In Kashmir, Two Tales of Friendship Offer Hope of Communal Harmony

Every morning, 62-year-old Chaman Lal, a Kashmiri Pandit, waits for his friend to take him out for a stroll. Lal, a native of Zainapora village in south Kashmir’s Shopian has been visually impaired for over 25 years. Nearly three decades ago, when his brothers left home to chase their dreams, Lal remained confined to the four walls of his room. He, however, has one hope: His childhood friend, Muhammad Anwar Mir.

Locals call their friendship “The eighth wonder of the world”. For the past 25 years, every afternoon 70-year-old Anwar Mir walks two kilometres to Lal’s home, from where the duo set out for a walk. Lal says the two have been close friends for 40 years, spending two hours daily in each other’s company.…

Lal lives in a single-storey one-room house in Zainapora village while Mir lives two kilometres away in Babapora village. Villagers from Zainapora told The Wire that four other Pandit families, besides Lal, reside there and have for decades lived with their Muslim neighbours in harmony.…

https://thewire.in/rights/in-kashmir-two-tales-of-friendship-offer-hope-of-communal-harmony