Impressions about Kashmiri Food - Preeti's Writings.

Our daughter Preeti also traveled with us on Kashmit Trip.She is a accomplished blogger and she has put all that she enjoyed in Kashmiri Food in her blog titled -

Eating and drinking my way through Kashmir

Would recommed to my readers to go through it and enjoy. The link is here - http://travel-o-graphy.blogspot.in/2016/05/eating-and-drinking-my-way-through.html

Kashmir 9 days Trip - Enjoyment Report - Day 2

Day Two - Sonamarg

10 Apr 16

Sonamarg is a snow bound area where one is likely to find snow at lesser distance from the road, even during summer, unlike Gulmarg where it may not be so at that time. Literally translating it means Meadow of Gold, possibly because the slope and the area being snowbound through the year the reflection of sun rays must be making the snow mass look golden (and it is my guess without any backing of wikipedia, etc).

This place is about 80 odd Km from Srinagar. Our journey started post Breakfast at about 0945. After crossing Srinagar city we were on Srinagar Leh highway. The drive was very scenic takings us through villages full of Mustard fields. There were also some fields which had some other crop and they looked lush green. The mosaic of Yellow riot of Mustard fields and green carpet of other fields created a very distinct and attractive pattern.

It was difficult to resist the call of the Mustard fields and that made us stop, for what else but photo ops. The result is for you to see.

Green and yellow fields along the Road

Always by my side (And I love it)

Competing Two Beauties in one Frame

Family Time

Our journey continued and soon the River Sind or Sindh ( I am told it is not river Sindhu of Indus valley fame but a tributary of Jehlam) or Nullah Sind (as some times it is called) started giving us company. Sind river, with its melodious flowing sound follows the highway to Leh over a long distance. Technically, Sonamarg is also on the bank of Sind. We found a beautiful spot on the road along sind and stopped the vehicle. Went down to the river, enjoyed its fresh, sweet and chilled water and captured its beauty. I want my blog readers to also enjoy the beauty.

Lone man on the bank of river

River gives the Josh for Victory (sign)

Musically (and Rapidly) Flows the Sind

After a small break on the banks of refreshing Sind, we joined back Leh highway for Sonamarg. Soon we were thereby about 1245  and also the Snow was all around to welcome us.

First Glimpse of Snow

The Parking lot along the snow

Soon enough, we borrowed Gum Boots and set off to conquer the snow hill. Only time would tell if we conquered the hill or the hill overwhelmed us.

United We Stand (on the Gum Boots)

Having geared up (with only gum boots as we did not take coats and thus ended up getting our jeans / Trousers wet on snow) we started our ascend on to the snow capped hill (leading to a glacier). It is possible to go to Glacier by foot, by sledge and also by local taxi (the vehicle that one uses to come from Srinagar can not be used locally). We opted for foot (children), Sledge (others) and only return by Sledge from Glacier. It is tough for the Sledge man to haul it up slow. It is easy to comedown slope using sledge and gravity. here are some more pics.

Kitana Snow hai re Baba! 

Midget Snow Man 

 In Conquering Mood

Yeh Hasin Wadiyan

Beautiful Hills 

 Clouds gathering over the Hills

 Hills Almost covered under clouds

We all enjoyed our tryst with Snow for over 3.5 hours and just did not realise how the time flew. By that time we all were hungry and soon found ourselves enjoying lunch at Sonamarg Glacier Hotel. The hotel also has good restrooms, a vital necessity after visiting snow.

After refreshing ourselves with food and hot tea (as the wind chill had increased) we ventured out on the main road and after a group Photo of the family group, left Sonamarg for Srinagar by about 1700 hrs. 

The Family with the backdrop of snow

(see, all age groups can enjoy, go for it)

What a fun filled day it was. Returning to Blooming Dale hotel it was yet again hospitatility time with tea and cookies. A small trip to market was done. we all ended our day soon afetr the dinner.

Unfortunate death of two youth in Nawgam, J & K

Two youth have been killed on a army checkpoint yesterday. Unnecessary loss of life is unfortunate. Why should the young lives be wasted.

However, in the furore over their death a very important point is being missed (provided they did not stop at the check Point despite warning to do so is correct). That point is why did they not stop when asked to do so. Was it youthful exuberance which made them to test the seriousness (like we used to do when we,  as children, stole fruits from fruit garden knowing fully well that the Chowkdat will catch us anytime). Or was it misplaced bravado. It could well be that they did not understand the instructions to stop and continued.

But think from the Security Forces point of view. All over the world Security Forces personnel have lost their lives on countless Road blocks. It happens like this.

