Examiner Bureau | Srinagar:
A proposed four-day meditation retreat in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gurez Valley has drawn objections from former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who have urged the authorities to examine the programme.
The retreat, titled “Tantra in Silence – A Journey Within,” is scheduled to be held in Gurez from September 24 to 27. Promotional material for the programme identifies Swami Dhyan Sumit as the facilitator and lists accommodation, food and meditation sessions at a fee of ₹11,995 per participant.
Ms. Mufti, in a post on X, urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Jammu and Kashmir Police to examine the proposed event.
“Gurez is no playground for experiments in the name of spirituality or tourism,” she said, calling for the authorities to “intervene immediately and take appropriate action”.
She also appealed to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam to raise awareness about the programme.
The Mirwaiz subsequently expressed support for the concerns raised by Ms. Mufti and called for the authorities to take note of the proposed event.
“The concern raised by @MehboobaMufti deserves immediate attention!” he said in a post on X.
The Mirwaiz also referred to a similar programme in Goa, claiming that it had been cancelled by the police there following objections to its promotional material. He questioned the holding of a similar programme in Gurez.
He said Kashmir’s tradition of spirituality was rooted in the region’s history of Sufi and saintly traditions and argued that tourism promotion should take into account local religious, cultural and social sensitivities.
“Kashmir is the land of sufis and saints. Here spirituality is experienced, not marketed at a cost!” he said.
The Mirwaiz also urged the administration and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take note of what he described as the “exploitation” involved in the proposed programme.
There was no immediate official statement from the Jammu and Kashmir administration or police on the proposed retreat, including whether all requisite permissions for the event had been obtained.
The programme has thus brought into focus the balance between tourism-related activities and the cultural and religious sensitivities of the areas in which such events are organised.
