October 4th 2017
As a child I never quite envisaged visiting so many countries and meeting different people throughout the world. God has undoubtedly been good to me. I couldn't thank Him enough for all the bounties He has blessed me with. Many great authors and poets have written about the beauty of Kashmir and so it has always been my dream destination. We left SA on Monday on board Emirates. I noticed significant changes at OR TAMBO in terms of security checks but it still does not compare to the airport security in Dubai as well as in India. In India only passengers are allowed inside the airport. In SA every Tom Dick and Harry are allowed inside the airport. Whilst waiting to board our connecting flight to New Delhi we became acquainted with some of the passengers in the waiting area. There was an elderly Sikh couple that truly inspired me. They were returning from a 3 week vacation in Europe. They were quite proud to tell us that despite being elderly they explored 6 countries with ease. The upright, neatly dressed Sikh gentleman is 75 years old and his other half is 65 years old. They were a cute, jovial couple. As the conversation ensued more passengers started joining in until it was time to board our connecting flight. Arriving at Indira Gandhi international airport, I was taken a back at the progress and development I witnessed. India has certainly changed in the last 17 years since I visited. The change is evident in all sectors. We were welcomed at the airport with smiles and warmth. The airport personnel were friendly and obliging especially the staff stationed at the e-visa counter. After collecting our luggage we were greeted by Arshad from Mantana travel and tours. We have been putting this trip together for a few weeks now through email and whatsapp and so finally meeting him in person was pretty awesome. His arrangements thus far have been excellent. We made our way to the opulent Suryaa hotel driving through Delhi's horrendous traffic whilst listening to the sound of Bhangra music. It made us wanna stamp our feet and clap our hands. A lot has changed in New Delhi but the driving culture certainly hasn't. I don't think I'd be able to drive in India. There is a strange driving culture here where cars do not keep in their own lane.People drive haphazardly whilst hooting and honking away. I would call it an organized chaos.Ironically, the accident rate is minimal.We were given a grand welcome at the hotel in line with Indian hospitality. My brother Zillurrahman who resides in Bihar came all the way to spend the day with us. Once we checked in and got all comfortable we went out to Al Bake restaurant located at New friends colony. The food was absolutely delicious. We devoured the mince shorma, seekh kebaab and tandoori chicken. The garlic naan was undoubtedly the best I've ever eaten. After lunch I wanted to meet my papaji. I7 years ago I was literally adopted by a Kashmiri shop owner. My dad and I were having a petty argument about which items of clothing i should purchase.Papaji intervened telling my dad that he shouldn't be arguing with me. Then he said that he only has sons and no daughters. So he asked dad if he could adopt me. He landed up giving me all the items of clothing that I had chosen free of charge. I was totally shocked. I knew the value of the garments as they were made from silk and on top of it hand embroidered.Meeting him yesterday after 17 years was definitely an emotional experience. He managed to maintain the bond for almost 2 decades.Just like the first time we met,I left papajis shop with bags of clothing. Arshad was kind enough to give us a mini city tour.We took a drive past the lotus temple, Humayuns tomb that is currently under construction, gateway of India, parliament house etc. Poor Arshad drove us with a smile from one end of Delhi to the other. As the day came to an end we headed back to the hotel. After freshening up it was time to attend a dinner function in our honour at Zillurrahmans extended families home. I was quite surprised to learn that the family moved from Bihar to Delhi in order to educate their 4 girls. They desire to become doctors. India has progressed in all sectors whilst we back home are regressing. All around us we noticed construction and development. However, the one thing that hasn't changed is a man's attitude towards a woman. Not all men but many men felt that it was quite alright to stare as though they were undressing us with their eyes. Hence Arshad accompanied us all over the city. As we meandered through gulleys and alleys amidst a cacophony of sound I couldn't help but notice various groups of people.. I noticed super rich snotty individuals in posh cars taking advantage of their drivers and maids. By the way not all rich people here treat their employees badly. It's not fair to generalise. Then I noticed the working middle class trying to make ends meet and of course how could I not notice the extreme poverty and slums in which thousands of people reside in.My heart broke. I was warned though not to give anyone money. Whilst there are genuine poverty stricken people residing in the city, there are also syndicates who use children to beg at traffic signals. They deliberately amputate their arms and legs so that the public would feel sorry for them and hence they can derive more revenue. On the political front we heard mixed reactions about the current leadership. Whilst many praised the Modi administration many were disgruntled especially with regards to the 28 percent gst.Many however sang praises for the previous prime minister Manmohan Singh and president Abdul kalaam. Under their leadership India showed a GDP of 60 percent and over whereas the GDP has dropped significantly under the current leadership. One Sikh gentleman made me laugh when he said that JZ and Modi are both the same. They both all words but no action. Under Manmohan Singhs leadership a 10 percent tax was proposed. Modi at the time was a part of the opposition. They threatened to burn india down. Now he imposed a tax that is way more than 10 percent. This morning we flew out to srinagar. We did however encounter hiccups at the airport. All domestic flights only allow 15kg of luggage per person. So even though Emirates allows you 2 by 23 kg bags when entering India, internal flights only accommodates 15kg. This is absolutely ridiculous. It's almost as though India is saying we don't want foreigners to spend money in the country or we don't want foreigners to support local artists and craftsman as the luggage quota for internal flights is minimal. So you either pay for the excess weight and carry on or you keep your extra luggage with friends. We stopped at Jammu to drop off passengers. We waited in the plane for one and a half hours before we took off again due to technical difficulties.Eventually we arrived in Srinagar. After completing the formalities Rasheed bhai whisked us away to our 7 star houseboat. I was a bit shocked at the huge presence of military personnel all around us. In fact no photography is allowed at the Jammu and srinagar airport as they are considered defence airports and hence they are a part of the military.We received a grand welcome at the HB montana houseboat and lunch was ready for us. The food here is divine... Totally out of this world. After lunch we took a stroll in the botanical gardens. Words can not describe the beauty of the place. I felt relaxed. I felt alive breathing in the fresh crisp mountain air. The best thing about India and kashmir is the minimal crime rate. Whilst petty theft does occur due to poverty and honour killing happen in villages due to family feuds, in general no one kills a person for a cellphone or for 50 rupees.I feel free as a bird. We noticed vans laden with goods parked on the side of the road. The driver didn't close the windows and neither were the doors locked.One more thing..many people discouraged us from staying in the houseboat. Don't ever listen to people. Anyone can stay in a hotel but the houseboat experience will remain with me forever. Time for dinner.... ma'am Sahiba dinner tayyaar hai. Jaldi aajao.......
