QUEUES AND KASHMIR

                        


A VIEW OF" SHIRAZ "CINEMA SRINAGAR ON KHAANYAR RAINAWARI ROAD .
PHOTO AUTAR MOTA 

QUEUES AND KASHMIRIS 

Kashmiris were always against the system of forming queues . I remember how the cinema hall windows had six or seven hands pushed inside simultaneously for a ticket. The opening of the window used to be merely 5”>< 5” . Crowds would assemble outside the window and every one would try to force or push his hand inside the small opening . Quite often it was a tough job to take out your hand even if you got the ticket. This being so the kashmiri "Bhadralok" would generally purchase tickets from Blackmarketeers roaming freely outside the cinema halls with packs of current show tickets. This breed of traders was known as "Blackers" in local parlance . Never would people bring order to this simple issue by standing in a Queue.

At bus stops I remember crowds would run after a bus to occupy a seat once buses would come to pour out the passengers at KMDA Bus Stand Lal chowk. This applied in specific to buses plying on lal Chowk to Rainawari , Soura ,Nowshehara and Saida kadal routes. Some smart young men would enter from the driver’s window and keep seats for the ladies known to them. Otherwise crowds would collect at the window and jostle for entry .Disorder was frequently visible at bus stands .I vividly remember that for Buses Going to Jammu, even if the seats had been booked in Advance , people would make noise and push others for entry to occupy seats already allocated through advance booking . .

Ration Depots or Ghats had an altogether different story . Twenty people would come before the Clerk( known as Ghaat Munshi ) at a point of time to buy rations .
“ Amiss Broanh Chhuss Baa Aaamutt. Meyein Cheind Khataav ” 
“I have come before this ration card holder . Clear my Ration Card . ”: .
“Athhaa Ruth Pathh”
“Hod back you hand ”.
“ Baa Chhuss Shey Bajjey Aaamutt ”
“ I have come at 6AM”

These were the commonly heard dialogues at ration depots.

At the bakers shop sometimes fifteen persons would wait simultaneously for the hot bread being brought out from the Tandoor.
“Hey Mey Aouss Vaaer . Kyaa saa Assi gayaa Mashithee” 
“ It was my turn . Why did you give it to the other person. Did you forget me .” 
The baker would sometimes look at the crowd and then decide as to who was to be given Tandoori Bread as per arrangement and turn conceived by him. No queue or system and hence disorder at this shop as well.
Whenever I would visit the barber’s shop , he would keep every person busy with gossip and amusing stories so as to snatch their turn and give a hair cut or shave to customers as per his convenience. Sometimes some customer would get up and say 
“ Shaff Sahiba Me haa chhu Maharaazuss saaet gachhunn . Me moaklaavuttaa ”
“ Mohd Sahfi dear , I have to join a Baraat . Now make me free. ”
This disorder was visible in school, Marriage functions, Banks , Post offices , Treasury, Hospitals , Religious places ,Examination halls ,vegetable shops and even at Airport. 

There is a change for good . People have started feeling the practical utility of queue system. Kashmiris have finally learnt that the system of forming a queue is immensely helpful to one and all. A sustained campaign needs to be done to educate people so that it percolates to places where it is direly needed . I end with a poem of my favourite Turkish Poet Nazim Hikmet.

You are my imprisonment and my freedom,
my flesh,
burning like a summer night,
you are my country.
You, with your green spots in golden-brown eyes,
you are my great one, my beauty, my triumphant desire
that slips even further away
the closer one comes to it
.( Nazim Hikmet )

                                                      





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