26/09/2024
https://www.facebook.com/634772259994914/posts/1372178372920962/?mibextid=cr9u03
I visited India first time in 2014. I traveled alone. I spent a few weeks in Delhi & Rajasthan and then decided to head off to Kashmir. The month was August. I stayed in a hotel close to Dal lake. One of the things that I loved about Srinagar was the fact that I could walk around freely without being harassed. Even the hotel owner and staff were very helpful and caring. My well-being was their concern. I would go for long walks by Dal lake side, passing all the Ghats (spots where the shikaras are tied to tiny piers). Although all the shikara (small boat) owners advertise their services very enthusiastically, if you as a tourist would give a firm "no thank you!" you would generally not be bothered any further.
I made some friends in Srinagar and they took me around Pari Mahal, Nishat gardens, took me for sunset shikara rides on the lake, etc. All the while, I felt respected and very safe, as a solo female traveler.
On the last day of my trip which lasted for a week I went to see the Old City of Srinagar. I was overwhelmed by the architecture. I felt like I was somewhere in Europe. It was so significantly different from anything else I had seen in other parts of India. I had visited quite a few European/UK/Scotland cities and only in the oldest, remote parts of these cities, did I get this same feeling. I literally felt like I was walking around in a Grimm's fairy tale.
By the Grace of God, I had the pleasure of visiting Srinagar once again, in 2018 after 4 years. I spent the whole of May and June there last year. This time I was lucky enough to get an extremely reasonable deal to live in a boathouse on Dal lake. The charming two bedroom boathouse I found, cost me only 500 rupees per day including 3 meals! It was part of a group of boats, the fancy luxurious ones were at the front. And the hosts were living seperately in their boat. I spent a lot of time in their boat as I had meals there and became like a visiting family member. They are lovely, warm hearted people and the food the hostess cooked was absolutely delicious. I had total privacy in my small boat, but could socialize with the family or guests at any time. Sometimes we would sit on the roof of the boat watching the sun set. I felt like I had the real experience of what it was like to live on Dal lake. I would go for a very long power walk along the lakeside. The people in the market and on the ghats started to get to know me as I would walk past them at a very fast pace. "Good morning Madam, why are you in such a hurry?" I would laugh and greet and say that I'm exercising! :) I would walk all the way to Brein (a village close to the lake) and back. Sometimes I would walk through the villages of Brein and Nishat and greet people on my way. Women and girls sometimes approached me shyly after we exchange Salaam greetings. Some of them would walk back to the lake with me and we would sit and chat on the wall by the lakeside watching the fishermen.
One day there was a demonstration by some Kashmiri school girls in Brein. Their school uniforms were white and they were shouting "Justice for Asifa!!!" I saw the strength of Kashmiri girls that day. And I joined in with vigor, chanting the phrase. By June more and more tourists started coming. I also spent a lot of time in the market at Dal Chowk. I got to know some shop owners really well. I used to sit with them sometimes, drinking chai, chatting. They were mostly selling Kashmiri handlooms and handicraft. They were really struggling, as tourism had waned over the years. This is a really sad affair and I felt so bad for them. Having all these exquisite items to sell but there were simply no buyers for most of them. These tradesmen rely solely on tourism. So if there are no tourists, there is no business for them. Nevertheless, they were always acting in good faith and are very strong and brave people whom I have a lot of respect for. During the month of Ramadan, they would offer me watermelon and bebr-i-buel (a delicious sweet drink with basil seeds) if I happen to be in the market, at that time in the evening when they break the fast. Now and then I would buy an English newspaper from the newspaper wala and read about the woes and what seemed to be a dire situation, which had a really bad effect on the economy. It was distressing for me at times, to witness and feel the effect of all the turmoil that was going on in the valley. It is just such a sad and tragic thing to see how innocent people suffer. Though I would say none of the tourists ever felt unsafe.
One day I stopped at a very rugged, dilapidated little shop by the roadside next to the lake. I was thinking to myself that this business was really struggling to make ends meet. And old man came out from the back to the counter. Polite greetings exchanged. I bought a cold drink and a packet of chips. He gave me 5 rupees in change. I said: "please keep the change, sir". He looked at me and said:"no madam, we are not that kind of shop". I smiled, he smiled and I was on my way.
One day some Indian tourists struck up a conversation with me. They were a lovely, open-minded family from Delhi. They wanted to know the usual, where I was from etc. They asked me if I was not scared to be in Kashmir all by myself. I replied by saying that I felt much safer in Kashmir than in other parts of India, where I had lived for long periods of time. I told them that I had spent a total of 2 years in India over 4 years. Delhi, Varanasi, the whole of Rajasthan and Goa. But honestly, as far as safety and a sense of "feeling secure" goes, I have never felt safer and more secure than in Kashmir.
