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There is a Dari proverb in Afghanistan that says, "Kabul be zar basha, be barf ni". Means (Kabul be without gold, but not without snow). However winter in Kabul is very hard to stand, but still it is welcome only if it snows.
According to xinhuanet news, Afghanistan's first snowfall began Thursday and still continuing in parts of the country including capital city Kabul.
While the heavy snow disrupted lives of thousands of residents in other parts of the world, people of Afghanistan, especially Kabul residents have been waiting intensively to see the first snow of winter this year.
Although winter have always been problematic issue for Afghans, but not snowing and not raining have far worse effects on those whose primary economies depend upon agriculture. Almost 80 percent of Afghanistan’s population is dependent on agricultural products. As if there is no snow, means no water reservoirs to have fertile lands and no food to eat. Moreover, snow cleans up the dust and pollution of this capital city. Therefore snow is a good omen for the citizen of this country.
Regrettably, I have never had the opportunity to visit snow of Kabul, but heard the stories a lot and I can imagine it as an imaginary scene.
A small beautiful city, simple streets, snowy trees, fairly hushed environment, wolves howling and growling around the empty corners of the city…in one side people at homes having warm heaters, dry fruits, sitting under the safe roofs, beside their large and ornate windows enjoy watching, snow coming down from the sky, touching leaves of the trees, wings of the birds, settling down gently on dry lands…
And on other side of the city, a widow, searching for bushes and pieces of firewood to put in fireplace and warm her orphan children. And at times standing beside plastic curtain of her window, watching the snow falling on the roof melting and coming inside the house from the small gaps on the roof, to congratulate them of the first snowfall…
Oh! Where have I gone? I haven’t thought it. Indeed, I was to congratulate the first snowfall to Afghans inside the country. But seems that I went somewhere else. Well take it as an imaginary story. And I am sorry for irrelevant talks in this article. I feel I have been like the poets who haven’t seen or touched the diamond, but still interested to put pen to paper, visualize and write down something about it.
Well, I hope Kabul's sky stays kind and does not quit snowing until I succeed to visit it.
