“Agar firdaws ba roy-I zamin ast, hamin ast-u, hamin ast-u, hamin ast-u”
Translated- if there is a heaven on earth, it is this.. it is this.. it is this..
Emperor Jahangir was absolutely right when he penned his thoughts on Kashmir.
My parents would tell me stories about their summer holidays in Pahalgam, Gulmarg with frequent visits to strawberry valley, afternoons spent apple picking, snow fights and skiing. Naturally, promises of snowcapped peaks, gorgeous weather and long walks in the valley were enough to invoke a sense of urgency. Kashmir experienced a lot of heavy rainfall and the Jhelum River was flowing over the danger mark last week. By Thursday/Friday, the state of Kashmir was under alarm and warnings of flash floods were being sounded. I was invited to the The Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa at Gulmarg
Along with fellow journalists and photographers for the weekend. I was booked to go to Gulmarg for a two- night visit and despite repeated warnings and worried family members- I flew to Srinagar on Friday. Our drive up to Gulmarg was picturesque for the most part. The air was nippy and had a nice chill, the sky was grey and overcast and our driver took us on the longer scenic route with rice fields and quaint villages. It really was paradise and no one could refute it.
I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the glorious landscape and the gorgeous people- the men had kohl stained blue-green eyes, chiseled faces and striking features. The women were beautiful, fair with soft features and wore colourful phirans to keep themselves warm. We drove through narrow villages, fields of gold (paddy fields), water bodies and stretches of jungle. My eyes were glued to the window and I couldn’t get myself to look away.
We arrived at our destination about three hours later. The Khyber hotel welcomed us with a lot of warmth. The staff was courteous and offered us a hot cup of kahwa, coffee, dried fruit and pastries because we were starving. The hotel was centrally heated so we didn’t need to layer up while we were inside. It rained for the better part of our stay in Gulmarg so stepping out wasn’t an option. Luckily for us, the hotel had amenities that kept us busy during our stay. The hotel has a tie up with French brand L’OCCITANE
and I had booked myself a Immortelle facial that evening. My hour long facial was exactly what the doctor had ordered because the monsoon wreaks havoc on the skin and my skin felt visibly brighter, incredibly supple and moisturized after. We met the GM over dinner, which was typical Kashmiri fare, a traditional thali called ‘Tarami’. Our meal consisted of haak saag, tabak maaz (lamb ribs), goshtaba (lamb meatballs in a yoghurt sauce), nadru yakhni (lotus stem) and white rice which while delicious, felt far too decadent considering there were people who didn’t access to drinking water and food supplies. While we were safe and warm in Gulmarg, the residents of Srinagar and neighbouring villages were being displaced from their homes, family members and work. The paddy fields were flooded, roads completely waterlogged and traffic in the city came to a standstill. The people in the valley were not prepared for such a calamity because the state had not seen floods like this in almost a century. The phone towers snapped, bridges gave way due to water pressure and people couldn’t head back to Srinagar to get to their homes and families. The staff at the hotel had trouble communicating with their wives and children because there was no phone or internet connectivity. Despite the glum state of affairs, the people were strong, stoic and resilient and braved the storm. They waited with bated breath until it was safe for them to get home to their families.
Saturday began with a leisurely swim at their heated pool-which was an extraordinary experience because the pool offered panoramic views of the Kashmir valley with tall coniferous trees. I retreated towards the lobby around noon and decided to take a walk outside when I saw promise of a sunny afternoon. As luck would have it, it started to rain as soon as we left the hotel. Luckily, the staff had anticipated the rains arranged for the whole team to be taken on a drive towards strawberry valley, a visit to an oldworld hotel called Highlands Park and the markets. We had packed sandwiches, kehwa and freshly picked fruit for lunch. We went into Highland Park and ordered brandy toddies – a heady concoction of brandy, hot water, honey, cinnamon and cardamom to keep us warm and ward off the sniffles. I was amazed at how brave the people were when they remained calm even though . We returned to the hotel at sundown and learnt that the situation in Srinagar was only getting worse. The people were very worried and thousands of people were being airlifted to securer bases. My relatives in Srinagar also fled from their homes at the break of dawn and managed to get onto the first flight to Delhi. Others weren’t so lucky. We even heard reports of people who climbed onto their roofs and stayed up without food and water for 72 hours before help arrived. The most endearing news of all- this dreadful calamity brought to light humanitarian spirit. Everyone helped everyone- there was no distinction between us and them. Women, children and the eldery, irrespective of their religion, were being rescued by civilians and sent to safer places.
We left Gulmarg with heavy hearts- really early on Sunday morning to catch our flight from Srinagar to Delhi. The state of affairs was dismal to say the least. The driver said he had never encountered anything like this before. We saw buses floating, buildings that were getting flooded with water and water was still gushing towards us with incredible speeds. For a moment, I thought we were going to have to turn back and head to Gulmarg. Just then, the army told us of a lesser-known route along the villages that would lead us to the airport. Our driver- Akbar was an incredibly patient man and he promised he would get us to the airport on time.
Kashmir is a beautiful valley and the people have dealt with enough as it is. Let’s pray that the people of the Kashmir valley have received all the help and reinforcement they need from civilians and the government to rebuild their homes and lives.