Jannat-e-Kashmir

The fortnight before our vacation gave us several anxious moments. After several catch ups with the news at ground zero, the media articles, travel fora, social media posts, et all, we decided to take the plunge and go ahead as scheduled with our summer vacation to Kashmir. We were happy to have stayed put with the itinerary and could never have felt more reassured.

A Shikhara boat along the Dal Lake

Srinagar, the Summer capital, was the first halt of the trip. The capital city with its ever expansive, lush green lawns and gardens and with the Tulips and Roses in full bloom was such a sight to behold. Locals who were extremely warm and hospitable left no stone unturned to ensure that we felt safe and at home. The stay at the famous Houseboats in the Dal lake and a view of the mountains would definitely make one look at the city from a different vantage point beyond all those bullets and stone pelting incidents and unrest that it has been known for. The energetic and vibrant local markets, serene lake side, well-manicured gardens and parks were all just perfect for a fun, family vacation. We could see so many lovely kids on their summer vacation having such a ball at the humungous gardens that the city boasts. My little Tsunami was no different too and all that she did was run around all those never-ending Greens tirelessly. This is truly one blessing that urban households can never give the kids.

River Sindh flowing across the mountain ranges at Sonamarg

Sonamarg, a day trip from Srinagar, was our first ever tryst with Snow in our life and was an absolute delight. We were indeed super-thrilled. For visitors from Chennai and Mumbai with the scorching sun in full heat mode, the snow peaked mountains and heaps of welcoming snow with pleasantly sunny skies was just what we wanted. We tried our hand at Sledging in the snow and had absolute fun. The mountain was teeming with tourists from across all parts of India. Names of destinations like Kargil, Dras and Uri in the sign boards of the Highway that we had only heard about through the media gave us goosebumps.

Snow peaked mountains

Gulmarg, the next destination on the cards, was simply magnificent. The weather was harsh with sub-zero temperatures and an unprecedented chill. The cable car Gondola ride atop the mountain ranges gave us a bird’s eye view of the entire Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas and those numerous pine trees covered in snow. Situated in thick, dense forests, the destination is one amongst the top most skiing destinations of the world and is the highest in Asia.

Pahalgam, the Valley of Shepherds, is about 3 hours away from Srinagar and is the starting point for the annual Amarnath Yatra. The Lidder River which flows through the town is mighty and gushing in full force. Once there, the Betaab and Aru valleys, with astounding views of the snow-capped mountainous, were totally another world altogether. Ponies are a common sight in these valleys and are the most favored mode of transport. It’s a quaint, leisurely town that encourages life to be slowed down to relish the silence and the outstanding views that the valley offers.

End of the day, it was an extremely gratifying trip. Rivers like Jhelum and Sindh that we had hitherto read about only in text books, were all in full flow, live and kicking, right before us. As Indians with a rich heritage, the history associated with these mighty rivers and these destinations makes our hearts swell in pride. Kashmir is inarguably one of the most beautiful places that we had ever been to and lives up every bit to its tag of “Paradise on Earth” in the truest sense of it.

There were a lot of learnings from the trip. Usually, several things in our lives like safety, basic job opportunities to earn our bread and a life with our families are taken for granted. This trip made us feel so blessed and thankful for all those. Just to give a perspective, the state is almost completely covered in Snow for about 3 to 4 months of the year. With an almost zilch economy in terms of manufacturing or services, the only legal, potential revenue stream is tourism. Core tourist season is about 3 months which is when there is some potential for the localites to earn their bread. This is again largely dependent on the then-existing cross-border situation. Some of the sledge pullers with whom we had interacted had Masters qualifications and PhD degrees to back. Unfortunately, the job opportunities do not match up. It was only a grim reminder of the lack of opportunities that the valley provides to the youth who pass out.

We had to reschedule our destinations so as to ensure shorter stays at destinations like Gulmarg that had extreme weather conditions. The fact that our brave Jawans who risk their lives and selflessly protect our borders living in extremely harsh weather conditions plus staying off their families is something that is well-established. However, one realizes the true meaning of this emotion when you visit terrains like these and interact with our real life Heroes on a one-to-one basis. 

Far from what the main stream media portrays, the Valley consists of just the same normal people like any other part of the world. Not every by-stander that you come across is a militant or a Jihadi. I sincerely wish that normalcy is restored in the Valley at the earliest and my fellow countrymen flock it like they would to any other hill station. There are some amazing experiences to be had out there.

Visit it and you will totally have a blast. Of course, certainly not the ones that’s usually associated with the place!