Kashmir welcomes Spring with almond flowers

SRINAGAR — People in Kashmir are finally breathing a sigh of relief after four months of harsh winters, as signs of spring, colloquially known as ‘Soant’ have begun to appear in the Valley.

Winter has left nasty and deep scars on the canvas of our reminiscence, and the people of this land have been waiting for spring to come.

As if spring had been buried in a distant graveyard, the frozen winter had plunged us deep into pessimism. Over the last 19 months, the valley has been under lockdown for extended periods of time.

However, spring has finally arrived. Hundreds of people are flocking to Kashmir’s blossoming almond alcoves and tulip gardens, which have been described as “therapeutic for the scarred psyche” by some local mental health practitioners.

A fully flowering almond tree is also a sight to behold, and people of the valley marvel at its majesty. It’s because in Kashmir, a blooming almond tree signals the start of Nowruz – a truly secular festival marked by Kashmir’s all religious communities in one form or the other.

We do have a lot of almonds grown here, but almond flowering is a wonderful scene, cherished by one and all.