Kashmir Srinagar

Srinagar, the capital of newly formed union territory Kashmir is situated in the south/central part of the valley bordering with other districts such as Pulwama, Budgam, Anantnag, and Baramulla. The entire city is located on both sides of Jhelum river which is also one of the tributaries of the mighty Indus river. Srinagar is well known for its tourist attractions such as Dal lake, boathouses, mughal gardens from the Mughal era in India, and a stupendous national park at the edge of the city but none of those have ever attracted as many eyes and ears to this small city as the constant socio-political upheavals have. Eversince the partition in 1947, Kashmir has been reduced to a war zone between India and Pakistan’s constant scrambles to edge out each other in the disputed parts of the valley. Recently in august this year （2019） the article （370A） providing autonomy to the people of Kashmir was scrapped by the Indian government which ensued chaos of an unparalleled magnitude only later to be snubbed by over a million armed forces only inside the Kashmir valley and especially in the capital Srinagar. Behind the thick fog of violence, bloodshed and a perpetual atmosphere of fear in the valley lies a culture so unique and beautiful which thrives in a close symbiotic relationship with nature. The rich and vibrant culture in Kashmir has many great aspects to it such as culinary, farming, fabric, exceptional hospitality to name a few. A high majority of the population in Srinagar is of Muslims followed by a small percentage of Hindu, Sikh and Buddhists. notably, the city has a good literacy rate and most people can at least understand and speak 2-3 languages （commonly Urdu, Hindi and Kashmiri – occasionally English）. Not so surprisingly a big chunk of the working class is employed in hospitality and tourism-related work but with an all-time low in tourism in Kashmir due to unstable conditions has left much of these people wondering about their future. The most distinctive