Will the Chinar Smile Again?

The Lost Art of a Wounded Valley

Abstract

Kashmir the land of snow-capped mountains, peaceful rivers, green valleys, and deep spirituality could have been a home for flourishing art. It had beauty, culture, and soul. But instead of becoming a land of music and dance, it became a land of conflict. Violence stole the peace that art needs to grow. Art needs space to speak, to breathe and to move freely. The colorful traditions that once made our land so special have faded over years. Since the late 1980s, violence has reshaped our land. It was not only about lives lost, it was about the loss of culture, the suppression of joy, and the silencing of the voices that once celebrated life through art.