Right from the first day a fantastic landscape followed, wherever we went: Sonamarg was the first place that we visited. The entire Kashmir valley is a feast to the eye. If you sit and talk with the nature and also ordinary poor people there you will get more food for thought. The nature is alluring and also more revealing in all its infinite variety: Roaring rivers dividing the valley into two parts; the mountainous region fully carpeted with fine greenery; Sometimes the dark clouds or white ones remain above the white snow enveloping the mountain; the lower part of the mountain under the blackish shade of sunshine; the rhythmic sound of flowing rivers attempting to say something . Neither words nor camera lens could completely capture this enchanting and reinvigorating beauty.
We were really sandwiched between heavens, as anyone would say. We were kindly and mildly hijacked by the mighty wild but benevolent nature, which was all merciful and benign, majestic and magnificent. After rich food, it was difficult for me to walk. Horsemen, the poor tribals mistook our Kashmiri students as guides and started quarrelling with them. “You are breaking our heart. The supreme will punish you for spoiling our livelihood”, they shouted in their language with misplaced anger and inadequate understanding.
We did not want to reciprocate, though one of our cool guys was preparing himself for a fight. Like too much of money chasing too few goods, and too much money chasing too few good bonds or shares in financial market, they were too many in number chasing limited tourists and it was not a perfect market for everyone to gain at the going market price. If tourists do not utilize their service, and on top of it, two Kashmir boys are seen to be obstructing their normal trade, their anguished anger could be well understood.
Later at Pegalgam valley ,the taxi which we took from Srinagar was not allowed by the Union there to be used for our trip. Instead, we were forced to travel by their taxi to cover a 10 km plus distance. But here at Sonamarg the horsemen were helpless and clueless as to how to manage their trade when many prefer to walk, unmindful of their suffering. Some home work is needed to regulate traffic involving horsemen.
The distance to be climbed/traveled was not very far, and the terrain was also manageable and yet I found it difficult to climb in the initial stage. But once I reached the relatively plain zone on the mountain slope, it became easy and enjoyable. But after reaching the snow region, I did not proceed further as I had not moved into a kind of shoe, needed for wading through that sleepy snow mountain which was however looking radiant under good sunshine. Because of that abundant sunshine we could enjoy the chill mountain breeze. Hot tea, not very much tasty was relished and it gave us more strength.
Towards evening while we were getting ready to climb down the dark clouds had already gathered, and a fierce wind blew for a while. A few drizzles also fell, but fortunately it stopped. Thank God, it did not rain and make our return trip more messy and slippery. Horse came to the rescue of two kids, one grown up and the other, a growing one. They enjoyed the horse ride and neatly got photographed. Earlier the grown up also took snaps by slowly moving and standing near a sheep eating fresh grass with nil pesticide and fertilizer. Small wonder then the meat prepared at Kashmir is more delicious and the young and the old do not think about the cholesterol and heart problems while eating the flesh. Somehow or other we could not do full justice in eating the meat and the law of diminishing utility was at work
Earlier, before entering into the main gate by taxi, a hundred rupee note had to be shelled out. Given an opportunity the police/security personnel do not miss the chance to do financial mischief and impose their own taxes. Sometimes, it is in the guise of a routine check of papers of taxi-men. And at other times, for some entry, which is not official, not managed and regulated by ticketing system, they take law into their hands. This kind of small corruption is not peculiar to this region alone, because it has been there as a part of life, rather a way of life in the entire Indian subcontinent. There’s no solution for this, right now. A taxi man called this by saying, “its all part of CHOR Government”. I told him through my student that Kashmir alone cannot be singled out as a chief villain and almost all State governments including the Center have their quota of filth and the dirt of corruption. And this would make the ordinary petty thief look very great and more dignified notwithstanding the fact that he/she alone becomes a tenant in the prison while big fishes escape effortlessly by bending the law backward.
We were really sandwiched between heavens, as anyone would say. We were kindly and mildly hijacked by the mighty wild but benevolent nature, which was all merciful and benign, majestic and magnificent. After rich food, it was difficult for me to walk. Horsemen, the poor tribals mistook our Kashmiri students as guides and started quarrelling with them. “You are breaking our heart. The supreme will punish you for spoiling our livelihood”, they shouted in their language with misplaced anger and inadequate understanding.
We did not want to reciprocate, though one of our cool guys was preparing himself for a fight. Like too much of money chasing too few goods, and too much money chasing too few good bonds or shares in financial market, they were too many in number chasing limited tourists and it was not a perfect market for everyone to gain at the going market price. If tourists do not utilize their service, and on top of it, two Kashmir boys are seen to be obstructing their normal trade, their anguished anger could be well understood.
Later at Pegalgam valley ,the taxi which we took from Srinagar was not allowed by the Union there to be used for our trip. Instead, we were forced to travel by their taxi to cover a 10 km plus distance. But here at Sonamarg the horsemen were helpless and clueless as to how to manage their trade when many prefer to walk, unmindful of their suffering. Some home work is needed to regulate traffic involving horsemen.
The distance to be climbed/traveled was not very far, and the terrain was also manageable and yet I found it difficult to climb in the initial stage. But once I reached the relatively plain zone on the mountain slope, it became easy and enjoyable. But after reaching the snow region, I did not proceed further as I had not moved into a kind of shoe, needed for wading through that sleepy snow mountain which was however looking radiant under good sunshine. Because of that abundant sunshine we could enjoy the chill mountain breeze. Hot tea, not very much tasty was relished and it gave us more strength.
Towards evening while we were getting ready to climb down the dark clouds had already gathered, and a fierce wind blew for a while. A few drizzles also fell, but fortunately it stopped. Thank God, it did not rain and make our return trip more messy and slippery. Horse came to the rescue of two kids, one grown up and the other, a growing one. They enjoyed the horse ride and neatly got photographed. Earlier the grown up also took snaps by slowly moving and standing near a sheep eating fresh grass with nil pesticide and fertilizer. Small wonder then the meat prepared at Kashmir is more delicious and the young and the old do not think about the cholesterol and heart problems while eating the flesh. Somehow or other we could not do full justice in eating the meat and the law of diminishing utility was at work
Earlier, before entering into the main gate by taxi, a hundred rupee note had to be shelled out. Given an opportunity the police/security personnel do not miss the chance to do financial mischief and impose their own taxes. Sometimes, it is in the guise of a routine check of papers of taxi-men. And at other times, for some entry, which is not official, not managed and regulated by ticketing system, they take law into their hands. This kind of small corruption is not peculiar to this region alone, because it has been there as a part of life, rather a way of life in the entire Indian subcontinent. There’s no solution for this, right now. A taxi man called this by saying, “its all part of CHOR Government”. I told him through my student that Kashmir alone cannot be singled out as a chief villain and almost all State governments including the Center have their quota of filth and the dirt of corruption. And this would make the ordinary petty thief look very great and more dignified notwithstanding the fact that he/she alone becomes a tenant in the prison while big fishes escape effortlessly by bending the law backward.
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