From Guwahati to Kashmir when beauty overtook fear
A Guwahati resident’s trepidation about a visit to Kashmir in 2000 was soon replaced by the sheer wonder of its beauty
The summer of 2000 found me travelling to Kashmir when fear and uncertainty hung thick over the Valley. Friends and family were uneasy, cautioning me about the fragile law and order and the looming spectre of violence. Yet, I set out on an unforgettable three-day journey from Guwahati by train to Jammu Tawi, and then along a winding mountain road to Srinagar, each bend carrying both apprehension and resolve.
As the miles slipped past, anxiety softened into anticipation. On arrival, fear vanished as quietly as it had accompanied me. In its place stood nature in generous abundance — the graceful terraces of Nishat Bagh, the still, reflective waters of Dal Lake, and the unhurried cadence of life unfolding upon it. Drifting in a shikara, browsing the floating market and sipping the fragrant kahwa, I felt time slow down, allowing memory to take root.
Gulmarg’s beauty revealed vastness and silence in equal measure. Sonmarg tested endurance but rewarded it with sweeping alpine vistas. In Pahalgam, beside a crystal-clear stream, days passed to the sound of flowing water.
The cuisine added its own warmth to the experience. The rich flavours of wazwan and other Kashmiri dishes lingered long after the repast. Above all, it was the people who stayed with me — welcoming, affectionate, and instinctively generous, determined to make visitors feel at home.
Standing amid that beauty, I finally understood the old saying: If there is a paradise on earth, it is here, here and here. Beyond headlines and fear, Kashmir revealed a beauty and humanity that endured — quietly, resiliently, and with grace.
Sabir Nishat, Guwahati
