by Maria Dalal, 4th BPTh
To try and describe the beauty of the Kashmir valley is difficult- great writers have written odes to fill books but have felt they couldn’t do it justice. How does one surmise the overwhelming abundance? Mammoth mountains framed by lush rolling valleys, forests sprawling from edges of orchards, fields of saffron, the tinkling of streams and gush of rivers, the perfumed gardens, the lakes that reflect the endless skies- it is an assault on all senses.
My parents and I planned a week of tourism by road followed by a 6 day trek to the Tarsar Marsar lakes from a small village (that looked straight out of a movie) called Aru near Pahalgam (Bajrangi bhaijaan posters on every tea and bhajiya shack!).
The first day of the trek was a gift in itself- traversing a pine forest that immediately cleared to the beautiful meadows of Lidderwat, trailing the river Lidder by our side. I will let the pictures do the talking.
A group of 20 strangers- from different cities, age groups and professions, quickly became friends to the common goal of ‘appreciation’. Of the gift that were these few days in the lap of nature, the gift of bright mornings, tiring trekking, the comfort of hot food, windy evenings that forced us into tents with card games, and naps under the open sky.
The trek put a lot of things into perspective. It let us acknowledge the magnanimous while appreciating the small things. And that steep climb in front of you- always, always makes you scared. Once you start, your breath catches and your palms sweat- was this a good idea? Am I sure? But a good guide and smiling company- becomes a pattern of one foot in front of the other, eyes wide open to the ever changing view.
In the month of January- a few weeks back, we received a phone call from the receptionist at one of the hotels we stayed at. He had a strange request, something we couldn’t understand over the phone’s rumbling. His son’s 10th standard board result was out and he wanted us to check it online of the official J&K Board of Secondary Education Portal. The internet connection services were still disrupted and everyone in the house was very anxious- mathematics had been a tad difficult. Aatif and his father trailed back to the hotel reception contacts ledger, saw our names and remembered we came from Mumbai- a conversation we had over an early breakfast.
We checked the results on the website – and good news! Aatif had an above average CGPA and math was cleared by a safe margin. The only thing that came to my mind was how similar Aatif’s father sounded to my mother when we were waiting at our computer screen for my board result. The same nervous tone, the inescapable sighs and the yelling of my name at regular intervals.
It is always easy to highlight differences to establish one’s identity as separate from others. Many people, for their own means, will continue to reinforce the differences, will keep convincing us there is an ‘us’, and there is a them. But moments like these remind you just how much is common among every man, woman and child on this planet.
We’re so human.
We’re just human.
Glint 2020 