Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Kashmir Himalayas 1983 ...part 2





I had a pleasant time sometimes strolling into the countryside with my box camera..taking photos..2 pics are of Kashmiri kids near the Baramulla-Srinagar road, in one the kids in the foreground, me behind
them, and the "mullah" on the road (with whom I had some philosophical discussions)..one can see the poplars by the road..
The 3rd pic is from the other side of the Jhelum, which was the Old Baramullah Town, and one can see the Jhelum and the hillocks in the background, as also the Baramulla - Ramban - Uri - LOC - Muzaffarabad
road running parallel to the Jhelum..

Uncle (Colonel Saab), Dollypishi and the 3 of us had the best of our times..catching up on ole' times..Mussoorie ka gup-shup..step outside our log cabin..just a few meters away was the Jhelum..it was just a faint gurgling river

Anyway, let me describe Baramulla..there was the New Town, Jhelum ka is paar..where we were in the Military Cantonment. The discipline of the jawans and their C.O. were beyond compare..they were also very
helpful..The jawans as well as the highest ranking officers had a hard time over there..it was so far away from home..
We, the tourists, had a nice time strolling along the banks of the Jhelum, within the roads and by-lanes of Baramulla..Aah, the bylanes of Baramulla..the apple orchards..crossing the 2 bridges,from one of
which one could see the transformation of the river..On the other side of the Jhelum was the Old Town of Baramulla..

Now let me describe the Kashmiris. They are one of the most soft-spoken people I've ever met..they also talk very mildly. And the spoken language carries a hint of rhythm..the average Kashmiri was very friendly..the Kashmiris of Baramulla were quite different from the tourism-dependent urban people of Srinagar. They were far more simple, honest, hard-working and devout people. They were extremely eager to point out the nearby tourist spots of interest, as also the different folklores..

Folklores about the Yeti-like Apeman..I've forgotten the Kashmiri name ..who lived further downstream the Jhelum..inhabiting the higher reaches of the mountains..He liked goats mainly..
Q: "sometimes humans,maybe ? " ...this was the point of disagreement between the Kashmiri village
folk...

Uncle's batman Abdullah became my local friend and guide..his "gustaab" or "gustafa" as also some other stuff was one of the best pieces of cuisine I've ever tasted in my life..Abdullah told me many stories of how he esacaped from a Pakistan Prisoner of War camp..he also showed me his bullet wound in his leg..he was one of the simplest person on earth I've ever met..

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Friday, January 23, 2009

Kashmir Himalayas 1983...part 1






I was armed only with a box camera, or rather a pin-hole camera..this + time resulting in the poor pic quality...this was after the end of my Class 11 Annuals.
Amritsar was a temp halt..it was the height of militancy.
The pic above shows the Golden Temple, we all wearing the customary scarves..what struck me was the cleanliness. Most of all was stunned by the friendliness of the devotees..and "nihangs". We were probably the only non-Sikhs inside the Temple..
A round of the Library..the paintings..then Jalianwala Bagh..
The night train to Jammu..the bus trip from Jammu to Srinagar was heavenly..It rained very, very heavily...and as we descended from Patni Top to the Chenab Valley...via Ramban, Batote..remmeber the names, because we had to take 2 hour lunch break there..such was the blinding rain...the Chenab was in spate...
Srinagar was our night halt...
Next day, we were off to our destination - Baramulla. It is situated halfway between Srinagar to Uri (LOC).
Baramulla is rarely visited by tourists nowadays.
The Srinagar - Baramulla road was lined with poplar or some other trees...it was heavenly.. Uncle and Pishi invited us into the log cabin, one of the best accomodations I've ever had..We all stayed by the banks of the Jhelum !
Aaah..the scent of wood..and the sometimes gurgling sound of the Jhelum..the apple orchards..the hillocks on the opposite side of the Jhelum..the hillocks on our side climbing up to the very rare Baramulla-Gulmarg road.

Astounding way was how the Jhelum was transformed within Baramulla itself..from a placid river to the starting of a turbulent, roaring , tumultous wave of water...rushing towards the LOC.
2 pics of the Jhelum...pic 1 is relatively placid..pic 2 is from the turbulence in the water begins to pick up, as it is the western limit of the Vale of Kashmir..and the mountains begin again, Baramulla upto Uri..upto the LOC...