Window Seat | Weekly Column in English | 1.1.23

 

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 1.1.23

Kashmir Diary

It is said that you have to visit Kashmir twice to enjoy its beauty- once during the winter to enjoy ‘white’ Kashmir and then in summer to enjoy the ‘rainbow’ Kashmir. Even if it was our first visit to Kashmir, my wife chose to enjoy the ‘white’ Kashmir first. So off we went to Gulmarg on late December. We landed from a cozy 25 degree plus in Dhenkanal to a freezing minus two degrees in Gulmarg.

After two days in Gulmarg, we went to Pahalgam, situated at the junction of the Aru and Sheshnag Rivers and surrounded by tall fir-covered mountains and snow-clad peaks. We stayed at the outskirts of Pahalgam town on the bank of the Lidder river. After spending two days there, we went to Srinagar and spent four days before we returned.

An executive summary of our trip-experience:  Kashmir is a beautiful place- a jannat (heaven or swarg in Hindi). But it is far too expensive and at times you feel like the proverbial chicken which everyone, you come in contact with- from local tour guides to the taxi-walas to  the ghoda-walas to shopkeepers - want to kill. As a result you become over protective and look at everybody with suspicion. That deters you from enjoying the beauty of the place.

Gulmarg

“Gulmarg (which means meadow of flowers) is a must-go place”- that was what everybody suggested when we planned our trip. We consulted google baba, which said: “Nestled in the Pir Panjal range of the Western Himalayas at an altitude of 8,690 feet above sea level, it is encased by glimmering snow peaked alps, verdant green pastures, colorful meadows, deep valleys and pine covered slopes.” It also said that “Gulmarg is known for its ski resort which was established in 1927”. Though we have never done skiing, it kind of enticed us. We also learnt that “it has Asia’s second longest cable car ride and the highest golf course in the world at an elevated altitude of 2,650 meters.”

We went by the cable car up to the snow clad mountain top, where there were lot of activities such as skiing, snowboarding, riding snow scooter, etc. My son tried skiing, fell down a dozen times within ten minutes. We rode the cable car to the second phase- even higher- with more snow and more cold. There some people asked us whether we would love to go up to LoC. We declined. We had piping hot two-minute noodles instead- at Rs 100/- a small bowl. At that price it had to taste good.

Maharaja Hari Singh Palace

At Gulmarg, we were staying in a hotel that overlooked the golf course and a solitary Mahadev temple. Scores of horses were patiently waiting for the tourists. Wooden sledges were stacked nearby. There was a paramilitary camp nearby, and a sign proclaiming ‘Maharaja’s Palace’. I have always been fascinated by palaces. It always evokes a mixed emotion within me- a sense of awe also a sense of envy- why couldn’t I live in one of these!

I walked up the winding road, slightly slippery because of the old snow- turned into hard ice. As I reached the gate, a highly decorated single story wooden structure could be seen amidst a well-cared for lawn. The 8700 sq ft Palace, reminiscent of European architecture was built by Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Maharaja of erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in early 19th century. It has been converted into a museum now.

I was panting when I entered the palace. I asked for a glass of water to the person who handed me the ticket to the museum. He said, “there is no running water, as the pipes have frozen, but wait. I sat on the nearby sofa. Five minutes later he emerged with a glass of warm water and said, apna quarter se laya (I brought it from my living quarter).  Water had never tasted so sweet ever before.

Muscle Factory

I have seen ‘Kebab Factory’ in Bhubaneswar, ‘Brand Factory’ in Kolkata, ‘Pao Factory’ in Mumbai and then - the epic- ‘Muscle Factory’ in Srinagar. It turned out to be a gym.

 

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