Srinagar: Soothing sunshine, song of the Cicada, nip in the air, golden yellow countryside, nomadic ‘Bakarwals’ (Goatherds) rushing down to plains with their flocks of sheep and goats, cackle of the first flock of migratory birds arriving in the Valley, all these are signs that Kashmir’s season of plenty, the autumn in here.
Countryside has turned golden yellow because of the ripe Paddy crop. Fruit trees are laden with different varieties of apple that are ready to be picked.
Grapes are being packed for the buyers and the leaves of the majestic Chinar trees are slowly, but steadily changing their colours.
The Chinar leaves turn from green through crimson to yellow.
The Cicada moths fill the air with their song towards the evening as the turtle doves start picking up fallen grain in harvested Paddy fields.
Mountain streams with glistening water have become the anglers’ paradise as these abound with trout fish.
Domestic swans and ducks come home early in the evenings as the days get shorter and the nights get longer.
Kashmir peasants are busy harvesting their year’s labour and thanks to timely rain, the Valley has a bumper Paddy crop this year.
Harvesting, threshing, winnowing and husking are part of the farmer’s annual drill as nothing gives more satisfaction to a farmer than a field full of grains.
In the higher reaches of the Valley, maize crop has already been harvested and the grains powdered to form flour for use during the winter months.
Most families in the rural areas are drying vegetables like brinjals, pumpkins, tomatoes, etc., those are stored for use when supplies become scanty because of heavy snowfall.
Some locals even store smoked fish for use in the winter months.
Flocks of sheep brought down from highland pastures by the shepherds are being shorn to obtain wool that is used to make blankets and local tweet over garments called the ‘Pherans’.
Pheran and the earthen firepot woven in a willow wicker basket called the ‘Kangri’ are a Kashmiri’s best bet to ward off the extreme winter cold.
Unlike the past when most locals had their own small poultry for chicken and eggs, most of Kashmir’s poultry requirements come from outside now.
Kashmir autumn is known as a photographer’s ultimate destination. The changing colours of this season gel wonderfully for the camera with snow clad mountain tops as the distance background.
The Valley also receives a good number of tourists for whom autumn is the best season for trekking, boating and other outdoor adventures.
It is because of its autumnal grandeur that the adage, ‘You just can’t have enough of Kashmir’ was coined.
–IANS
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