SRINAGAR: Even as in response to pro-freedom leaderships call, thousands of people on Sunday, July 31 attended the rally at martyrs graveyard at Kareemabad, the people from host district of Pulwama and neighboring areas in south Kashmir generously pooled resources to make the event a success.
It was stalls and stalls of refreshment, with volunteers walling the route to the venue, some 25 miles from the summer capital of Srinagar. The inflow of people chanting pro-freedom slogans was so overwhelming that the 30- odd kanal open field serving as community cemetery, including the martyrs graveyard ran short to host the mounting crowds.
Finally the Kareemabad villagers had to open their homes to pave way for the guests to sit and listen to the speeches from the pro-freedom leadership, and slain militant commander Burhan Muzaffar Wanis father.
In a bid to ensure peaceful rally, the volunteers kept the I-cards of the protesters with them at various stalls lest any of them sabotages the rally through any violence.
There was no scope to take any risk and thus we had decided to keep the I-cards of the rally people with us till they leave for their homes in the evening, said a delegation of volunteers.
Interestingly those who were not carrying I-card with them were asked to take a U-turn. There was no argument, we simply requested the people not carrying I-Cards to go back home as such faces could pose a threat, the volunteers said at a verification stall.
Next to it was a stall offering complimentary refreshment. Traditional milk beverage, the Babribuel Sharbat was being served. An elderly man heading the stall told Kashmir Observer that Kareembad alone had pooled around 40 quintals of milk to serve the guest-brethren. We had been into preparations for around a week, while the donations pooling of resources was made wholeheartedly by the people, the volunteers said.
While some were busy preparing the milk beverage served in disposable glasses, other stalls offered orchard-fresh fruits to the protesters, chanting pro-freedom slogans.
A man from the apple rich district of Shopian said he had brought a load carried full of Razakwari apples at midnight ahead of the rally. This agitation is not about any specific district, town or village. This is a united movement for a united cause, so we all have to contribute or lot, said the fruit merchant while offering fruits to the rally.
Conservative estimates suggest over 80 quintal of fruits brought in from various adjoining districts were served to the people.
Quintals and quintals of Tehri, the traditional Haldi rice were also being served.
However in the Kareemabad village, it was mostly the men of the community who were out on the streets. Women preferred to stay behind the veils, lending support in running community kitchens to host the guests.
Some of the women were busy preparing beverages, being subsequently served to the crowds, which after a daylong rally left for homes ahead of the sundown.
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