Kashmir

我常覺得衡量兩地之間遠近的單位其實不是距離，是時間。 從新德里（New Delhi）到瓦拉那西（Varanasi），搭了 20 個小時的火車。從新德里到斯里納加（Srinagar），橫跨遙遠的距離與重重山脈，只消 1 個小時的國內線。從斯里納加到列城（Leh）只有一條路，但也是集交通、經濟、軍事於一身，唯一的路。曲折盤繞 450 公里，開了 15 個小時。 但我喜歡公路旅行，因為交通本身就是旅行回憶的一部份，而不只是端點到端點間的時間支出。當年好像有聽說過這段路有世界上最美的公路的稱號，後來寫文章時已經找不到出處，不過說來什麼最美、最驚險、最險惡，恐怕都是內容農場的無畏冠詞。這條公路確實可以列入世界最高海拔公路的討論，但縱使沒有這些虛名，還是很值得走這一遭。 凌晨六點，廂型車離開空蕩的接客站，搖搖晃晃地駛進蒼茫的喀什米爾大地。路上鋪設的柏油和護欄時有時無，像是現代開發的痕跡未能征服原始，反倒更像是在自然地貌的力量中艱難的擠出一條不被截斷的線。有時道路兩旁是低矮的斜坡，顏色參雜著植被的綠、砂土的朱紅、土壤的棕，像是一條沿著朝聖大道鋪蓋的絨毯，但是飽經風和雨水洗刷而褪色。沒有衝擊性的色彩，但意外的有著溫和的美，絲毫無損整路上對自然的讚嘆。

13th October 2015 “Bharishon kay mausam main tumko yaad karne ki aadat purani hai, abki baar sochha thha, aadatain badal daalay Phir khayaal aaya, aadatain badalne se barishen nahin rukte….” Rain- A tiny thread in the warp and weft of my life. I don’t like the rain. (I don’t like…

It was during the Second World War that the concept of enforced disappearances first came to light. In Nazi Germany, Jews, Communists and Dissidents were often picked up by the secret police and in accordance with a decree issued by Adolf Hitler himself, were “disappeared”. When enquiries were made about…

This is a true story. Jammu and Kashmir state is divided into three sections. A small part of its North-eastern area is occupied by China. Another major part of it North and North-west are occupied by Pakistan and the rest of Jammu and Kashmir state is occupied by India. The…

八月，NGO 的志工工作談好提前結束後，開始規劃在印度的最後一趟旅行。 本來就打算要去列城（Leh），但那時候關於北北印的旅遊資訊相當瑣碎，參考價值普遍不高。我從狐狸的遊記聯繫上了斯里納加（Srinagar）的船屋主人 Amir 尋求建議。當時考慮的城市還有以下幾個： 西姆拉（Shimla）：英屬印度時期的夏都，高海拔、天氣舒適，被英國人建成避暑勝地，號稱印度小瑞士。但對西姆拉的印象更多是三個傻瓜裡第一次找藍丘撲空，一夥人抱著骨灰罈追趕跑跳的那個地方。 瑞詩凱詩（Rishikesh）：喜馬拉雅山腳下，恆河結束峽谷河段之處。號稱是瑜珈起源之處，河的兩岸也開設許多瑜珈學校，據說每年吸引數十萬朝聖者、旅客、瑜珈修行者造訪。 馬納里（Manali）：渡假村、SPA、登山健行、溯溪、攀岩、滑雪、溫泉。熱門的休閒渡假城市，據說超 Chill，也是外國嬉皮集散地，哈們。 德蘭薩拉（Dharamsala）：分成上下兩部分，上德蘭薩拉（McLeod Ganj）是西藏流亡政府的所在地，同時也聚集了許多流亡藏人，有小拉薩之稱；下德蘭薩拉（Kotwali Bazaar）的居民則以印度人為主。

If there existed heaven It must be Kashmir Where saffron fields Look up to the silver sky

Indian armed troops patrolling the streets in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Photo: Zia Shakeel. Since 1950, India has imported the largest volume of arms in the entire world. Spending on arms has escalated since India’s right-wing government came to power in 2014. The two countries that send India the most weapons to enable the ongoing occupation in Kashmir are Israel and the United States.

राजेन मानन्धर अहिलेको विश्वमा चलचित्रको अलग्ग स्थान छ । यो केवल समय बिताउने र मनोरञ्जनको विषय मात्र नभएर यसले देशको राजनीतिक, सामाजिक र आर्थिक अवस्थामा समेत असर पार्ने दृष्टान्तहरु विश्वको इतिहासमा धेरै पाइन्छन् । यसै बिच अहिले भारतमा बनेको हिन्दी फिल्म दि काश्मीर फाइल्सले भारतमा र विशेष गरी हिन्दुहरुमा तलहका…

In the theatre in Miami, Florida, where I saw The Kashmir Files, a tall young American man, a few rows down from us, let out a primal scream near the end of the movie and ran out. He yelled he couldn’t take the pain, but he must have crept back…