This Article is From Sep 20, 2014

In Kashmir, Floods Wash Away Religious Differences

Three and half year old Soha using crayons at Jama Masjid Hyderpora in Srinagar

Srinagar: While the dominant narrative following the Kashmir floods has been of the army and National Disaster Rescue Force's operations, many local volunteers are working to heal the scars left by the disaster.   

Local volunteers have come together irrespective of community or religion to help each other in their time of need.

While some are working with children affected by the floods, others have been providing medical assistance and opening up mass kitchens.

Children at the Jama Masjid in Hyderpora in Srinagar have been going through art counseling-a form of post-traumatic stress disorder therapy every day.

Water dominates most of the paintings of children. They have taken refuge here after the floods forced them and their families out of their homes.

The children are given blank pieces of paper and crayons by the volunteers. It's no surprise that the dominating theme is rain, floods, houses under water and boats.

Arshad Mushtaq, a theatre personality who holds these sessions says, "The local people are sustaining Kashmir. So, this was really a period of freedom, where one didn't have checkpoints, where you didn't have people stopping you, where you didn't have forms to be filled, i-cards to be shown and machines to be used. This was people-to-people contact. This was heart-to-heart contact and this was definitely a dream come true. We definitely are going to see a stronger Kashmir after this--stronger with will, with passion and a heart which is very soft out there to help the needy."

It's people like Arshad and Arif, another volunteer in the mosque, who are making all the difference helping the needy.

Arif also makes the point of how important local efforts have been, telling us. "You can see a lot of youth who have been standing here for days without rest. They are working continuously. We have local doctors who have been providing continuous medical attention to the victims."

Medical attention after the floods also draws lines of patients to a nearby Gurudwara.

Volunteers say 10,000 people have been treated in a week since the water came rushing in to Srinagar. The Gurudwara converted its library into a dispensary to cater to the growing crowd. Donations of medicines worth 15 lakh rupees have also been received. Clearly a lot of water has flown under the bridge.

Ravinder Pal Singh, a pharmacist sums up the mood perfectly, "The Sikh Community doesn't look back. Guru Gobind Singh has told us Nischay kar apni jeet karo--when you have something in your heart that will be your jeet."

.