Of Kashmir & Its Kings

I'm weilding the pen after a long hiatus. Thanks to a rejuvenating vacation in the misty mountains of Kashmir!A holiday does wonders to one's mundane & rountine life. A break is needed in a year to relax, de-stress & spend quality time with your family.

I don't have to wax eloquent on Kashmir as we all know that it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. A paradise in a nutshell with it's snow-capped, towering mountains, flowing rivers, assorted Cedar (deodar) & Pine trees, dense vegetation, winding roads, bountiful flora, lovely lakes & it's stunning landscape. I was most excited about seeing & feeling rivers Sindh & Jhelum. What joy it is to experience the things we grew up learning; and both these rivers have always been an integral part of India's geography & history.

Hospitality & kindness of Kashmiri's is another thing that fascinated me. Everyone from the drivers, guides to hotel staff went out of their way to make us feel at home. Hearing it straight from a corporate's mouth - it is excellent customer service & boundaryless behaviour. However, it would be unjust to measure their genuine feelings & emotions towards us in pure coporate terms. So kind was one of our guides, he says " if we don't serve you well, God will deal with us later on".After living in a metro & experiencing an out-an-out corporate life, such words are like honey. A corporate life is seeped only in numbers, struggles, saving one's own backs, being discreet, politics, planning, agenda, targets/goals. God & such kindness go out of the window. I have been talking corporate as I'm it's employee. But this stands true in all walks of life : state government, central government, teaching, education, media and so on. We all know that there is barely any kindness left on earth & we give a damn. So I was smitten completely by their compassion & innocence.

Thinking of innocence makes me want to talk about the more teething issues plaguing Kashmir. This international, unresolved bone of contention stands in stark contrast to it's localites.While there are parties trying to overthrow each other to lay hands on power,there are innocent people who derive their livelihood from tourisim in the valley. And every sort of battle in this place hits their bread & butter immensely. We were one of the very first batches who dared to hit the valley after 4 months of turbulent predicament in Kashmir. The pain of having no livelihood for months evinced in their eyes. Having said that, they have no hope that things will get any better there irrespective of an Omar Abudullah or a Barack Obama who will soon be visiting Kashmir to resolve the issue.

The central goverment cannot let go of CRPF (Central Reserved Police Force ) to guard this sensitive & terrorist prone area. And the locals loathe the latter because they apparently misuse power. One of our own guides have narrated incidents where the CRPF has misused power & persecuted the locals. In our heydays (college life), us girls had the hots for Omar Abdullah as he was the proverbial foreign returned, handsome, smart & enterprising youth ready to govern Kashmir. But in between the lines, there is a twist in the tale. Both the CM's of Kashmir Omar & his father Farooq Abdullah being the rulers, have been away from Kashmir most of the time. Apparently one of the locals was telling me that Omar Abdullah cannot even speak Kashmiri. Can you like beat that? And the moment you take the CM's names, the former wear disgruntled looks on their faces. So when the CM does this to one's state,it does become spoilt.

I couldn't even empathise but felt very bad for them. I'm only hoping, wishing & praying good luck & justice to Kashmir & it's people.

Gorgeous Gangtok

These days, I often wonder how I used to manage to produce good posts despite college and work eating into my schedule and leaving me with very little time for my blog. Now, college is completed and it’s just work, work and work; and yet I barely find time to write posts.

So, it’s been a week since I’m back from vacation and joined work. How I wish the vacation was forever :) This Vacation, we (my family) explored North East India and sojourned at Gangtok and Darjeeling apart from Kolkata, Delhi, Mathura and Agra. In my memory, Gangtok is one place that stands out from the rest. We alighted at Bagdogra and had to travel 4 hours on road to Gangtok. It’s ostensibly a hilly area and capital of the state Sikkim, which connotes – “Valley of Hills”. Hence, as the roads cannot be seamless, like in our cities, they snake up through the hills. And apparently all roads have sharp bends and curves. What is striking is how the drivers drive up these hills. It’s literally an uphill task for them and they drive the SUV’s with such aplomb. Initially, until I got used to those roads, it was scary as a little lapse on the driver’s part and the vehicle will be swerved into the pit and you can be rest assured : forget your body, your bones also cannot be figured out.

Its only SUV’s that can go up the hill and within the precincts of Gangtok, Maruti Omni’s are driven to ferry the tourists. Those who are used to, also drive Bikes, though it could prove to be detrimental and fatal. What struck me were the catchy sentences the Sikkim Government inscribes on the walls and sign boards to warn and remind bikers and drivers to be safe. Some of these include: Sleep, and your family will weep; drive like hell and you shall be there; don’t mix drinking and driving et al.

The beauty of this place is simply inexplicable. One will be at a loss for words, like I’am. At Gangtok, you are in the lap of nature – It is 6, 000 ft high from sea level. Beset by clouds, greenery (the trees display every shade of green); wondrous waterfalls; Quaint dwellings interspersed in these hills; sweeping up and down the mountainous realm is an experience of a kind. Perennial water flows from these hills and the elusive thing about this water is - no one knows where this water comes from. To put it succinctly, this place is a paradise on earth.Gangtok shines though the sun does not shine here.

As few people, cities and states play a cog in the wheel of saving our environment, Sikkim government has banned the use of plastic as it jeopardises the environment. It was strange to carry stuff I shopped for in newspapers along the stretch of MG Marg as against the plastic bags we are so used to. But it felt really good to know that a state has gone that extra mile to make a difference and given the sparse population, its a piece of cake to implement. While we do it voluntarily here, people do not have a choice there! I just loved that concept and wish bigger states like ours also implemented the same. However, when we still have ills like poverty, pollution, population and unnemployment to tackle, implementing something for the sake of mother earth and making it a behaviour and a mandate appears bleak and miles away...

Places of interests: Ban Jhankri Falls, Palchen Choeling Institute, Do Drul Chorten, Pal Zurmang Kagyu Monastery, Tashi View point, Handicrafts, MG marg for shopping and Flower exhibition.

Looking for some fun and serenity from this frazzled world? – Head to Gangtok!