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By Anita Joshua
The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, with the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and the Kanchi Acharya, Jayendra Saraswati, at the inaugural of the Sindhu Darshan festival in Leh on Sunday. — PTI.
Commenting on the increased flow of tourists to Ladakh, the Deputy Prime Minister said recent events of violence in Srinagar had once again turned tourists away from one of India's most favoured spots after a brief improvement. However, he added, "I am confident that Kashmir will return to the position it enjoyed on the tourism map of India". This was practically the only reference that Mr. Advani made to terrorism in his speech which for the most part dwelt on turning River Sindhu into a symbol of not just national unity but also international unity in keeping with the course it takes; originating from Kailash-Mansarovar in China and flowing through India into Pakistan. Confident that this was not an impossible aspiration, he said, "there could be a day when representatives of Pakistan and China attend this festival". With the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, slated to visit China from June 22, Mr. Advani said efforts would be made to discuss with the Chinese authorities the possibility of allowing pilgrims to Kailash-Mansarovar take the Sindhu route, which is much shorter and easier than the existing one through Uttaranchal. The issue, he told the large gathering, had been taken up with the Chinese by the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, during his recent visit to China. Since the Chinese did not say no or react to Mr. Fernandes' request, Mr. Advani said India would try to cash in on the prevailing goodwill between the two nations to open the Sindhu route to Kailash-Mansarovar that will cut down travel time by about 23 days. "The Sindhu should become a symbol of international friendship." Inaugurating the three-day festival, the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, assured the people of Ladakh that no region of the State would be neglected. Equating Sindhu Darshan with the Amarnath Yatra and the pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi, he said pilgrim traffic would go a long way in restoring normalcy. "If tourists come here in greater numbers, it will help us a great deal in walking the road to peace." Into its seventh edition, the festival this year was more than just a cultural event with the organisers bringing together a galaxy of religious leaders from different faiths along the banks of the river. While the Kanchi Sankaracharya, Jayendra Saraswati, led the religious ceremony on the Sindhu Ghat, other leaders waxed eloquent about India's unity in diversity, be it religious, cultural or linguistic. With the festival, according to locals, giving a boost to tourism in this weather-locked region and providing an alternate source of livelihood in the few months that Ladakh is accessible, the Union Culture Minister, Jagmohan, promised Central assistance to help the local administration deal with tourist arrivals which has gone up by 400 per cent in recent years.
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