warvet

  ADVENTURE IN KASHMIR HIGHLANDS 'Snowfall in Gulmarg' I saw the Whattsapp message from Amir, the Ski coach we had hired in Gulmarg the day before. 'Congratulations' I replied. Whole of Kashmir, more so Gulmarg was waiting with baited breath for snowfall. It was last chance for the tourist season to go strong. As we were gliding over the majestic Deodar filled gully in the cable car called Gondola, with our skis safely secure in the slots outside the sliding doors, the ski instructors in the car were telling their clients - Its the lowest level of snow this year. Where you see 6 inches, before 2022, it used to be 4-6 feet! In this jungle you see, a man would be lost if he strayed from the track below.  Down below you saw locals trudging up with their loads. Some ran tea shacks at the first phase or Kongdori. some were dragging their wooden sledges. They give ride to tourists on those contraptions, sliding down the slope. There are expensive snow scooters for those who c...

  BUTCHER OR SAVIOUR ‘Dyerton’ – Hell! Wasn’t it ‘Diverton’? I hit brakes. There were tyres screeching behind me.   The car following me almost bumped into me. The local taxi behind me overtook me with the ruff looking cabbie abusing me menacingly. Thankfully his windows were all rolled up and I couldn’t hear his filthy abuses that I could very well lip-read. I heaved a sigh and put the Black Safari (Tata’s call it ‘Dark Edition) in reverse and went back. Of course it was ‘Dyerton’. Afterall it was the eliusive link to one of the most horrific massacres of modern India. I knew   the family lived in that area once. And the place was called ‘Beerkhana’ for the excellent beer they brewed here. Expert distillers that they had turned out to be, It had after all negated the need for the British to import vast quantities of beer from England and showed that equally good beer could be made in ‘The Queen of the Hills- Simla’. Later they established the Solan Brewery for mass pro...

  PARADISE WITHIN JANNAT “ Paradise isn’t lost; It’s frozen in Gulmarg”   As I drew the curtains aside after a good night’s sleep in the cosy Army guest room, I was bowled over by the white snow covered Himalayas that covered the horizon. It was the moment just before sunrise and had all the elements of that high altitude morning. I rushed outside to the wooden patio and filled my lungs with the Deodar scented air. A giant tricolour was fluttering in the crisp air. The mighty Apharvat range was in front of me in all grandeur of its white cloak. I looked at its gentle slopes that came towards the Gulmarg bowl. There were a number of gullies with conifer forests. Amongst them were the world renowned ski slopes which drew enthusiasts from all over the world. Commandos of the Indian Army trained there for Mountain Warfare. The courses run by ‘High Altitude Warfare School’ were considered tougher than the ‘Para’ Courses! Only the Toughest of the Tough passed. 70 percent o...