Paradise on Earth

I have been often asked, after a trip, “How was the place?” or “Which all places you visited?”. Most often than not, I find myself capable of answering these questions, at least to my satisfaction. It was different this time. This time I visited Kashmir.

I remember the day when my parents suggested the trip. It was unexpected. I never thought we will ever be going to Kashmir anytime soon. The primary reason for this being two factors: the weather and the political conditions. It's not that I never wished going there, for who would not! Especially if you are a dreamer. But it was more like one of those wishes that you just have, but you never worked on it to make it happen.

It was raining when we landed in Srinagar. When we moved out of the arrival gate, the cab driver of our cottage hotel, and some other people (who just happened to take shelter there for the rain) started loading our luggage in the cab. I was apprehensive of the fact that some complete strangers are just helping us with our luggage, with full enthusiasm, even when we did not ask for it. Little did I know, soon enough these apprehensions were going to transform to something else.

We reached our cottage hotel in an hour.

It was nothing like a hotel, it was home away from home.

We were welcomed with some wonderful cookies, very refreshing kahwa and a very pleasant team of people. It felt as if we were never strangers, as if we are just visiting our family. I have seen good hospitality in the places I have been to. However, (I will still say it again, at the cost of sounding redundant) this was different, definitely different.

In our five-day trip to Kashmir, I did visit some places and they were exactly (and may be more) as has already been portrayed in the sonnets of bards. What better can I do there?! What enthused me was the people and the environment of Kashmir. It is as convivial and pleasant as one can imagine only in dreams. The people, each and every one we came across, could be represented as the epitome of welcoming attitude. Imagine the comfort of being in the place you grew up, the safety and the warmth that you feel there. It was that and more.

Yes, there were the splendid meadows and the sparkling rivers, the glistening snow and the magnificent gardens... There is not an ounce of doubt that they are beauty beyond comparison. Nevertheless, that is not all that Kashmir is about. It is just not some monuments, some gardens, or some panorama that makes a place. A place, according to me, is best described by the people, their culture, and the encompassing situations as well.

The few days I lived (yes, lived, not stayed) in Kashmir are possibly one of the best. I can possibly never describe it. It was really a mesmerizing and enlivening experience. I can safely say, it is not just the rivers, gardens, or snow-capped mountain peaks that makes Kashmir what it is. It is, in every true sense, the people that indeed make it a true paradise on earth!

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