Kashmir for natural goods :)

Away from high rise buildings, dazzling city lights, speeding cars there are people who still depend on mother- nature for keeping their small businesses running. A small town called Shopian, forty miles away from Srinagar, produces world’s best known varieties of apple including Red Delicious and American Apirogue. On the other hand, people who trade in locally produced apples and cherries remain largely cut off from the real world. Surrounded by a huge mountain range; Pir Panjal these people live lethargic lives, totally different from the fast changing world around them.

People are still dependent on small and simple tools. Everything is done using conventional methods of farming as they do not use any machines at all in their day to day lives. They do not make themselves dependent on machines. It is good in a way because firstly machines are expensive and most importantly using a lot of machines creates unemployment as high skills are required and most of the workers do not possess those skills. “Nature has bestowed us immensely. We do not want to contaminate our lives with modern machines?” says Mr. Abdul Majid Wani, a third generation farmer who owns large apple orchids outside Shopian town.
Apart from delicious apples this town is also blessed with pears, almond trees and walnut. In addition this place is also famous for Bigarreau Napolean variety cherry which is mostly exported to America and Middle Eastern countries and hence these cherries are a great source of income for these people of Shopian. If one gets to know of the fact that this place is so bleesed with such natural bounties, they wil not believe that this place is so cut off from the rest of the world. But still people of Kashmir are happy with their lifestyle, a simple one and life moves at its own pace in Kashmir as the people enjoy the gifts of nature and they feel lucky to be living in such a blessed country.