It is a validation of India itself that people still see Kashmir as a tourist spot. The scars that the valley has endured, the wounds that the residents have seen fester within themselves could easily have turned the paradise on earth into a living hell; but it is a vindication of Indian democracy and the system that Kashmir has survived. Politics, terrorism and war have not been able to take away from Kashmir the lasting value of tourism; if nothing else, the valley sustains itself by its sheer repeat value. If you have once been to Kashmir, you will necessarily have to return. That is the magic of the valley. It beckons. And no amount of damage can keep it out of the tourist map of the world. The reasons to keep away from Kashmir are fewer than those are, which make you dream of the land of valleys and snow-kissed mountains.

How can one explain that during the time of war, an election is at least being held in Kashmir? And that, people, who should be huddled behind closed doors waiting for the next gunshell to burst upon their future, are actually queuing up to make a choice in front of poll booths? Even if in a trickle? The message goes out loud and clear; India lives and it lives through its system, which no terrorism can throw asunder. India votes and even while it does so, it sustains a hope that all is not lost.

Jammu and Kashmir has six Lok Sabha constituencies; five have already voted. One was countermanded after the killing of the Anantnag BJP candidate for which elections are to be held again on October 4. The Anantnag example is a test case of Kashmir's endurance. The killing of an election candidate is no extraordinary event in India; however, in a town ravaged by annihilations and extremism, when elections show one way to get out of the impasse, this could have been enough to push back any process to restore normalcy by more than what historians and analysts would like us to believe. Not so in Anantnag.

The CPI (M) is contesting the seat with Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami as its candidate. His rivals are Mufti Mohammed Sayeed of the Progressive Democratic Front and the National Conference's Lei Mohammed Nayek. The CPI (M) campaign, as this correspondent was witness to last week, has been novel; Tarigami goes to his rallies with only an hour's notice since he is a marked man. Obviously, the turnouts cannot be necessarily huge because of the nature of the campaign but the very fact that he is campaigning under such circumstances should be ample proof yet again that, like that dogged tourist to the valley, the riddles of politics have not confused the basic fabric of priorities in Kashmir.

Tarigami, a legislator from the Kolgaon Assembly segment, know this. He says, "For the last 50 years, Kashmir has lived on tourism. That is one potential that we cannot afford to lose. There has been no concrete political initiative to wrest control from the drift that has overtaken the political process in Kashmir. It is thus important to bring back peace at any cost. That is my singular political plank and campaign issue.''

Bringing back a sense of security in the people is thus a major task. There are some people who are still equal to the task. They should be given a chance. Tarigami is not alone. And as long as people want to see Kashmir return to being the land of dreams and romance, then his task will have the full support of the masses of India. A deserted Kashmir could well toll the death knell for India's image; if there are more people like Tarigami who realise this, then so much the better for all that is good about the country. If the houseboats on Dal Lake are allowed to do business, that will be a vote for India.