Although Kashmir valley witnessed moderate to heavy snowfall recently along higher reaches and plain areas, the Pulwama district of South Kashmir has remained snow deprived with very less or no precipitation occurring in the areas.
Huzaif Mohammed Sofi, 5, has been yearning for snowfall for the past couple of months to match last year’s snow fight with his relatives. Little Huzaif from Wahi Bugh village in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district often inquires from his father about when it will snow.
Huzaif has promised his grandparents that he will visit them after it snows. He has been eagerly waiting for this winter’s snowfall to engage in a fresh snow fight with his aunt and avenge last year’s defeat, widely publicized among his siblings.
On the previous Thursday, his long wait seemed to be over as most parts of the valley received quite a decent snowfall.
Unfortunately, the plains of Pulwama, including Wahi Bugh and Kakapora, were draped with less than an inch of snow. The snow vanished as soon as the sun’s warm morning rays reached the Earth’s surface, dashing Huzaif’s hopes into despair. He couldn’t engage in a fresh snow fight with his aunt, and the hurt of last year’s loss has to be endured.
Like Huzaif, many kids from the plains of Pulwama have been missing snow and its charms this winter. Kids as well as youth love “Sheen i Jung” or snow fights, which are only possible after sufficient snow accumulates on the ground.
Ahnan, a second-grade student at a private school in Wahi Bugh, explained that Shen i Jung is a beloved pastime they miss this winter. Ahnan said that he used to fight with his friends and spent hours throwing snowballs at each other.
“We make two teams of equal players on each side, each team is given time to prepare a sufficient quantity of snowballs,” he said, adding that both teams build snow defense layers to hide behind.
Ahnan added that players from each team throw snowballs at each other, and the team with more points emerges as the winner. However, he mentioned that the fights don’t always go smoothly. “Sometimes the fight turns ugly, and players engage in close hand-to-hand combat, putting snow under their opponents’ garments,” he said.
After Shen i Jung, children have a difficult time facing their parents with wet clothes, trembling hands, and running noses.
Ahnan said that Shen i Jung is worth parental taunts. “Last year, I caught a chest infection and cough after the fight due exposure to cold,” he said, adding that he is willing to take these risks. Another pastime missed by children in the plains of this southern area is snow sculpture.
Ahnan’s schoolmate and friend, Aabid, has a good reputation among kids for carving different designs from snow. His snowman, snow bat, and snow animals attract many of his friends.
As nature was not kind enough this winter for the plains of Pulwama to bestow it with enough snow, Aabid’s friends couldn’t appreciate his snow art.
Sufficient snow on the ground is also a prerequisite for sledding and sliding. The kids would use different hacks over slippery snow to enjoy these two pastimes in courtyards, on roads, and nearby playgrounds.
After seeing a video of a group of overjoyed Shopian kids sliding on a snow-covered slippery road, Huzaif and Ahnan wish to visit the place. At Huzaif’s place, the snowfall was so little that he couldn’t fulfill even one of his wishes.
His wish to churn a chilled ice cream with boiled milk, fresh snow, and sugar crystals remains unfulfilled. This is a pastime he acquired from his siblings and is much loved by him. “I love preparing the chilled ice cream,” Huzaif said, adding that he swallows the maximum amount among his siblings.
With every new prediction, the kids look towards the sky, hoping it will snow so that they can fulfill some of their long-pending desires.
