Outside the Amarnath temple, Pony, laden with elderly pilgrims, makes its way with a trusted paths, while the porters walk like ants in rock and ice. As they walk on the last stretch towards the holy cave, an elderly person blesses his ponyivas, Zulfikar, “You can do good in life.”
Zulfikar, 47, says his family has now been serving in the Amarnath Yatra for decades. Referring to the April 22 terror attack, he said, “What happened in Pahalgam was an injustice. A ponywala was killed while defending tourists like itself.” “Service is also part of our faith; our entire family depends on this journey.”
The annual Amarnath Yatra, thousands of families such as Zulfikar-Poniwalus and their certain-foot horses, Anantnag, Pithos that carry heavy loads for miles, the owners of the tents who provide shelter from the extreme climate, and help those drivers who help do everything from the diesel generator.
In fact, legend is that the holy cave was discovered by a shepherd named Malik in 1850. Malik was high in the mountains with his flock when a Sufi saint gave him a bag of coal. Opening the bag after returning home, Malik found that it was full of gold. The Parmanand Shepherd ran away to thank the saint, but did not find; Instead, he found cave and ice lingam.
The generations of men drawn from remote villages in Anantnag district are now a symbol of this homogeneous ethos of Kashmir, which was tested after the terrorist attack.
During the 38-day trekking season, a single poniwala earns Rs 2,000 per day, due to fixed routes for each. Each pony can take up to 100 kg and travel several times daily during the peak season.
Riyaz, who comes from Anantnag district and calls himself Virat Kohli fan, says “this time, everyone is on the shore”.
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“I argue with them and break the stress whether (Virat) Kohli should have retired or not. It takes their mind away from things,” they say.
At the top of Mahagunas, Dr. Nilesh Kalaria operates a hospital located at the highest point of the travel route at 14,000 feet, where he often has to deal with people complaining of oxygen deficiency. Dr. Kalaria has so far participated in more than 390 patients. Today, the patient is number 29 Kasar Ahmed, which is tilted to an oxygen cylinder.
This is the second term in the hospital for Ahmed, which carry heavy loads at the highest peak. “Even though I am used to height, this mountain takes a toll,” they say.
Earning about Rs 1,500 per day, he has time to recover properly as his customers wait outside. He says, “My uncle died 10 years before a heart attack to lift heavy load on this hill. I don’t think much about it. I help as much as possible.”
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On the dusty tracks of Baltal, Omair Wani is the youngest person to offer his services. At the age of only 11, he offers to lift heavy loads in the base camp, but he has not found any customer. “I can earn enough money to support 10 members of my family. My two elder brothers also work as porters. I have not found a single customer, so I am selling Nimbu Pani for now,” they say.
In the last base camp Panchtarni before the holy cave, Abdul Dar’s tent was installed in a few weeks, including 12 people. The infrastructure structure is misleading, but is easily designed. Each tent is anchored with stakes that can enter the frozen ground. Inside, thick carpets and blankets create an insulation obstruction against the ground. A basic sleep space costs Rs 600 per night, including premium services, including warm water, which contains Rs 100 per bucket. During the peak season, a single tent can generate revenue of Rs 20,000 per day from Rs 15,000.
However, the cost of keeping things running is equally staggering. Transport of supply alone consumes 15-30 percent revenue. “People here change with height disease, hypothermia and cardiac issues. We make a note of these yatris and examine them. A passenger from UP could not go to the holy cave and he did not have money to live another night. We and his family allowed him to migrate to another night, because space was available.
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