My Lucy: Personifying Poonch


The only place I always feel like writing about is Poonch- my Poonch. I was born here and I belong to this place or may be it is the place I actually loved to be at. Every time I read William Wordsworth's Lucy the only thing I could personify is Poonch. 


Pir Panjal Post, Poonch,
Whenever I get to visit or see a street, a shop, a school, a village it seems Wordsworth wrote "She Dwelt among the untrodden ways" for her only.

As a kid I could never appreciate this place because my ideal city was always Jammu  or may be Srinagar as we have Malls and Shikaras there. For me ice cream parlours were the main attractions to cherish about, which were missing at my place.

 In the journey of growing up, I realized the beauty of Poonch is in being 'unrevealed', a feeling which is superior to any mall, any supermarket, any railway station or any airport because it is no more a district or a city or a town or even a village to me. It is a way of life to me.

I enjoy the single sinuous roads-yes I do. And where else one would see men/women driving on wrong sides and arguing with each other for no reason. Yes-People here do have the time to argue !

 It is exciting when I see people posting and tweeting about many places of Pir Panjal on social media, which are indeed heaven on the earth like Loran, Sawjian, Buffliaz, Peer ki Gali etc. But 
the place that mesmerizes me the most so far is Kanuyian Top.  Moreban and Dheriyan are no less beautiful but the beauty of traces around Ajot is worth-seeing. 

I don't have to travel for hours to visit my Lucy. It takes only a few minutes to traverse her lengths and breadths. The fragrance of the morning breezes, the eye catching landscape, the lush green valleys, the snow clad mountains, the milky water falls are just a few of the characteristic of  her.

Talking about her growth is very common now a days. Everyone wants her to grow and develop. However, it makes me more sentient, as I don't need flyovers which crush her arms and I don't want the development which takes away her charms.

I fear intruders.I fear rush. I fear the hustle bustle of the metropolitan cities. I don't want an ice cream parlour now.  I don't want myself rushing towards anything. I love to wait for seasons to arrive.

 I may be sounding an ancient soul and may be I am.  My Lucy is My Old Melody.  There goes  Anwar Shuoor : 

"Acha Khasa Baithey Baithey ghum ho jata hun, 
Ab mein aksar mein nhi rehta Tum ho jata hun"

 Noorien Mir is an Alumnus of Govt Degree College Poonch.

Pir Panjal Post is a blogging outlet which aims at educating people and creating awareness on the issues concerning human society like Education, Politics, Economics, Science, art and literature. The main focus of this blog is on encouraging the budding writers, poets, painters, calligraphers, photographers etc. Besides, it intends to serve the vernacular languages.