Checkpoint personal see a car approaching. They warn it to stop. The car does not and nor does it slow down. Personal fire warning shots (may not be all times),  the car continues. They fire on car tyres. The car stops. When the car is surrounded for checking,  the occupants explode the car resulting in death of all security personnel and destruction of the check post.

It has happened in Iraq,  Afghanistan and even in Pakistan. Has that happened in Kashmir, may be,  I don't have specific details.

Our sympathy is with the family members of these boys. But did our soldiers,  already doing a tough job, have any other option when the car did not stop or slowdown? In the hindsight we may think of many but in reality they,  At that moment,  possibly had none. 

Musharraf and His "Foot in Mouth" Disease

Musharraf is a retired General, Ex President of Pakistan and presently an under-trial in that country. Long tenure as a self imposed president of that nation has given wings to his political ambitions (why live retired life when you can have all the fun as politician).

There is also the issue of remaining relevant. There are two ways to stay relevant, either do something spectacular for people or do something that is controversial. Look around in that nation or read Dawn of any day online and one realises that there is so much to do there but it calls for lot of hard work. Hard work does not seem to be the fashion of the day in Pak.

The politicians in that country have a even better option. Talk any thing about Kashmir or India (mostly nonsense) and you are an instant hit. Hating us is the raison d'etre for Pakistan. It is also fashionable there. So you have Bilawal Jardari (who pretends that he is Bhutto to derive mileage) taking in a shrill voice about doing something that his grand pa wanted to do even if they have to eat grass and even if it takes 1000 years (will Pak exists that far is any body's guess, India will in some form or the other as we have been for generations). I could only say God forgive him because he does not know what he is talking.

But the cake has been taken by irrelevant, out of circulation and reinventing politician called Musharraf who has come up with a idea of instigating Kashmiris in India to revolt (and what happens if Kashmiris in POK revolt paying heed to Musharraf). The man should have at least come up with original idea.

Pakistan tried exactly the same stunt in 1965 by launching Operation Gibraltar to do exactly the same thing that Musharraf now proposes, instigate Kashmiris to revolt and failed miserably. About fifty years post 1965, here is a man who has not learned any thing. Seems he has not heard that those who do not learn from history become history sooner than later. May be his 'Foot in Mouth' Disease has aggravated.

For readers benefit, I quote from Wikipedia, "This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War and was fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947. The war began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was designed to infiltrate forces into Jammu and Kashmir to precipitate an insurgency against rule by India.^[16] The five-month war caused thousands of casualties on both sides. It ended in a United Nations (UN) mandated ceasefire and the subsequent issuance of the Tashkent Declaration".

If only Musharraf had told us Indians with a wink that he is doing all this for his domestic audience, our reaction might have been different. But for now we can only say Get well soon.

It is Man's Greed that is Evident in most Natural Disasters

Kashmir Valley is under water for about six days now. CM says the rain that poured in was 400 mm and Met dept says it was 200 mm. Let us leave that controversy aside. Even if we take 400 mm (higher figure) as true, all the rain is meant (naturally) to drain to the rivers or the lakes. The design of nature is so good that the water always flows through natural slops to nearest water body. All water bodies also have their discharge mechanism.

What does that mean? In case of a Lake (at least natural) there is a flow channel to a river or a Nullah  when the lake overflows. Similarly a river, unless dammed will freely flow and if dammed, there will be controlled water release from it.

Does it not surprise us that despite no rain in Kashmir valley for last few days post the downpour, water has not drained out (and thus receded) from the streets of Srinagar to rivers and lakes? The reason is simple. We take nature for granted; We construct houses, other buildings and  structures indiscriminately without any regard to natural flow paths of water in case of rain. Since it rains heavily very rarely, we take it for granted that natural drainage of water is a need that will NEVER arise.

This phenomenon is further aided by the unchecked illegal construction not only in the flow / drainage path but even in the river / lake bed. We choke the natural gradients of water flows. After allowing the mankind enough time to reconcile and correct the situation the Mother Nature strikes back. Even in such times if natural water drainage is free of obstructions, the accumulate water will drain out very fast as soon as heavy rain stops.

But since we took Mother Nature granted for many years, when her fury lands on us, we are left with cities like Srinagar becoming lakes by themselves with a very poor drainage rate. Where will the rain water drain? It is us who has dammed the water in our cities by killing natural routes of drainage.

The story repeats itself from Mumbai (a few years back), Uttarakhand and now in Kashmir valley. It is unfortunate that  the people suffering in such times are mostly non contributors to these causes, tourists etc.

The moot question is, will we ever learn? Our record so far shows that we are dim and duffer students.