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Snow as Kashmir’s soul

21 6
18.01.2026

Snow for Kashmir is not just climate, it’s calendar. December and January were months of white silence; a Valley resting and replenishing itself. Snow was an announcement of life itself—feeding rivers, sustaining orchards, and restoring balance to nature.

Today, that certainty is slipping away.

Winters are growing dry. Days in December feel unsettlingly bright, almost like early spring. The long dry spell is no longer an exception—it is becoming the new normal. This is not merely a change in weather; it is a profound climatic shift, and it is sounding an alarm that Kashmir can no longer afford to ignore.

Climate change has ceased to be a distant debate. It is visible, here and now, in shrinking snow cover, erratic rainfall, warmer winters, and disturbed seasonal cycles. Its consequences are already being felt in homes, fields, and forests.

A big irony, those who have contributed the least to climate change suffer its effects the most.

Horticulture is the economic lifeline of Kashmir. It supports lakhs of families directly and indirectly. Apple orchards, walnut........

© Greater Kashmir