Kashmir Trip Year 2020 (Day 1/6)

Srinagar was on my bucket list for a long time and I needed a break from office work. As a nature-loving person and a photographer, I was also looking for an opportunity to capture the beauty and charm of the place in my lens forever.

I decided to soak myself in this experience and thus travel was planned (wait for some time to know why it turned out to be solo). I somehow realized that being solo, one is not bound to any timelines.

Let me share my first day. How can I be a selfish person by not sharing the marvelous experience and the beauty of this city and the surrounding areas?

Day -1

Traveling during the covid restricted time and finally making it to Srinagar is an experience worth sharing. When I reached terminal 2 at the Delhi airport, I too was adhered to the thermal check, as a routine for Covid 19 restrictions. GoAir too was following the norms and handed over a gift pack to me, haha I am talking about a kit including a face shield, a disposable face mask, and a disposable gown/shirt. Wow! I am all set to fly for my great break.

 It took me 1.15 hours to travel from a city with concrete to a city with lush green nature and mountains. My dreams while flying in clouds got a break when the flight landed at Srinagar. Again, I went through the covid related norms as the airport authorities were doing a thorough (if it is!) test. After picking up my luggage from the conveyor belt, I joined a queue to get my name registered and collect Covid 19 testing kit.

 As my turn came, the official asked me my name and then a question came {which we normally say should not be asked to a lady, hahaha) “Umr kya hogi aapki”. I said 42 and then the next question was “your husband’s name?” as if it’s a prerequisite to travel alone beyond a particular year! I said “sorry kya kaha aapne”, he said “aapke pati ka naam?” I said pati ka naam nahi hai, I am single, pita ka naam likh lijiye S. Surjit Singh. He looked at me again as if I splashed water on his workstation, he noted my father’s name and gave me the kit.

Moved to the next queue where they were ensuring that you have registered your details and finally picked up the testing kit after a Q & A session.

The next visual was like a nursing home with four booths, where perhaps a doctor will open the kit for you. He took out the thin plastic spatula and inserted it for 1-2 seconds in each of my nostrils leaving me with teary eyes (you must try putting a match stick in your nostril if you want to know how it feels).

 Muzzafar was normally talking about my daily travel plan, but my mood was fused off due to some changes in my itinerary made by the travel company as the rest of the group canceled their travel and I was left to travel solo.

After talking to Muzzafar, I found out how hard he and his family were hit due to Covid 19 and have gone through the nightmare during that time. He and his industry has taken a hit being in the travel industry, all dependent upon tourism. He confided that he had no work in the last six months and it was a really hard time for them. His younger brother earns only 7-8 K working in a call center in Srinagar. Imagine how difficult it is to pay their rent and manage their food along with the rest of the expenses in such a small amount. Have you ever felt helpless? I felt helpless when Muzzafar asked for my guidance as to how he can have a regular income. I was not sure what to suggest to him and I really wish I could guide him.

After hotel check-in and all this discussion, he dropped me at Kishan Dhaba for lunch and what best could you get except Rajma-Rice-Raita at a new place. After food, now it was time to explore nearby places.

Shankracharya temple is an ancient temple and comes under National heritage sites. The first place to visit, and imagine I had to leave my phone and camera outside due to the restrictions of the same inside the premises.

I went empty-handed inside the temple and had to climb 150 steps as the temple was located at a height. I climbed up slowly to breathe the fresh air and absorb the beautiful and serene landscape up there. What if I was feeling a little sad for not being able to click the pictures but this experience too will remain in my mind wherein my senses felt that serene surroundings. The pandit applied tika on my forehead and gave prasad (mishri) to me.

After the temple, it was the turn of a well-maintained Chashme Shahi Garden. I was super excited like a child when I chose a purple-colored traditional Kashmiri dress as I found it newer and cleaner. There was a couple and another girl who were also there for the photoshoot. She suggested to the photographer “bhaiya aap inhe black ya red dress de do. Red in pe kitna acha lagega.” Then she suggested to me “aap black ya red mein click karwao photo, aap pe zyada acha lagega”. I was like wow, so sweet of her to suggest it. I think I don’t have much dressing sense, so I ended up just following her advice. Isn’t it that many of us go by our instinct?

While interacting with this pretty Kashmiri woman, I came to know that she came from Noida to her ‘mayka’. She was accompanied by her husband and I believe her husband would have picked all photographs for print. First, she synced with her native traditional dress so well and secondly because of the marketing skills of the photographer. He even told me like they tell everybody that you look Firdaus in this pose, or this or that (falani dhamkani what we say in Punjabi). Fortunately or unfortunately, I know how I look so he couldn’t sell me more than 2 prints. Jokes aside, I appreciate these people who are making their livelihood only out of making others look beautiful beyond their actual self and by bringing smiles to others’ faces. Money is a constant that we spend everywhere, so let it be. After Chashme Shahi, we went to Pari Mahal, again another well-maintained garden. The key highlight of Parimahal was the view of the city from the height and the sunset that I happened to see from one of the Arcs. It was beyond beautiful. As the sun was setting down, I saw the moon rise on the other side of the hills.

 

It was quarter to 6 and already getting dark but it was too early for me to close the day. Muzzafar told me that there isn’t much to do and see after it gets dark. Rest is up to me. I requested if I can sit on the bank of Dal Lake for some time as I wanted to click a few photographs of shikaras and boats. He stopped the car at a convenient place, I sat there on the bank of the lake for some time. A couple of Shikarawalas came to me to enquire if I would like to have a ride but I told them that not today maybe some other day. One of them kept talking to me, seeing that I am clicking photographs he said he’ll take me around the lake where I can click some nice frames. I checked a few details for my reference and he very politely shared his knowledge. I took his number which I can share with my friends visiting Kashmir. While I was talking to Ashraf Ali, two women came. One of them started opening the knot on the rope which was tying the boat to the bank. In a couple of minutes’ time, they both boarded the boat and one of them took hold of ‘chappu’ and I was like ‘Bhaiya, wo boat le k ja rahi hain!’.

Ashraf bhai said haan ye unki boat hai. This is the mode of transport for them. They just park their boat here when they come to the city for their chores. Now, this is the character of a place, day-to-day living which I could have never thought of while sitting in my place. These are day-to-day routines, minute details that I could have never thought of. This was a moment of truth for me. This experience made me rich.

After coming back to the hotel, I checked with the staff if I can have noon chai. I had heard about noon chai which is a specialty in Kashmir. Noon chai is a salty tea. In Gurmukhi, we call salt – loon (ਲੂਣ) which is called noon (नून) here (in Kashmiri perhaps)

Day 1 in Kashmir was beautiful. I was already looking forward to the rest of the stay. 

To know more about me and my work visit the About me section.

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