Shikara owners brave challenges to earn livelihood
Srinagar, Jan 30: Amid bone-chilling cold, Shikara owners brave all odds to earn livelihood and support their families.
Besides low earnings, the boatmen, popularly known as Shikara wallas, face serious health issues due to exposure to cold. “Our day starts with sunrise and ends with sunset…be it rain or snow, we venture out to earn a livelihood for our families,” said Ghulam Ahmad, a shikara owner, as he rows his boat in the cold waters of Dal Lake.
“When the lake areas freeze, we face difficulty rowing our shikaras, but we have no option and make way for our boats,” he said.
Tourists prefer to take shikara rides during their visit to Srinagar. While many boatmen have taken up alternative jobs, the majority rely on their traditional business of rowing boats. “We purse education of our children with difficulty. Despite a slump in tourism, we have never received any compensation from authorities like other sectors,” said a boatman. “Over the past one year, tourist flow has significantly decreased, making it difficult for us to sustain during harsh winters,” said a boatman with moist eyes.
“In Kashmir, there is no peak season. For us, it makes no difference whether it is summer or winter,” said Ghulam Mohammad, a boatman.
While the relocation of some shikara owners has left them in despair. “Locations such as Rakh Arth colonies are underdeveloped, lack basic amenities such as well-constructed roads, healthcare facilities and proper job arrangements, threatening our safety and survival,” said a boatman.
Some boat men expressed concerns towards lack of sustained cleanliness drives in Dal Lake “Earlier cleaning was done through manual labour, but now it is done by machine which causes significant harm to the lake. For years, the water in the lake was drinkable, but now it is unfit for human consumption since many drains flow into the lake, threatening aquatic species and dal dwellers,” they said.
In addition to this, they emphasised on cleaning the lake through manual labour as performed by the dwellers previously to support the elderly who cannot operate shikaras any longer.
By: Janat Bazaz
