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Letter From Keran
From bunkers to homestays: Border regions in Kashmir hope to ease violence with tourism
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A view of the scenic Keran Valley in Kashmir with the Kishanganga River, which marks the de facto border between India (right) and Pakistan.
ST PHOTO: DEBARSHI DASGUPTA
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KERAN, India – Barbed wire fencing, growling guard dogs, intimidating gun-toting soldiers and a large sign that reads “Respect All Suspect All” – these hardly seem like an ideal start to a holiday.
But it is through this Indian Army checkpoint that a soldier ushers me into Keran, an unlikely travel destination that has popped up at the heart of a decades-old conflict zone between two nuclear-armed neighbours – but not before he retains my government-issued identity card as a security measure.
