The life of a mountain Shepherd is a battle of survival with gruelling everyday challenges. With extreme weather conditions and lack of necessities, nature has forced him to live a nomadic life. But this Shepherd has evolved over the years and learned to live and survive in the merciless mountains. This landless man spends his entire life with his herd of sheep which over the time becomes his family and the only possession. He cares, protects, feeds them all his life and the sheep in turn gives him enough to earn his livelihood. This barter system which unfolds into a relationship of love and sacrifice is a unique gift of nature and a selfless act of mankind.
The Shepherd takes up a multi dimensional role of a mother, father and a friend. He raises the lambs, takes the herd to graze, protects them from wild animals, toils hard to find water and shelter for them.
When the season changes and weather worsens, he takes the sheep thousands of miles across the landscapes and terrains to a safer place.
This perennial flow of love, concern and togetherness shows that a relationship can exist in the strangest form where no words are spoken and there are no expectations yet there is a sense of understanding and a rope of faith that binds them. This also shows that the survival of mankind depends on essentially two things only- to love and be loved.
This illiterate poor Shepherd makes a life with what he is given and unknowingly throws a question at all of us.
A kashmiri sheepman walks with his herd of sheep on the banks of river Sind in Sonamarg, Kashmir
