KASHMIR ON A BUDGET TOUR MARCH 2023
Kashmir was an unfulfilled wish list in my 81 years of age. When the young enthusiast tour operator Tarun approached me for his ensuing budget tour of Kashmir, I had no hesitation to say yes. I am a widower. My son and daughter are now raising their families in places where they could find their footing on service oriented life. Son Arpan, an IT professional is now in Stavangar, a wonderful port city of Norway since half a decade to date. Daughter Madhutsa resides at Bengaluru where her beloved hubby works as an Electrical Engineer. My son and the son-in-law Protap both approved of my intention to go on the Kashmir tour. But Madhutsa was reluctant to allow me undertake the hectic journey. He had taken me to Norway some two years back, where I could survive the world-famous Pulpit rock journey by the son & dad duo, then why not Kashmir? But before the journey, he had advised me to consult Dr N P Singh, my neuro-medicine Consultant & Specialist. Dr N P Singh hopefully did not put up any condition, cheered me instead for the journey and requested a report on the tour. We boarded the Himgiri Express from Howrah at half past midnight of 24th March 2023 and arrived straight at Jammu an hour before evening on 26th instant. My berth was reserved with 2AC, that much of comfort for the long journey.
Willingly or unwillingly, from our reserved coach, throughout the long journey of two days, we could only had views of the outer world through the window glass. Huts, Ghats or Maths to be seen coming to view in the broad space of time, cityscapes would occasionally crop up also. I was particularly impressed with lush golden yellow carpet-like rice bowls – precisely in West UP, Punjab & Haryana. That’s why, I am inclined to believe, the peasantry of these areas could firmly sustain one of the longest farmers movements near New Delhi and eventually the Govt at the centre had to bow down to them and the farmers extracted promises to agree to their demands.
Tour Operator Tarun had arranged two Traveller brand minibuses, suitable for mountainous journeys, to take us – 21 heads in all – to Srinagar but we had to walk up about a kilometre to board the buses.
My forgetfulness cost me to lose my favourite mountain stick & the belt, left in the compartment we were travelling. It was made for me by the Owner of certain Kalimpong Homestay. Recently I had polished it to make the same more presentable specifically for the present tour, but lose those like leaving newly bought umbrella in the taxi.
While the train was speeding passed Pathankot, I was talking with someone over phone. Suddenly I lost all connections to my surprise. I had to learn from my fellow passengers that due to my prepaid SIM card this had happened. Only post-paid SIM cards would be used here. Thereafter I was completely incommunicado with far & near ones throughout the journey unless of course some local arrangements could be made on request. Local SIMs are available in the market but I was advised against purchase of these to be useless.
Night descends here after 7.00 pm. Our buses are negotiating the winding roadway of Jammu to Srinagar. Big and small – innumerable tunnels are crossed through, notably Dr S P Mukherji & Banihall tunnels which are more than 10 kms long. Many are seen in the making also. This most important roadwork appears to be overcrowded throughout this almost nightlong journey. Ravaged at every small distance by the percolated muddy water, crumbled mountain slides and unending up and down movement of heavy commercial vehicles. No military vehicle is seen throughout. At some point it appeared to me too close to vertical downslides. Overcoming all such uphill tasks our buses reached Srinagar Hotel – New Ananya – at about 2.30 am. We got dinner at that hour and moved under warm blankets almost at dawn.
Now we are in the heart of Kashmir Valley. Srinagar had grown up surrounding the famed Dal Lake. The Lake is indeed a vast one – but it appeared to me when we rode the shikara to be in very poor commercial exploitation destroying its natural beauty at least in the zone where the crowded rides are conducted. It offered me no joy – every inch of the stay in Dal Lake was pestered with leechlike approach of hawkers of every description. We found military armoured vehicles at some points of Srinagar, but nobody had any concern regarding this.
Lunch in the hotel. In the afternoon we visited the famous and recently opened in its season, the Tulip Garden. I was awestruck to find that this vast diversely hued blooming garden was a government project! Very rarely such a great Garden can be a creation of a government Wing! Hats off to the Executive Engineer & the Assistant Engineer whose names appear on a board nearby who had made a dream come true in such a worthy place. Returning to the hotel we were offered evening tea & snack – a crunchy parotta like Kashmiri item named Bedgoon or so. I liked it but many of us were naggingly reluctant to relish the taste of it.
