HEAVEN ON EARTH – J&K
It has taken millions of years of evolution to bring about this enormous diversity of life on earth. The planet Earth is a beautiful place to live in. Life has flourished on the planet, thanks to the abundant sun and vast oceans of water. No matter where we go on the planet, there are stunning plants, flowers, and animals that catch our attention. If you think the above lines are not correct then I am damn sure that you haven’t visited Kashmir for sure. If biodiversity is the biological wealth of the planet earth, Kashmir would be one of the wealthiest places on earth. Nature has endowed Kashmir with implausible beauty, talking about flora and fauna of Jammu & Kashmir, the flora ranges from the thorn bush type of the arid plain, to the temperate and alpine flora of the higher altitudes. Of the broad-leaf trees, there are maple, silver fir, horse chestnuts, etc, and at the higher altitudes, there are birch, rhododendron, and a large number of herbal plants. Walnut, willow, almond and cider also add to the rich flora of Kashmir. There are large and varied fauna as well including leopard, cheetah and deer, wild sheep, bear, brown musk shrew, and muskrat. The fauna of Jammu and Kashmir is diverse due to its unique location and climatic condition. About 16% of the Indian mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and butterflies are present here. need I say more It’s literally the heaven on earth even without mentioning about the scenic beauty of the place. But the irony is that In this technological era, humans interact more with gadgets that it’s almost impossible to find time to interact with nature, coupled with Turmoil in the State, particularly of last two decades, hindered the smooth growth of the tourism and had discouraged most of the travelers from visiting India’s most popular tourist destination. To add to this it also affected not only tourism but also indirectly the economic activities related to tourism. This is where Indian Army’s effort is contributing directly and indirectly in conservation of biodiversity, and attracting the botanists, naturalists and the travelers to come back to visit the rich biodiversity of the state and its scenic grandeur. When we talk about the flora of Jammu & Kashmir there is no way that we would miss mentioning about the Chinar tree. Chinar tree holds a special place in Kashmiri civilization. Almost every village in the valley has a Chinar tree. You can experience a cool breeze under the shadow of this majestic tree which is very conducive to health. We in Army have an entire corps named after this tree, Yes the Chinar Corps. Indirectly giving all the soldiers a sense of belonging. Its not about just naming a Corps after a tree but conscious efforts are being made to undertake plantation of this tree to other states. The tree has been successfully planted in numerous Army Cants out side J&K too. The land of such strategic location with rare concoction of mountains, lakes, forests, fertile land, tulip gardens, splendid blue skies and rich cultural heritage used to be flocked by tourists from times immemorial till peace of this land of unending glory was disrupted by the terror groups in early 1990s, which led to loss of tourism revenue, creating an economic vacuum in the Valley. These days Tourism, one of the biggest employment generators of J&K with the potential of making the place one of the most prosperous regions, also took a major hit, followed by handicraft and the houseboat- and hotel industry which are directly dependent on tourism. . Now here is where the role of Army is directly contributing by countering terrorist and restoring a semblance of normalcy. The winds of change are sweeping through the state and the AWAAM has begun to enjoy the benefits of peace and tranquility. I am very sure that with the support of awaam, in the very near future Army will eradicate terrorism entirely out of the region and The Kashmir Valley of J&K, known for its natural beauty and cultural heritage, surrounded by mountains carpeted by snow is pertinently referred to as “The Paradise on Earth”. Will attract the botanists, naturalists and the travelers back from all over the world and will be one of the greatest tourist spot not only in India but in entire South Asia.
