Unparalleled Beauty- Kashmir

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“Gar firdaus bar-rue zamin ast, hami asto, hami ast.”
If there is heaven on earth, it is here, it is here. kashmir

Ahh… Kashmir (sighs)

Kashmir is a gentle reminder of the fact that poetry doesn’t always need words. When the pages are torn and the ink fades, the living poetry can be felt with heartbeat and emotions.

My heart melted upon viewing this beautiful valley when I first visited in 2005. Witnessing the tranquillity and calmness of the valley covered with blossoming green and yellow carpet, Gulmarg was a sight to behold. “I don’t want to go back home”, I told my partner and asked if we could stay for some more days.

In the back of my mind, I was wondering if I had a small hut near the river in Pahalgam where distantly, a flock of sheep were looking like cotton balls spread on the green fields. “A rice farm and an apple orchard, some walnut and cherry trees in my garden; that should be sufficient to spend entire life. It will be bliss”, I said to myself. Springwater to drink, plenty of oxygen to intake; the valley has so much to bestow upon.

We are always glued to cosy lives, a fixed pay at the end of every month, the comfort of spending weekends with family and friends. I wish I had listened to heart then. Working relentlessly in a corporate job, I always day-dreamt of the valleys throughout the years. A decade passed and I had a slight realisation that time wouldn’t cling for me to embrace a rush back.

I was financially independent but agitated and asked myself if I have control over my life. A decade and more years into my cubicle-bound schedule, I began to feel outlandish to myself and yearned for freedom all over again.

With few dreams hovering in my mind, no tangible preparation and a strange sense of glee, I put my resignation.

Here’s the free bird now, little realising that sitting at home would bring further errands. With anxiety and sleepless nights, I woke up with an idea to travel to Kashmir on my own. Trepidation and delights both in my wits, my heart was thumping and somehow I convinced my husband for my trip to Kashmir with my 3-year-old daughter.

I landed in Kashmir in April 2019 and to my surprise, it looked more beautiful and serene than it was in 2005. The blue skies, the milky white water flowing down the river, the jagged mountains covered with snow all over; the valley was blossoming with spring. The orchards and the Mughal gardens were blooming with flowers of apple, walnut, cherry and strawberry. The weeping willows were blushing in the valley. The Chinar leaves were rustling & whistling with the cool breeze. We enjoyed the Shikara ride in the Dal Lake. We even visited a village in Dal Lake; they sow their vegetables and have a local floating market. Sipping hot kahwa (a Kashmiri drink made by brewing up flavoured spices – kesar, cinnamon, and cardamom in hot water) and floating on the calm water of Dal was a panorama to behold.

We had a special visit to Tulip Garden for a full day. There, it felt that nature just picked up a paintbrush and dabbed all colours on the easel. We were lucky enough to see the Tulip Garden as it opens only for 15- 20 days in April. There are more than a million flowers. It is said to be Asia’s largest Tulip Garden. named as the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, it is nestled into the foothills of Zabarwan Range with an overview of Dal Lake.

My words may fall short of while describing the beauty of Kashmir. One has to visit and breathe in the valley, as Kashmir is a Feeling’.

I am a regular visitor to the valley now. Unparalleled beauty for sure but another equally strong reason for me to keep going to this place, again and again, is the warmth, simplicity and hospitality of the people.

Your deepest roots are in nature. No matter who you are, where you live or what kind of life you lead; it remains irrevocably linked with the rest of the creation.


kashmir
Sonia Gulati
travelbezzie@gmail.com
Author’s bio

A Banker turned into a Traveller & Photographer, promoting sustainable tourism. A founder of a travel group of women only.

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