The region of Jammu through my lens
Beyond headlines and half-truths, this personal account reclaims Jammu as a place of warmth, resilience, and lived reality. Seen through an anthropologist’s lens, it reveals a region far richer and more welcoming than its popular narrative
Can’t believe it’s been more than two years since I started staying in this region. Coming from the southern part of India, I often heard many things about Jammu and Kashmir. Many news articles talked about the security conditions in this region. Influenced by these articles and television news, naturally, my family became worried about my condition. Coming from an anthropological background, I was curious to know about the real situations.
I landed in Jammu during the winter season, and coming from South India, tackling the cold was a bit challenging. Jammu has extreme temperatures during peak winters and summers. The first thing I noticed after landing here is the construction of roads and flyovers. There was congestion on the roads due to the ongoing construction. It took quite some time to reach my destination. One may also feel delighted looking at the water bodies. The majority of the people here are Hindus, followed by Muslims and Sikhs. The culture here is influenced by the Punjabi culture, which may include similar dressing, decorations, music and dance. The reason might be the rule under a common king.
The staple food of Jammu includes Rajma Chawal (Rice and red kidney beans) and chappati (Indian bread), locally called Phulka. They interact in the Dogri language with each other and are quite comfortable with Hindi too. When we start seeing things through the lens of the rest of India, the infrastructure is low, and it is a clear indication of the disturbances this region has gone through for generations.
When travelling through Jammu, one common sight is the military soldiers in military trucks. They do not disturb any civilian and are engaged in their own tasks, but are always ready to help when asked. People tend to identify themselves with this region and are also quite friendly and helpful to outsiders. When interacting with them, they said that whatever developmental activities are going on in the state started only after the repeal of Article 370. The earlier governments only focused on Kashmir and ignored Jammu to a greater extent, which resulted in underdevelopment. Two elderly people whom I met in the village said that the establishment of IIT, IIM, Central University and AIIMS resulted in positivity among them and made them realise that they are now on the path of development and continued to say that the present central government is the reason behind it.
Jammu had a vibrant culture, and they celebrate Maha Sivaratri, Diwali, Dusshera, and Ram Navami on a huge scale. It’s safe and secure for women to travel in Jammu, and the incidents of teasing and other mis happenings on the road are quite rare. They all have a community bond and generally stand for each other during a crisis. The proof of the same was, during the situation after the Pahalgam attack, almost all of them stood in solidarity with the military troops and never complained about the ongoing crisis of electricity and other daily necessities. When the outsiders panicked during that time, they assured them that nothing would happen to them since they trusted the Indian Army.
Jammu is called the city of temples. There are many temples around this region, and many of them are dedicated to lord Shiva, Maa Shakti and Lord Ram. The temples are filled with people during the important festivals. One fascinating thing is that, during festivals, people around are free to come and have food without any restrictions, and they say that it is part of their culture. One can also find Gujjars and Bakarwals rearing sheep and buffaloes and crossing the roads; they reside in the hilly terrains. There lie mosques near their vicinities. Gurudwaras are also common in the region.
When we interact with the elderly members of society, they can still recall the incidents of partition and their migration into Jammu. Even though their pain is incomparable, they also accept that the younger generations have felt the warmth of this region and tend to have an affinity towards it and that they are not carrying the burden that these people did.
Overall, the narrative that was built around the region of Jammu is quite opposite, which can be experienced upon staying here. You may not find incidents that you might find disturbing. Jammu is just like all the other regions of India. Being an anthropologist, I had to stay that long to have a brief understanding of this region and the people here, so that I can give my experience and perspective to the outside people. People here are lively and are hopeful to compete with the other states of India in every field, and when you visit their homes, you will never leave without a cup of tea.
(Assistant Professor, J & K University)
