Immediately after landing at Srinagar Airport, one has to walk about half a kilometre to reach the Arrival Lounge. This is a makeshift lounge which had originally been constructed for Hajj pilgrims and is being used now due to the remodelling of the main terminal building necessitated by last year’s declaration of Srinagar as an International Airport. Normally one would have expected construction of a totally new Terminal for International Flights as it has to incorporate immigration and Customs facilities but normalcy has a different connotation in Kashmir. We not only try to remodel our existing infrastructure but even “Historical Monuments” are reconstructed here! For the convenience of passengers they should have provided coaches like other airports. One does not know what happens on a rainy day? Do they handover umbrellas to the passengers? Instead of going for a totally new and modern Terminal for International Flights leaving the present one for Domestic Traffic, they have decided to break and remake the existing one to save a little bit of money. Or is it the space as most of it belongs to Defence Establishment? In the long run this approach may prove costlier. That is normal in Kashmir. There is only one conveyor belt to cater to almost a dozen flights some of which arrive within a short span of each other. As soon as one leaves the arrival hall, there are rows of Government cars outside but no civilian vehicles. One has to walk past a huge iron gate guarded by armed soldiers. The first impression for an outsider is that of entering a high security prison. The public parking is still further away. After leaving the airport parking lot one drives along a road which has a number of road blocks. After this short stretch one enters the main road leading to city through another massive iron gate. The entire road is full of security vehicles of Army, Paramilitary Forces, and Police which are waiting to give escort and security cover to VIPs. A new comer gets an impression of a large security operation being underway at the Airport itself. The newly arrived persons even though passing through huge steel gates and massive security presence have more or less a smooth entry to the “City of the Sun”. However, they are totally oblivious of the nightmarish experience they are going to face on return. Had they known that they may have to spend hours in a queue to reach the Airport, undergo two baggage x-rays and four body searches, they might have returned from the Airport itself. As one drives along the main road the most striking features are the sand bag bunkers at all crossings and vintage points. Almost half of the width of the road has been taken by these bunkers at some places. This narrowing of roads causes traffic jams frequently at peak traffic hours. The other very noticeable item is the barbed wire. Rolls upon rolls of this sharp edged razor wire are spread around the bunkers and on the boundary walls. In earlier times most Kashmiri houses used to have wild roses and creepers climbing over the outer walls. These have now been replaced by rolls of barbed wire. The houses occupied by security forces, VIPs and some mainstream politicians resemble high security prisons. The residence of the elected and “popular” Chief Minister resembles the Fort Knox. Most of the sand bag bunkers are now being replaced by permanent brick structures to look more appealing and fitting in the surrounding environment. These seem to be becoming a permanent feature of the landscape not only in the city but throughout the valley. However, Kashmiris are now totally used to such features and do not notice these at all. In fact our city without these would look “abnormal” for the local population! Going to State run Banks and other Public Utility services is a bigger hassle. The State Bank of India looks like a fortress. The Central Telegraph Office as well as the Post Office are the most well guarded buildings. Massive sand bag bunkers and rolls upon rolls of barbed wire are all around these structures. There are high pill boxes with machine guns being manned by alert soldiers. It must be the only place where such security is visible at Public Utility Service Offices. Driving along the once most famous Boulevard on the Dal lake the most visible features are the Hotels occupied by security forces. They are supposed to be our “permanent tourists” as all buildings occupied by them generate an appreciable rent for the owners who are not very keen to get these vacated except for a few who got these back after a prolonged legal battle and a massive damage to their properties. Again in the lake itself there are islands occupied by security forces to keep away the rebels. Patrols on motor launches add colour to otherwise drab and stinking lake which is anyhow slowly nearing its end after a colourful life of few thousand years. Thanks to our insatiable greed. Along this road and on some other roads one may suddenly get halted for sometimes even half an hour to allow Army and Security forces convoys to pass. At vulnerable points all traffic gets halted for security reasons. Traffic crossing the Cantonment area has very strict check and regulation. Movement through this area in the night is virtually impossible because of numerous road blocks and checks. In other areas too, most of the civilian traffic gets thinned out as soon as it is dark. Most of the shops close early compared to other metros. Night life in Srinagar is non-existent. In old times people would be running around past mid-night and during marriage ceremonies there would be night long celebrations. We seem to have forgotten these functions now. Most of the major roads in the valley were lined by popular trees. This was a distinct feature of the valley. In many places these popular trees have disappeared due to some disease. However, we have something new along these major roads. Every morning the first persons to travel on these roads are the brave ROP jawans (Road opening parties) of the Army who make these roads secure after sweeping away any hidden mines and explosives. Then they leave a line of armed soldiers after every couple of hundred metres or so to guard these roads during the daylight hours. Most of our tourist resorts are distinguishable from other similar spots in the world by a visible and sizeable presence of security forces. These are meant to instil a sense of security among the brave visitors frequenting these areas and give a unique quality to our destinations. Most of the senior bureaucrats also live like tourists in the well guarded “Tourist Village” of Chashmashai (The Royal Spring) and play golf at the Club of the same name. It is an interesting sight to see these VIP’s on the course being trailed by security guards at a discreet distance. Other middle and lower rung non-Kashmiri bureaucrats of the Civil secretariat also live in well secured Hotels and Guest Houses and are every day ferried to and fro in Government Buses like little school boys. Apart from this there are layers of other visible and invisible security agencies waiting in the wings. These get fully activated during the periods of heightened alert or during the visits of outside very high security VIPs to the city. Most heightened security is visible on the Independence Day and the Republic Day. We Kashmiris have learnt to live with these new special features in our life style. We consider these fully normal and do not even talk about these in our daily conversation. Normally any other nation would have thrown up its arms. Not us and according to Tyndale Biscoe if the British had gone through this, they would have lost their manhood! Centuries of oppression has made us immune and insensitive. The people with the best survival instinct. Hardly any day passes without incidents of violence being reported from different parts of the valley. However, it does not make a difference now. People hardly react to these except in the parts where the violence takes place. We have been so much brutalised that for all of us this is “Normal”. However, a kind word and a joke still get the best out of us and we keep on smiling! So “Is Kashmir Normal?” It is for the outsiders to judge.