The inhabitants here, engage largely in peasantry and are not bothered about the politics of the world beyond them; one where their tranquil, communal harmony would be more used to gain political mileage. The place also has a beautiful lake near it. This Surinsar lake, can be best seen from a hill top, connected with a road to the Ashram of a presently living saint. He is revered by the locals and people visit even from abroad.

 

The area has lush meadows, which are a trekker's delight, while those looking for popular places are quickly directed towards Surinsar lake and Narsingh temple. Tiny patches of cereals and mustard dot the meadows, can be seen across the area. Weather beaten Bakkarwal men, with their hennaed beards and thick turbans, lead flocks of goats across these fields to the Warwan mountains in Kishtwar. These nomads are followed by their children and womenfolk, carrying pots, pans and all their possessions along on carts.

 

It was a Friday little afternoon, when we arrived at Surinsar and entered a tea shop whose amiable owned, brought a full fledged meal. We shared a single table with a local Gujjar "Ch Liaqat Ali" of the same village, who own half a dozen buffalo. In response to our query about the Hindu Muslim relations here, he said, “During the turmoil, our area witnessed calm". "We live here in peace", he added as an afterthought.

 

We met with the local Sarpanch, Subash Singh who took us for tea and amid talks, told about the sorry state of affairs here, in regard to development. “The area is being neglected in all fronts”, he remarked. While he proudly told us that he has been at the helm of affairs here for the last four years, the morose tone he took, when complaining about the lack of development, said a lot more.

 

He stated, “I never saw any scheme implemented here. … The Surinsar Mansar Development Authority" (SMDA) and wild life department are functioning in papers when we referred our query about the management and maintenance of Surinsar Lake"

 

Later we had a visit to nearby Narsingh temple, which is a century old. Locals say that the saint Baba Ram Ji Dass, who was revered by the Rameshwar Maharaj, took up the task of repairing the temple. Later on Rukmani Dass, popularly known as Baba Tapspvi demolished the old temple and started rebuilding it. People from all walks of life visit the temple for its blessings.