Chipko for Chinar: Kashmir Sees Protests of a Different Kind

Srinagar: A protest in Kashmir conjures up familiar images of youngsters picking up stones and aiming at police against a shrill and smoky backdrop.

But this protest is different. It is soothing, musical and poetic. It is smokeless and green. The boys here carry bigger and telling tools to vent their ire.

Guitars, rabaab (a lute-like instrument), laptop, smartphones, songs and jingles make a strong pitch for their cause — ‘Don't Massacre the Chinars’.

Quite impatiently, the Jammu and Kashmir government recently felled a few centuries-old Chinars just opposite the tourist reception centre to pave way for a grade separator.

The next day, they formed a security ring around the Chinars (similar to the Chipko movement) on learning that the government planned to chop more.

“It’s ridiculous. How can they axe the trees? It’s akin to axing Kashmir's identity and heritage,” shouted Zareef, a noted poet. His crisp poetry and taunting one-liners needled the administration to halt the felling temporarily. It also ignited a debate on heritage versus development on social media.

“How will our kids reach school in time if they cannot bypass the traffic? We need to make wide roads and flyovers. Chinars can be planted elsewhere. Why the fuss,” one Facebook user posted.

Groups of students, entrepreneurs and civil society members on Friday gathered under a dry Chinar inside a tiled joggers’ park to lodge a silent protest.

“God save the Chinars. If this is the condition of Chinar near the office, imagine the plight of hundreds of trees,” Javeed Parsa, an entrepreneur said while streaming the protest live from the venue.

Ali, an aspiring singer, lamented the loss in his song.

Nihal, an engineering student, argued that the alignment of the flyover can be altered to save the trees. “A big Chinar grows through five centuries. It will be tragic if we continue the cutting spree. What are we going to pass on to our future generations?”

The Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) is constructing the grade separator while the job of felling the trees was given to the Forest Department in January. A public outcry had prompted them to shelve the plan then.

It’s not the case now.

ERA director Satish Razdan said they had tried many options, but nothing worked. “I have promised to plant 10 to 15 Chinars against each one felled,” he said.

“We don't want to disturb the heritage and environment. We have saved three big Chinars and that has cost me an additional Rs 10 lakh. We have felled 10 Chinars though we had permission for 11. We are trying to save the last one,” he said.

Protesters, however, say there are other options. Nihal suggests the flyover can be diverted to save the heritage trees. “This can be done easily.”

The fabled tree captivates tourists the best in autumn when its flaming red leaves drop from the bare brown branches.

A census carried out by the Floriculture Department recently said 840 of the 6,398 Chinars in the city are either dry or semi-dry, a sad commentary on the once imported majestic tree.