KASHMIR – AN UNFORGETTABLE TOUR

We had always been looking for an opportunity to visit Kashmir. When a tour package came our way with two days in Srinagar we had gleefully joined it. We knew that confining the visit to Srinagar would not divulge what the entire Kashmir had in store for an admirer of nature.  But our constraints forced us to keep aside the venture beyond Srinagar   for another occasion.  

It was September 2009. We were required to report at the Domestic Terminal of the Trivandrum Airport at 5.30 AM. The flight had been scheduled to take off at 6.30 AM. We had set off from our residence at 5.00 AM. It was fifteen minutes’ drive to the Airport.  When heavy rains lashed the city the previous evening we felt nature had finally relented and had blessed Trivandrum with much needed succor. The rain had continued unabated the whole night. We reached Sanghumugham in fifteen minutes.  We could not proceed further as a traffic snag had developed blocking movement of vehicles. The discomfiture was compounded by the phenomenal stupidity of the malayali driver on the roads in Kerala that converts a two lane track to multiple tracks impeding all traffic to the nth degree. As we waited there patiently, we saw  minutes ticking by at a furious pace. We could have reached the Airport in fifteen minutes if we had chosen to walk. But we could not do it as the rains were merciless.  And we could not abandon the heavy baggage, an essential ingredient of all tours.

It was five minutes to 6.00 AM when our son finally managed to drop us at the departure gate. The staff of Air India was courteous. Check in had been extended by half an hour considering the plight of the passengers braving the inclement weather to catch the flight to New Delhi. The hold up delayed the departure by half an hour. 

The aircraft flew on top of the clouds. The flight was pleasant. The view was magnificent. We had always been eagerly waiting for the breathtaking view whenever aboard as the bird soared higher and higher.

Though we reached New Delhi in time the aircraft did not receive permission to land. We could see from the screen in front that we were going up to Jaipur and then back to Agra. The aircraft had to spend almost an hour in the air till it was permitted to touch down.  The Commander was apologetic for the delay. He said there were a lot of VIP activities at the Airport that had forced us to remain airborne. It was the day the Helicopter carrying YSR, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh went missing. We found the TV flashing the news in the evening after we reached Srinagar.   The air hostess while signing off advised passengers proceeding to Srinagar to contact the commercial staff at the Tarmac. The staff told us that the same aircraft would be flying us to Srinagar. As the flight to Srinagar had already been delayed it would be futile to proceed to the terminal and return.

The aerial view of Srinagar was fantastic. Mountain ranges stood high and majestic around the valley. There was a strong presence of the Indian Air Force at the Airport. It was all green from the sky. The terminal was full of Army and Air Force personnel waiting for their flights. We were allowed to exit after an examination for bird flu.

We proceeded in a Taxi to our Hotel. Later when we went out to visit places of importance in Srinagar we could see that the Army was every where in full battle gear. We were frisked at some places.  At one point after the frisking was over we were asked to proceed on foot for some distance. The vehicle was allowed to move slowly and picked us up after we had covered the mandated distance. There was a long stretch of a road. It was heavily fortified. A few Ambulances were also there. The driver told us that several VIPs had their residences on either side of the road. He advised us it would be unsafe if were venturing out after 10.00 PM. We replied we could not do it as we could not withstand the cold weather. The driver further told us that the roads in Kashmir were superbly maintained in comparison with roads across the line of control.

Our visit to the shops was a revealing experience. The shopkeepers were cordial and courteous. The fact that we were from the southern tip of the subcontinent had amused them. They offered us Safron Tea.  It tasted excellent.

Shalimar Gardens was a display of colours. We had never seen such flowers and trees elsewhere. Buildings from Mughal era adorned it.

Chinar trees lined up on the road skirting the Dal Lake. The House Boats in the lake were a treat. Though we had planned a Shikara ride the next day, incessant rains during the night and the morning prevented us.

It was time for us to leave Srinagar. The vehicle was stopped at a check point on our return to the airport. We were asked to show our tickets and the baggage was sent for scanning. Though we thought we had reached the Airport we were told there was some more distance to the destination. The baggage had to be reloaded in our vehicle.  As we moved on we had to negotiate a zig zag path to reach the airport. There was scanning once again before the check in.

The flight was on time. As we were bidding good bye to the magnificence the mountains and the valley had offered the aircraft encountered turbulence. It was scary.  We were asked to put on  seat belts. The aircraft began to shake. The captain ordered, ”Crew to stations.” An Air Hostess who was serving lunch found it difficult to control the trolley. Cups and bottles were flying off.. She jumped into a seat next to ours and fastened the seat belts. She held on to the trolley as she sat there. Finding that we were scared she assured that the turbulence would be over soon. There was pin drop silence in the cabin.

The captain managed to steer the aircraft safe. The seat belt sign went off. The Air Hostess went on with her chores. It was a big relief when the announcement came that we were about to land at the New Delhi International Airport.

Our next stop was Colombo. As our onward flight had been scheduled for the next day, we were provided accommodation at ‘Tamarind’, half an hour from the airport. Sri Lanka was fighting the LTTE at that time. We saw young soldiers with advanced weapons everywhere. The next morning as we were returning to the airport to catch our flight, Gun wielding soldiers stopped our vehicle and would not allow us to proceed. They demanded production of Passports and travel documents. They took a long time over it. Finally they allowed us to proceed through a different route. The journey took more than an hour. We heaved a sigh of relief when we managed to catch the flight.