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Basharat Peer in Hutmura, Anantnag
On the highway connecting the southern Kashmir town of Anantnag with Pahalgam, the famous tourist resort of the pre-militancy days, is a small, sleepy hamlet, Hutmura, which visitors almost miss.
There is nothing striking about this village, settled on both sides of a narrow dusty road amidst the foothills of the Pir Panjal range. It does not even count amongst the scenic spots in the belt. Nor does it have any 'prodigal sons' (read: militants).
Home to a 4,000-strong population living on agricultural produce and public-sector jobs, Hutmura stands out. The feather in its cap is a rare one in Kashmir, or elsewhere.
It is one of the few villages in the state where Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs continue to live together and uphold the traditions of tolerance and communal harmony. In the village of 1,700 families, 120 are Sikh and 15 Pandit.
It was 3km from here that one of the most gruesome massacres of Kashmiri Sikhs took place at Chattisinghpora in March 2000 on the eve of President Bill Clinton's visit. Sikhs had till then remained neutral in the separatist conflict that erupted in the valley in 1989. The controversial killings came as a jolt and there was talk of a Sikh migration.
"We were quite jittery," says Karnail Singh, a resident of Hutmura. "It had not happened to us. Our forefathers had lived and died here with Muslims and Pandits. And suddenly one day we felt insecure in our own land."
But the fears were allayed when local Muslims came to stand by their Sikh brethren in their hour of need. Soon Hutmura was resounding with slogans of communal harmony. The Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs took out a joint procession against the Chattisinghpora killings and in support of communal harmony.
"When all the Muslims from our village and neighbouring villages poured in to condole us, stand by us, assure us that it was our Kashmir as much as anybody else's, it was heart-warming. The Sikh community decided to stay," Karnail adds.
Outside the village gurdwara, by the side of the main road, a few Sikh youth are engaged in conversation with their Muslim friends. They are talking in Kashmiri, wearing similar clothes. There is laughter in the air.
"We are very comfortable here," says Mukhpal Singh, 28, an apple farmer. "It is home to all of us and we have been living like this for generations. If India needs an example of harmony, people should look towards Hutmura."
Things remained so even when the armed militancy was at its peak. "There would be militants in our village, like in any other, but they never tried to harm the minorities," says Mukhpal's friend Fayaz Ahmad.
A narrow muddy lane from the gurdwara stops near Sushil Kumar's house. Though Sushil is one of the few Pandit youths in the village, he cannot be distinguished from the rest. Amongst a group of other local youth, Kumar looks at home. As, indeed, he is.
"This is my world. These are my friends, my brothers. We are together in grief and joy. I have never felt I am not one of them," says the youth who has completed his graduation from a local college and is looking for a job.
Talk slowly veers round to the election. The peaceful village may not have seen militant activity for years, but there is not much enthusiasm for the election. The folk are busy with the paddy harvest.
Campaign vehicles of some political parties pass by occasionally, but the village has seen no rallies, no political stalwarts. "We have not even seen the man who represents us in the legislature," says Zameer Chacha, a research scholar.
The all-pervading indifference towards the polls might result in a low turnout. The villagers say they would throng the booths only if there is any pressure from the security forces. "Hardly anyone voted here in the last election," adds Chacha. "The scene does not look any different today. But if voting becomes inevitable, we will."
The Sikhs and the Pandits too say they will support the majority decision on voting. "We are with the majority," says Niranjan Singh, a schoolmaster. "Whatever decision the village takes, we would support it."
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