The prologue
It was 1993, precisely 15thAugust, when I was first
introduced to the world of Kashmir. Roja, a movie made on Kashmir won National
awards that year and was telecast on Doordarshan on the Independence Day. The
movie instantly hooked me up. Mani Ratnam has created a magnificent tale of
rising insurgency in Kashmir. He not only presented the rising phenomena of
terrorism with a captivating story, but also splendidly captured the scenic
beauty of the valleys through his lenses. The song "Ye haseen
wadiyan" was playing everywhere around. Those were the days, I used to
think that when I grow up, I will move to Kashmir and spend my life there.
20 years since that incident have passed. Insurgency in
Kashmir grew with each passing days. I grew up, became wiser and realized that
my childhood dream would probably not come true. Economic and political conditions
in Kashmir would make me better off stay elsewhere. Nevertheless, I decided
that I would plan a long trip to Kashmir sooner. However, rising insurgency
added with the pressure from family was forcing me to hold my plans of visiting
Kashmir every year. Finally, this year I could not resist the itch and booked
an itinerary, despite knowing that troubles in Kashmir has risen again with the
execution of Afzal Guru. I was determined that come what may; we would not
cancel our tickets.
On the way to Kashmir
My travel date was approaching fast and alas, an unfortunate
incident happened. Five Indian soldiers were shot down by the insurgents and an
indefinite curfew was imposed in Srinagar. Almighty probably did not want my
wish to be fulfilled easily. But, as I decided earlier that come what may, I
will go to Kashmir, I packed my baggage and left for the place with a slight uneasiness
feeling.
All my apprehensions vanished the moment I landed in
Srinagar airport. Taxi operators on the airport said that curfew usually does
not affect the tourist centers in Srinagar. It is the city, which remains
deserted during this time. I was in touch with a Houseboat operator and he
arranged a pickup taxi from the airport for me. Our journey of fifteen
kilometers from airport to Houseboat in Dal Lake made me realize why Kashmir is
still a dangerous place to visit. Police check posts were at every kilometer
along the route and the streets were entirely empty. I thought I might have to
spend the next few days sleeping in my houseboat. But, when I reached Dal Lake
I found that the taxi people at the airport were right. The place was full of
life. Tourist spots and tourists are normally not troubled by both the army and
the insurgents. Taxi driver dropped me there and I was guided towards a
Shikara, which took me to the Houseboat.
Dal Lake, Houseboat and Shikara
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| Picture 1: Dal Lake |
I freshened up in the Houseboat and in another hour went for
the Shikara ride in the Dal Lake. Shikaras are smaller boats decorated in fancy
ways to provide a nice warm experience to the worried tourists. But, It was a
ride to remember. I started at around 5 pm and enjoyed the ride for about 3-4
hours. The Lake is huge with a shoreline extending up to 16 kilometers. There
are mobile shops and markets in the lake, which provide locally manufactured
handicrafts and goods. You will encounter several photographers and other
sellers during your ride. It got real freezing in the Lake by the sunset. I
would advice to take blankets along with you, if you want to enjoy the ride and
do not want to hurry back due to the unbearable cold.
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Picture 2: Houseboats in Dal Lake
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Houseboats are larger stationery boats in the lake and
usually contain 3-4 bedrooms along with a living room and a kitchen. They
provide a different kind of ambience not normally available in the hotels. If
you visit Srinagar, you may try out these places instead of hotels. I reached
back to my houseboat at 9 pm and was welcomed by a nice Kashmiri meal and
Kahawa there. If you are fond of beverages, try Kashmiri Kahawa, a local
flavored Green tea with spices.
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| Picture 3: Busy roads in Gulmarg |
Gulmarg and the Gondola ride
Next day, we planned to go to Gulmarg, a hill station located
50 kilometers away from Srinagar. Gulmarg is a very popular ski destination and
is located at a height of 9000 feet. It has one of the highest cable cars in
the world called “Gondola”, which goes up to 14000 feet. We left very early in
the morning because of curfew inside the city. Streets were still empty. But,
the view was breathtaking. There were towering snow laden mountains all around.
I was especially surprised with the infrastructure of the city. I found the
roads to be one of the best among the other state capitals. Gulmarg is situated
at heights, so it gets very freezing while climbing up there. You should pack
all you warm winter-wears and get snow-boots before placing your feet on
Gulmarg snow. Gondola ride to the 14000 feet peak was one of the most amazing
experiences I had in my life. You could see the ski marks on the mountains all along
the way up from the trolley. I wonder how the skiers find courage to ski from
such heights.
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| Picture 4: Gondola and the skiing marks |
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| Picture 5: View from 14000 feet peak |
We came back tired after clicking thousands of snaps of stunning
views in Gulmarg. Two hours of rest and we got ready again to explore the local
market in the city. Most of the shops were still closed. But, we could find few
shops selling locally manufactured leather goods and handicrafts. Kashmiri wool
and leather is not obscenely costly there and if you are good at bargaining,
you can get great deals. In addition, the local handicrafts is one of the
stuffs you can explore purchasing.
Picturesque valleys of Sonamarg
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| Picture 6: Way to Sonmarg |
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| Picture 7: Sonamarg Valley |
Sonamarg is one of the other places you must not miss during
the trip to Kashmir. Sonamarg is situated approximately 96 kilometers from
Srinagar. It again has snow all over, but the way to Sonamarg is not that steep
compared to that in Gulmarg. You climb slowly and easily, moving along with
tens of feet of snow on both sides of the road. Scenic beauty is amazing, with
a view of snow-laden mountains all over the place your eyes can reach. We were
fortunate as the Sonamarg valley was opened the very first day after the winter,
when we reached there. So, we found barren unexplored snow everywhere. It was
exciting but equally dangerous too, as you do not know what is beneath the
snow. Overall, it was another incredible experience.
Exploring local tourist attractions in Srinagar
We spent next few days exploring other locales around
Srinagar. Kashmir is known for its lush greeneries and vegetation. There is
Mughal Garden, Tulip Garden, Pari Mahal, Dargah Hazratbal, Chashma Shahi among
other popular places that tourists flock to when they are in Srinagar. But, as
we went there in the month of March (end of winter), trees were all dried up
because of the harsh preceding winter. The gardens were barren. We realized
that we could probably have come 1-2 months later, when the trees and gardens
come to live with blooming new leaves and flowers.
Way back home
Our return date finally approached. Due to curfew, we could
not explore the Srinagar city much. But, on the way back to airport from Dal
Lake, we experienced an entirely different city compared to what we saw, when
we arrived here. Curfew was subsiding and so the emptiness in the city.
Srinagar looked as busy as any other city in India. We were advised to reach
airport two-three hours prior to the departure, as the security arrangements
are very stiff there. Although necessary, I found the frisking process to be a
little overstretched.
On the way back to Delhi, I had already started making the
plans of my next visit to Kashmir during the times of normalcy. After all, I
could not explore the Srinagar city and the greeneries of Kashmir that it is
known for. And yes, I realized why the
countries are fighting over with each other to have a dominance over the region
- the paradise on Earth, Kashmir.
