It was the end of spring in the year 2013 when my family decided to take their annual vacation to the scenic Kashmir Valley. This was going to be my first trip to Kashmir. I was filled with excitement to be visiting this paradise on earth. My family of four, comprising me at age of 11 , my father, mother and my elder brother. We decided to make this trip to Kashmir by road. The road trip was my mother’s idea because she wanted to expose me to the outskirts and lush fields that the city couldnever offer. On the day of our trip we loaded our baggage in the car that mostly comprised of snacks,flasks filled with chai and other beverages as well as my mother’s homemade stuffed parathas. As the trip progressed me and my brother squabbled over the rights to use the aux cord . He obviously won due to his elder sibling privileges and I had to gracefully concede. As I looked out of the car window I noticed the landscape changing from a concrete jungle to lush soothing fields’ clad with light yellow and bright orange flowers. The landscape became even more picturesque once we arrived at our destination. Here I could see the light and dark green hued hills that formed the valley. After reaching the hotel I stepped out of the car and felt the fresh air filling my lungs which was a welcome change from the city’s polluted air. The next day we started exploring the city and its popular touristy spots . En route we stopped at a small bakery for our breakfast . My mother, who is a Kashmiri, quickly connected with the locals and started conversing with them in Kashmiri. While relishing on my Kahwa tea and munching on their local bread called Girda I was mesmerized by the view that the Dal lake offered . We then proceeded to visit Budgam which is a famous tourist spot for its meadows and spring flowers. It was here that i met a bunch of inquistive school children who took interest in me and called me over for a chat. On seeing them I was most impressed by their flushed rosy cheeks and fair skin . During the chat they were very interested to know about my way of life and clothes that I wore and why my head was not covered . In my interaction with them I inquired about the latest film that they had seen. They took a long pause and replied that Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was the only film they had ever seen , as access to films in their households were generally restricted. They also asked me which was the latest film which I had watched and I responded by saying ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’ . They were confused as they had never even heard of it . They mentioned that watching films was never encouraged in their household. As an 11-year old this concept was not understood by me. However as I grew up I could understand and empathize with these girls . They also said they liked watching films and were waiting for the day cinema houses to be reopened in Srinagar so that they could see movies again.
20 Apr 2023
Roshni Kumar
