Kashmir Sat May 2

Sami and I stayed overnight at Tahir's house in Srinagar after the Shikara ride. The next morning Tahir and I went for a walk to get bread for breakfast. Once around the school yard, and onto the street. I loved the environmental signs on the school proprety. Went for a walk w/ Tahir. Loved the environmental signs!

Not surprisingly, people on the street are not friendly like those in the villages. They do not speak to each other and do not return my smiles. I am so grateful to be out away from the city. And so grateful to be staying with local people who are intrigued by tourists and not sick of them.

Tahir gets the newspaper, and the May 1 edition of Greater Kashmir had a half page editorial on relationships. I am always pleasantly surprised when I open a newspaper here. There is always a long article on spirituality, or relationships, or something similar on the OpEd page. Here are some quotes from the relationship article: "The desire for human relationship is the most popular striving in the man. It is the most fundamental passion, the force which keeps the human race together, the clan, the family, the society. The failure to achieve it means insanity or destruction - self destruction - or destruction of others....The problem in the world today is not one of producing enough food and goods so that there is sufficient for all, but rather a problem of peoples living together harmoniously. We need to know how to get along on a person to person basis. In today's world it is rare for persons to share what really matters - the tender, shy, reluctant feelings, the sensitive, fragile, intense disclosures. It is equally rare for persons to listen intently enough to really understand what another is saying....One can acquire great material wealth, and experience, all kinds of sensual pleasure solely through taking; but one cannot maintain human relationship without giving." Bhushan Bazaz

Tahir also has a TV, and I watched the Peace channel for a bit. A learned Islamic leader was comparing Islam to Hinduism. It was very interesting.

Went to the hospital. The little boy with the deformed feet and legs had been operated on.

Parmeena's mother greeted us at the entrance. Parmeena not had surgery yet due to strike. She ended up staying in the hospital a week and then had to go home and wait at home another week, all due to the strikes around the election. Typical for Kashmir. I was told that last year there were 3 months of strikes. This is very hard for the families, because the students go to school during summer here, not winter. So nearly a whole school year was lost last year. And many lives, because the protests turned violent when the Indian paramilitary returned bullets for rocks.

We then visited a second cousin and former patient who has cerebral palsey. Sami has been giving her therapy since she was a baby. She was fascinated with my hair, and loved how she looked in sunglasses. Her grandfather, Baba, has been a financial supporter of Sami, and liked looking at the videos I took of Sami at work. He is the retired Superintendent of Police. On the way out of the compound, one of the guards stopped us for a chat with me. He started to tell me that his back hurt. It is not the first time I have been mistaken for a doctor while hanging out with Sami. What else ciuld a grey haired foreign woman be doing riding in an ambulance with a well known doctor?

A large convoy of troops was on the move today. Sami said they were heading to the Pakistani border. Trouble brewing?

More photos from the van/ambulance on the ride back to Wayil. Never a dull moment here!!