Angels and the water demon

Despite the floods, Kashmir remains a paradise with its kind-hearted people, tall mountains and serene lakes.

September 22, 2014 05:23 pm | Updated September 23, 2014 09:26 am IST

A treat for the eye and soul. Photo: Special Arrangement

A treat for the eye and soul. Photo: Special Arrangement

You could say this is a sort of catharsis after our 10-day trip to Kashmir. A trip that was planned in January, booked in April and found us with bag and baggage at Srinagar on the rainy afternoon of September 4. Even a week after being in the midst of a natural disaster, I think back with pleasure of my first shikhara ride from the banks of the Nigeen Lake, Srinagar, to our luxurious houseboat Khilona. We were greeted by a gracious host who warned us that it had been raining continuously for two days. Even our travel agent let us know that the passes on the Srinagar-Leh highway were closed and would open only after a nod from the Border Road Organisation.

That one night on Khilona stretched to three days as the rain continued. We planned to wait it out to proceed to Leh. Our optimism drove the rain away on September 6. That evening, the sun shone through and for the first time we saw that the lake was surrounded by mountains, topped off by a double rainbow. We figured it was Srinagar saying goodbye to us.

We left the houseboat for the Srinagar airport early the next morning. There was a huge crowd at the bus-stand, with people thronging one bus to get to the airport. It left, only to return in 15 minutes as the water level was too high. While we wondered what to do next, one of my friends, who had set out on a recce, hurried back to tell us to leave immediately as water seemed to be rising steadily in one part of the town. It was our only moment of panic as we crossed to higher ground. Our cell phones were jammed; we couldn’t call home. We hailed a taxi, to take us back to Nigeen Lake. The driver, a spirited old man, was our first angel.

We asked him to drive us to a hotel in the Old City, which was on higher ground. We lumbered on and stopped at Hotel Gulshan Valley, Saida Kadal. The hotel was our refuge in the days to come, when every household in India was bombarded by images of rushing flood waters and floating debris. In the four days we spent there, we saw the tenacity of the Kashmiris. Most of the houses in the Old City, are at least two storeys high, and made of wood and brick. We saw people moving their belongings to the top floors. Shop-owners hired autos to lift their merchandise to dry spots.

We spent time playing cards and watching old Hindi hits whenever there was power. The locals guided us on where to buy essentials. They even lent us their phones so we could call home and reassure our relatives.

The hotel owners, Naseer and Azhar, were our second and third angels. Azhar told us that if we ran out of food, we could eat at the local gurudwara. By the third day, everyone knew us as we strolled around the city, which was flooded on the left and dry on the right.

On September 9, one of the locals took us for a walk around the Old City. We visited the 13th-Century Jamia Masjid, ate local sweets and kahwa (Kashmiri flavoured tea) made by the mohalla chaiwallah. There were many camps where the local people cooked and served food for free. Dal-rice was their staple. By that time, 300m from our hotel, the water had risen to 10 feet on our left, but the right side was bone-dry. We took heart from the kindness, hospitality and fortitude of the Srinagar people, who went about their business with admirable calm.

On September 10, we learnt that the Srinagar-Leh highway was to open. After a few enquiries, we got the go-ahead to proceed to Leh. So on September 11, we left for Leh and it was a beautiful, momentous 15-hour journey. Not because we were getting out of Kashmir, but for the sheer beauty of the terrain that I am so proud to say is part of our country.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.