Once known as a land of saints, a peer waer — a sacred place where humanity, brotherhood, tolerance, and unity flourished. It was a garden of rich culture, communal harmony, and kindness. But all that now belongs to history. Those golden virtues are rarely found today. The Kashmir of the past has slipped away, and in its place stands a very different Kashmir.
For the last thirty years, a slow but steady change has been eating into the soul of this land. Greed has taken root where generosity once lived. People are no longer satisfied with what they have; they want more, even at the cost of their neighbor’s pain. Hatred has replaced love — neighbors look at each other with suspicion, families break apart over small disputes, and friendships do not last. Dishonesty has pushed away trust — a man’s word is no longer his bond, and deception has become a common tool to gain advantage. Cruelty and communal disharmony are now daily realities. Even those who loudly claim to be religious often fail to show the mercy, compassion, and truth that religion teaches. Hypocrisy hides behind pious words.
The paradise that was once peaceful is turning into a dangerous place to live. Brotherhood has disappeared; people stand divided on every line — wealth, sect, and ideology. Hypocrisy is so common that truth looks strange and lies feel normal. Killing and suicides no longer shock anyone. The streets echo with news of another death, another life lost, another family destroyed. Theft, robbery, and deception are not isolated crimes anymore; they have become everyday events. Corruption and bribery run deep through offices and institutions. Justice is delayed, often denied, and people feel helpless in front of a broken system.
Food — once a symbol of Kashmiri pride — is not even safe. Rotten meat is sold in the markets. Staples like rice, flour, and oil are adulterated. People eat, but they eat poison. Inflation rises every day, and common families struggle to put a single proper meal on the table. Medicines, which should bring healing, often bring harm because fake drugs are sold without fear. Doctors, in government hospitals, treat patients with coldness and negligence. Yet, in their private clinics, where money flows freely, they suddenly show great concern and kindness.
The family — once the strongest pillar of Kashmiri society — is now cracking. Parents and elders, once respected and obeyed, now feel ignored and burdened. Husbands mistreat wives, thinking of them as servants, while some wives treat their husbands like slaves, forgetting the balance that builds a home. Children are caught in this storm — growing up without discipline, without values, and without role models
The new generation is restless and rebellious. Many young people no longer respect their elders, and they do not listen to advice. Students in classrooms mock their teachers, and teachers themselves often lack the dedication they once had. They treat teaching as a job, not as a mission. The bond of respect between student and teacher, once sacred, is breaking.
And in this chaos, social evils spread like wildfire. Drug addiction ruins young lives, gambling destroys families, and sectarianism divides people further. The youth, instead of being guided, are being misled. They are losing patience, becoming intolerant, quick to anger, and blind to wisdom.
And where are the voices of truth? Where are the men of religion who should guide society back to light? Sadly, many of them have become part of the problem. The duty of the Muslim clergy, the ulmas, was to heal society, to warn against corruption, to unite people. But instead, many have opened shops of hatred. They divide people into sects, stand on pulpits to spit venom, and throw fatwas against one another. Instead of calming the fire, they pour oil into it. They compete not to bring people closer to God, but to bring them closer to their own narrow groups.
It feels as though a time is coming when Kashmir will lose its last remaining glory — unless we wake up. Unless we remember what this land once was — a land of saints, of harmony, of love.
Kashmir is still beautiful, yes — the mountains still stand tall, the rivers still flow, the chinars still turn red in autumn. But beauty without soul is only an empty shell. And today, the soul of Kashmir is wounded. To save it, people must return to truth, honesty, respect, and humanity. Otherwise, the Kashmir that was once paradise on earth may soon become nothing more than a fading memory.