The Alchemy Of Kashmir

By Manali Kulkarni

Tuesday afternoon. I was reclined on sofa with an ongoing lecture in the laptop on my lap, a remote in my hand, one ear sustained through the lecture on headphones and the other hardly survived a terrorist attack from 'Kashmir files'. My astonished eyes and dropped jaw could not handle themselves for a moment. Not only me but everyone who had experienced the actual "happy" Kashmir life would have been left amazed.

I still remember our Kashmir trip in 2017 when I had just completed my SSC. It was the time when we finalized a Jammu Kashmir and Vaishno Devi trip for a week. The beginning of the trip began earlier than the actual trip.

"Mom?"

"Huh?"

"Do we really need to take these slippers? It's sizzling hot right away and we will be going in mid-May."

"Its mentioned in that list provided by travel agency."

"Well in that case, there is also a mention saying 'good winter clothes' and Oh! Oh! there ain't a single mention for bulks of medicines soaps and napkins."

"Help Piyu in packing if you're done."

"Where is dad?"

"Might be in the car."

"I'll be back in a while."

(This went on for hours.)

After packing for two days we finally left Kolhapur. The flight was at 7 a.m. on 4th of May from Pune airport. As like every typical Indian family we were at the airport at sharp 3 a.m. All felt rich and classy until the security interrupted us with

"Where is Manasi?"

"Who Manasi?" Dad.

"This third name.. Manasi Shrinivas Kulkarni."

"No..She is Manali."

"Sir, it's Manasi here."

My heart literally popped out of my mouth when the senior authority advised us to pay 47000 and book back the tickets with appropriate name. I was agiaited at the travel agency for the stupid mistake and further more I was afraid of getting everything called off. But Dad somehow managed to convince them that this wasn't our mistake and they too agreed to rectify it.

Indeed a tough start it was!

We then spent some hours exploring the airport and staring at airplanes through glass walls that faced the runway. To our astonishment, meeting Atul Kulkarni the Marathi actor was an unexpected thing. These actors look a way too much different in reality. Then came the boarding time. I got the window seat fortunately. The first ever take off was such a worthy experience for sure. All that dazzling clouds, bird eye view and lastly the satisfaction of putting phone on airplane mode in an airplane; and not for refreshing the network.

We had a connecting flight to Srinagar from Delhi's domestic airport with a gap of 3 hours. So after formalities and exploration, we had some "steamed rice pancakes" (idlis) and drank water from a 100 rupees bisleri and headed to our terminal.

Srinagar airport is actually an defence airport with seven different checkings from getting in to getting out of the airport. A wave of dismality spread throughout our faces after glancing at the over casted evening sky pouring the blobby raindrops.

"Welcome to Kashmir!" My mind screamed with joy at the true beginning of our journey.

"Are we going to face this for all the time?" Piyu cringed.

Time permits. The chirping of birds awoke us. The wooden frame tinted glass windows were letting in the gleam and zephyr with an aroma of mountains. The authentic Kashmir is equally exciting and mysterious.

The bunch of extremely beautiful valleys with gliding streams and snow-capped mountains, the charming Mughal gardens with abundant heritage structures and vegetation, the old houses with sloping roofs and tiny windows, the Dal Lake, the graceful traditional attires and jewellery, the gorgeous flora and fauna, the appetizing drink Kahwa, the tempting, the mouth-watering veg and non- veg platters and aah! The roses! The elegant bloomed roses flaunting their beauty turned out to be my love at first sight.

Hearts flattered and we barely noticed the urge to leave for Jammu. Katra was like a bit of regular city with flat cement terraces and big windows with sliding glass. Vaishnodevi was almost a mission to reach the top at 14 kms from base. We kicked off at the evening on the horses and hit the top in the midnight. So basically we have to reach till the top on this Trikuta Mountain where there's a cave of 6 feet height (which is recently constructed. Earlier people used to crawl down to the cave.) We were all walking in a line with joined hands focusing on the left. On an acute turn laid the sacred shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi. I ain't a super orthodox theist but I truly believed in "Mata ka bulava". It says that you only visit Vaishnodevi when goddess herself wants to meet you. This thing feels factual when you breath in that air.

No doubt nowadays this holy air is polluted with dark clouds of many disputes, may be political, economical or socio-cultural, etc. Every aspect of society is being challenged is indeed the mirror of present times but somehow, when you meet a person from Kashmir who provides you an exceptional hospitality and cares for his livelihood, we can see a silver lining amongst the darkness. A ray of hope that gently peeps out and says

"Deewana hua badal,

Sawan ki ghata chai..

Yeh dekh ke dil jhuma,

Li pyar ne angdai.."

- Kashmir ki Kali (1964)

By Manali Kulkarni