience of living in Sopore for a year in the hostel.I remember the apple town girls in shinning dresses and poor academic records.I remember a few boy who were very rich and one of my college day friend used to come in a car from his nearby saloo village after holidays.
The living standards of the Maqboo,bhat and host others was far better than us.I remember the one time DD Director being spoiled by a Bacha family man who used to drinh,dine and do all evils deeds.The boy used to be a excellent singer and thus a hero of th wine,women and gambling dens of sopure.Inshort the advancement in sopore was such that we used to shy out from the girls due to our poor and shabby dresses in comparisons to our sopur garden owners boys and girls.I remember I had to shy and abandon a beautiful classmate .noble what we call shriefa girl.The girl was interested in developing friendship with me as I was one of the topers and she had a discourse and discussion with me during chemistry practicals.I still remember her tring to be close to me but because of this economic disparaty I absentied and dissociated perhaps an act which I repent till date.Irony be it the girl failed and next year copied or paid money to manag a seat in a medical college,where we who passed with good marks were send to veterinary and dental courses as the CM mir QASIMS daughter had a third division and she had to be accommodated in the medical AS BOYS AND GIRLS AS 50-50 THUS allowing girls with third division to get medical seats at our cost.This injustice was challenged in th court of law and all those who had made a writ pttition were admitted as an additional batch.Unfortunately.I was at Bikaner and had little money to fight the injustice.
Thus the girl who got 8 % marks in PROF Abdual Rasheed Mubarki evaluation become a medico by proxy and his excellent rated me with 64 %marks had to be comtented with vety seat.The girls who failed along withose who droppd or failed became doctors and also teachers in Madical college.I am told the 8% GIRL is a medico in UK now after earning millions in Sauduia. EXPERIENCES OF 1976 After my specialization in veterinary obstet and Gynaecology,due to the courtesy of one of our honest officers I had another chance to be in Sopore as Incharge Artificial Breeding Station at Sopure,which was upgraded in my tenure o six months as Mini cattle development project of Sopure.
This experience was one of memorable expeience in my life.I enjoined the love and support of this township,I was highly impressed by the animal love of these apple town citizens.I treated the cows and animals of Bullas,Janwaries,the apple agents and arthis now.I was impressed by the love for the animals.All will care for their animals.I remember my salary was RS 500 OR SO per month,but my evening practice was four times my salary.I enjoyed the stay and service to animal Husbandry department at .
The people in this apple town are so animal lovers that they used to treat their if sick,purchasing medicines and tking better protective measures than to themselves.The boon of cross breeding was a success in this town.The socio-economic and cultural transformation was as usual towords wealth,women and wine.By now a good section of traditional businessmen has become puristic and were the founders of the Jamate-Islami schools ,which has made a change in this economic cenetr of north west Kashmir,thereby starting a new movement of Islamic awareness.During 1976 the change was quite visible.The ratio of voting was 50/50. Between liberals and islamists.
Read More About SOPURE THE TOWN OF MY FORTUNE
No comments:
Post a Comment