J&K's ace swimmer looks to sink Omar's poll hopes

GANDERBAL: An ace swimmer seems to be giving the sinking feeling to National Conference mascot Omar Abdullah in Ganderbal. And the legend of Bashir Mir is that he is a daredevil who rushes to the ‘darya’ and plunges into the choppy currents to rescue people, sans concern about his own well-being.
From the picturesque Kangan, Mir’s hometown, to the end of the buzzing Ganderbal right to the edge of Hazratbal in Srinagar, people only talk about Mir’s skill in water.The rest follows: if a young man routinely stakes his life for others, he would be around for his constituents, in good times and bad.
With the endearing immodesty of a villager, Mir explains his widespread fame as a rescuer with a laconic, “I am a good swimmer.” But it hides the awe that young boys and old men across the length of Kangan-Ganderbal have for the 48-year-old youth leader of PDP. “Parvah nahin karta, kapde utarta hai aur darya mein kood jata hai, kitne log bachaye, kitne laash nikali,” is the refrain delivered in different words laced in chaste Kashmiri accent. It is as if the flowing waters of ‘nallah sind’ carry his gallant tales across the land.
Kangan is on the route of Amarnath Yatra and Sonmarg. “People come from different parts of India. There are accidents. Someone slips while bathing. Sometimes vehicles fall in the river,” he said, adding that SDRF and NDRF enlist his support in tricky situations. “I am the expert. When they cannot go in or fail, they call Bashir, and he goes there,” he says with his likeable boast.
According to Mir, over 20 years, he has taken out 70 dead bodies and rescued 22 who fell alone or while traveling in vehicles. “I'm famous for it,” he says.
(But Bashir complains “the government never acknowledged me or gave me any award.”)
The fame of water has Mir walking in the air in this election. “I am No 1. We will win, Inshallah. People know Bashir is a good man. Ganderbal is a small district with a 4 lakh population. ((They all know Bashir Mir)),” he said about his prospects against Omar.
He contested twice for the neighbouring Kangan, and lost narrowly in 2014 against the NC stalwart Mian Altaf. Post-delimitation, the seat was reserved for STs, forcing Mir to migrate.
Ganderbal has been a family bastion of the Abdullahs. But the man to raise the temperature in the hot seat is calm personified. Mir claims the young Abdullah did little for Ganderbal despite being the CM, a line echoed by many poor of the constituency.
Mir asked, “Did you not see the videos of Omar turning his cap into a bowl begging for votes? Why do you think he is fighting from two seats now? (Everyone wants Bashir to be given a chance).”
NC is banking on its organizational infrastructure and resources to tide over the challenge. (Over three generations, the NC has created lifelong supporters.) “I always voted for National. Omar will win,” said a 60-year-old. But Abdul Qadar, an NC worker, averred it was a tough fight. However, a cop near the NC office laughed away the talk of a challenge. “100% Omar will win. Omar campaigned for three days, then Farooq saab did for three days and now Omar will come again.”
Given that the PDP is in a tough election this year, will it not hurt the young man despite his popularity? Mir returns to his endearing immodesty, “People will vote for Bashir.”