Next day we were taken to Sonmarg – two hours journey from Srinagar – through winding roadways. Snowcapped mountain ranges in the distance are visible all along. Initially it looked a little white peak, gradually opening up as a vast snow-capped mountain range throughout the front horizon, ultimately we had set foot on to the all embracing ice-pack itself. Had to hire gum boots for strolling through the ice-pack. Really a great view to enjoy. The Nature in its beautiful display all around. But overcrowding of hotels, resorts etc. are a distinct eye-sore in such a heavenly place. Governmental curbs must be enforced to restrict such oppressive sights. We had to hire local transport to facilitate visiting different points of attractions at Sonmarg.
. On our journey back, some of us cared to get down to visit the famed Hazratbal Masjid sprawling over some hectares of land within Srinagar. We were allowed (other visitors as well) to get into the inner sanctum of the Mosque which contains vast treasure of sacred scripts of Muslim religion and philosophy. Photography was allowed also.
We had set out very early in the morning next day in our bus, destination Gulmarg. Reached the Gulmarg bus terminus at 11.00 am but it was hugely crowded already. Had to hire again gumboot and water-resistant cloak to counter every possibility of rain pouring down the high altitude. From the terminus, the Gondola station is 1.5 kms away which is a plain walk or pony-ride. Although I had collected one strong prop to help me hop around the mountain ice terrain; still, I did not consider it prudent to walk up and then go up. So, I had opted for pony ride because I was feeling troubled by cough and cold already. Others of our sub group reached the station simultaneously. Strangely now our tour operator Tarun, who was taking good care of myself, told me that I do not have necessary ticket for Gondola ride. Tickets were purchased online and all tickets of this season were completely sold out. My ticket could not be booked due to uncertainty of my journey (I had insisted for 2 AC berth which was not available till the last moment of commencement of journey) But then Tarun offered his own ticket to me, he would not climb up. It was most generous of him, I could not but receive the same gratefully writ all over myself. A very long and tedious queue of 2 hours ended and six of our sub group were housed in a Gondola which rose into sky overviewing the entire ice-reign spreading from horizon to horizon. We were totally taken up to a heavenly sight of Nature’s grandeur. Cameras and handsets were continuously clicking shots after shots. After 15 minutes of high up in the ice-capped mountain we set our foot down on ice. Surreal views greeted us in our awe-struck senses. No words can be sufficient to describe the wonder and beauty of magnificence of Gulmarg. All of our group of six opted for joy rides, sledge drive up and down the valley totally in the grip of joyous people of all ages, but I declined to go for the same. My age and physical condition did not permit me for such actions here. Rather I would try to absorb by heart one of the greatest views on earth surrounding me. It seemed to me a heavenly art done across the horizon by the Nature itself which cannot be bettered anywhere in the world. Gulmarg here is 13,000 feet above sea level.
After one and half hours we came down and now I walked back to the bus terminus with good help from the prop in hand. Lunch was served in a make-shift restaurant with food of surprising good taste. We returned to Srinagar in the evening. Some of our team had reserved houseboats to stay overnight. But house boats here are stationary, generally never forays into the lake unlike in Kerala backwaters. I stayed back in hotel, nature had surreptitiously taken its toll on me, having developed serious cough and cold.
Next day early in the morning, after picking up house boaters, we decamped from Srinagar and headed for Pahalgam. We reached there at about 1.30 pm and lodged ourselves in a hotel. Temperature had fallen down to 9 or 10 degree Celsius. By now my condition had worsened. Others hired local transport to travel to Betab Valley and Chandanbari after lunch. I was in no mood to travel now. Tarun was always comforting me and stayed back along with me. Our bus driver had also advised me not to go out. On my request, the drive Mr Bashir took me and Tarun to a local hospital where I got a free checkup. The Medical Officer told me that it was wrong for me in my age to come to visit the famed places here. But my pressure was normal, he told me and advised one antibiotic along with supportive medicine. From a pharmacy we collected the medicines and returned to hotel.
We stayed overnight at Pahalgam and next morning we packed up, boarded our bus to commence our return journey to Jammu Station. Reached the station at about 4.00 pm. At midnight we would be boarding a train to New Delhi. Meanwhile all of us embarked on a marketing spree in the nearby markets. At 10.00 am in the morning we got down at New Delhi. Tarun led me to the Waiting room, I had glued myself to my seat here. The Rajdhani Express to Sealdah would depart at 4.30 pm. Thanks to Tarun, he led me to my berth of Rajdhani Express along with my luggage and wished me a good journey and early recovery. They would board another train later on.
In Kolkata, I had to confine myself a fortnight’s time to recover from my illness.
Written By
Samar Sengupta
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