Stranded by War, Welcomed by Kindness: The Journey of Three Families from the Line of Control
For four days, three families who live in a village near the Line of Control were our guests at Old Town Baramulla. This brief and touching experience brought home to me the horrors of war, and why humankind must always strive for peace and harmony.
On the evening of 8th May, my friend Sarfaraz, who lives in Khanpora near Baramulla, called me at about 9.30 pm. He told me that 25 members of three families from Jabla village on the Line of Control (LOC) near Uri were at a bridge near Khanpora, adjoining Baramulla. There are many villages near the LOC, and it is regarded as a tribal area. Intense shelling was happening in this area, and the UT Administration had engaged the local transporters to bring all villagers from vulnerable zones down to safe shelters in Baramulla.
The local transporters who got these three families left them at the Khanpora bridge near Baramulla. At Government Degree College for Women in Baramulla, arrangements had been made to accommodate these families, but these simple folks did not know it. I also got to know later that arrangements had been made for their accommodation at the Women’s College.
I Told Ammi About The Plight Of The Families
Sarfaraz was passing by Khanpora bridge on his motorcycle when he saw these three families stranded there. Sarfaraz later told me he could not figure out what to do or how to help them, so he called me. It was about 9.30 pm.
I told Ammi that I’m going to Khanpora bridge for some work. She got worried and said shelling is going on, please stay indoors. When I told her that three families are stranded there and have nowhere to go, Ammi got to know the severity of the situation and lovingly said, ‘Khayal rakhna’.
I live in Old Town Baramulla. There was a blackout in our area, and one could see shelling happening on the outskirts of Baramulla. There was huge khauff all around. I run a free coaching academy for poor children and orphans. I felt pity thinking that small children and their parents were standing helplessly on the road at this time.
I immediately called up Zahid, who drives a van for a local school, and told him to reach Khanpora bridge. When I reached the spot, shelling was going on, on the Sheeri side. The elders and the children, all were looking so petrified, tired and hungry after the journey made in very trying circumstances. There were about 12 to 13 children in the group.
This was perhaps the first day that people from villages on the LOC were being brought to Baramulla. I did not know at that time that arrangements for their stay had been made at Government College. When I started speaking to them, I realized that these are perhaps people from the tribal area. They speak only Pahari, which is similar to Punjabi. Even the men spoke very little Urdu, and they did not know Kashmiri. This was the first time they had even come to Baramulla.
My Friends And Team Pitched In To Help Wholeheartedly
I told the men that I can provide accommodation to them at my coaching academy in Old Town Baramulla. It was about 10 pm and for them, it was doobte ko tinke ka sahara. I got them to the humble premises of my coaching academy in Old Town Baramulla. My mother cooked rice for them and we got it to the academy premises. We managed to get daal and vegetables from a dhaba near District Hospital Baramulla, which is open till late at night.
My friends Waseem and Owais spoke to some tent house owner and told him to provide bedding for the families. They assured him that they would pay for it. By about midnight, members of the three families had eaten food. With the Grace of the Almighty, they were all comfortable now.
Help Provided By The Army and the DC
The next morning, I informed the Deputy Commissioner and the Baramulla Brigade Commander that I have provided shelter to three families at the coaching academy premises. They appreciated my gesture and also sent ration to sustain the families.
When I went to meet our guests, I observed that fear has got embedded in the children. This deeply saddened me. If somebody shut the door hard, the noise would panic the children. They would rush to hide in a corner, their hands and feet clutched, and their head crouched in fear. The same would happen if the tin sheets on the roof made some noise in strong wind. Again the children would crouch in a corner in fear. All the while when they were here, blasts continued. The children would cover their ears in absolute panic. It was so saddening to watch all this.
In order to draw them out of fear, I asked them to play games. These families had come from such remote areas that the children were not aware of badminton or football. They were only familiar with cricket and had great fun playing it. Education is not common in their area. A little girl, Zoya, said she wants to be a doll when she grows up.
We were able to take care of all the needs of these families through the help provided by the Army and by the Deputy Commissioner Baramulla. Many of our friends also contributed generously
The clothes of the children were not in a good shape so we got them new clothes. We got diapers for the baby. A little boy had a fever and got unconscious because of constant motion and dehydration. We took him to the hospital and got medical aid for him.
Many friends pitched in wholeheartedly with support. On the second day, Waseem and Owais got chicken soup for them. On the third day, Tanveer got biryani for them. The children were delighted by all this.
Team members of Gaash Academy were a huge support during this period, like they always are. Taking care of all the needs of 25 people can be a challenging task. Mufti Saman, Mohd Zahid Khan, Mohd Shakir Khan, Mir Aqib and Mehak Zahoor Fafoo – all college students – made sure that our guests did not have to face any inconvenience.
Our guests left for their village on May 12, hoping that our neighbouring country would not violate the ceasefire. The innocent children jumped around and kissed my hands when I gave them chocolates. As they left, I prayed to the Almighty that they do not have to face the curse of terror or fear again. Ameen.
Sheikh Mudasir is the Director of Gaash Coaching Academy, a free tutoring centre for poor children and orphans in Old Town Baramulla
(Got a fresh perspective? C-KAR invites original articles and opinion pieces that haven’t been published elsewhere. Send your submissions to deputydirector@c-kar.com