Recently, incidents of public smoking and drinking triggered anguish and anger across the Kashmir valley. In photos and videos that went viral on Social media, a traveler from India dance-drunk openly on the streets of Srinagar, another photo, clicked by a Kashmiri photographer, Basit Zargar showed a woman puffing Hookah on a snow-covered street in Srinagar, both the incident angered people, as they were seen as an insult to the local culture and the social fabric.
@AmitShah Mr shah u removed Article 370 from kashmir for this ?? This man was drinking in the heart of srinagar city without fear. Hopefully this is your party worker . pic.twitter.com/EUwN1LtdjJ
— جسیر مہراج (@jazmehraj07) January 3, 2021
Though smoking publicly has been banned in many places, such photos is an open ‘glorification’ of smoking, and must not at all be appreciated. Regardless of where you live on this great, big Earth, chances are you will eventually interact in some way with a culture that is different from your own. When most people think about culture, their first thoughts involve race or ethnicity. Culture goes far beyond that, however.
In addition to race and ethnicity, our cultural orientations are influenced by gender, class, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs, age, and much more. ‘Culture is a very complex idea. We often use the term to refer to things like food, holidays, clothing, music, and religion but it also goes much deeper than that.
Behaviors, customs, beliefs, and values are also part of your culture.
So when we travel to places other than researching the destination’s attractions, historic sights, and cuisine. One must also, research ways of life, historic heritage, religious beliefs, language, or cultural norms, This is a crucial part of preparing for your trip that will not only make you a more conscious traveler but will guarantee you have a more meaningful adventure and a better appreciation of the place you’re visiting.
Cultural exchange is the duty of travelers, to absorb as much as we can about the areas of the world that are so different from our own. We are beyond fortunate, and privileged to have the opportunity to explore the world through many cultures, and it’s of utmost importance to acknowledge and respect that.
The Facebook page "Jannate #kashmir" have flimed this Alcoholic Man while he was drinking Alcohol in Lal chowk #Srinagar. They should have stop him or either beat him on the spot. This is Totally insane act happened first time in #kashmir.
— Resistance Kashmir (@ResistanceKash) January 3, 2021
Cultural exchange does not mean pushing your western ideas or judgment onto others, it means asking questions, listening to answers, and enjoying the unique experiences that only travel can bring. Leave your bias at home. Just because you don’t understand something, or that it wouldn’t be right for you, doesn’t make it wrong for others.
When heading out to go sightseeing in a destination remember that you’re the guest, and you’re very fortunate to be able to visit places of religious or cultural importance. Many places may have strict dress code requirements. It’s so important to respect these, they aren’t meant to suppress you, even if you disagree with their reasoning. If you are a woman it may sound suppressing to you to wear a headscarf at places or if you are a man it might sound unreasonable to you to be not able to roam shirtless on the street, no matter how upsetting I may find that to be, You should not disrespect the local culture.
In Thailand, your feet should never point towards Lord Buddha and in India, you should never eat with your left hand, you won’t accidentally lock lips when a French person goes in for a third peck on the cheek or make a hand gesture that deeply offends someone in Indonesia. It’s worth noting that in many countries it is illegal and punishable to speak poorly about members of the monarchy, It can be shocking to see deep poverty alongside luxury buildings in cities like Delhi, India, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Just saw a video of an Indian who lives in Kashmir and calls it home, chugging glasses of alcohol in Gulmarg with her sidekicks on new year while innocents were killed on the very road which leads to Gulmarg. She has good fan following aswell, aes kyazi fanah gasaan eman wuchith?
— abdullah (@wayfarxr) January 3, 2021
Photos can be the most meaningful souvenir from a trip but it’s important to follow the golden rule when snapping pictures of others, but you cannot disrespect people’s privacy and dignity and click their photos without their permission. Be mindful of the perception the photos you publish may portray about the place you’ve visited.