Snow, Smile, & Slog

The end of a dry winter should have felt like a moment of calm. Instead, the season's major snowfall once again showed how unready the valley remains for what it knows will come every year.

- Ahmad Ayaz

Snow arrived in Kashmir after weeks of worry and whispered prayers.

The dry winter had unsettled farmers, orchardists, and anyone who depends on rivers and springs.

When the snow finally fell, it softened the hills, filled the air with relief, and restored a feeling many here had been missing.

Winters without snow feel wrong in the valley, almost like a broken promise. This snowfall seemed to set things right.

But that feeling lasted only briefly.

As flakes settled on rooftops, another scene played out, one that has become painfully familiar.

Roads shut down, flights vanished from schedules, power lines went dark, and daily life stumbled almost at once.

The same snow that eased fears about water and crops also reflected a deeper problem that refuses to go away: Kashmir still treats snowfall as a shock rather than a certainty.

The dry spell earlier had raised real alarms. Rivers were running low. Groundwater levels worried experts. Apple growers spoke openly about chilling hours and poor yields. Saffron fields carried the same anxiety.

Snow matters here, as it feeds glaciers, fills reservoirs, supports hydropower, and shapes the summer ahead. Its arrival felt like rescue, both practical and emotional.

That rescue collided with systems that buckle every winter.

The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway shut down once again. This road remains the valley’s single reliable surface link to the rest of the country.

Every season brings promises of widening, tunnels, and modern fixes, and each season ends with the same result.

Snow or rain leads to closures, landslides, and long hours of uncertainty.