Snapshots from Kashmir

I finally had an opportunity to criss cross Jammu & Kashmir by road. Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It consists of three divisions - the foothill plains of Jammu, the Kashmir Valley and the mountains of Ladakh.The route wasDay 1: Udhampur-Jammu-Ramban-Pampore-SrinagarI started in Udhampur which is in the plains and crossed Srinagar through the Jawahar Tunnel. This 2.5 kilometer long tunnel, dug through a mountain of Pir Panjal range, is the main link that connects Kashmir to the rest of the country. I stop to see the saffron flower fields of Pampore. The town was home to two of the most famous Kashmiri poetesses Lala Ded and Habba Khatoon - commonly known as Zoon.The rivers we cross on the first day are the river Tawi, Chenab and Jhelum. Each river has its own distinct mood, color and tempo. Below Jammu the river crosses into Pakistan, and then joins the Chenab. The Jhelum - also known as Vitasta river,  is also a tributary of Chenab. Jhelum is the largest of the five rivers that makes Punjab known as the land of five rivers - Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, Beas.Day 2: Srinagar - Sonmarg- DrasThere was a Bandh (road blockade) announced in the Valley that day. Our hosts advised us to leave Srinagar before 10am to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. We stop at Dal Lake and see the picture postcard view of the little boats (known as Shikaras).There is an uneasy calm in the city. The presence of the army and the Police can't be missed. The lake is lined up with the majestic Chinar Trees - which are now protected. If you see the base of a Chinar tree painted white, then it is marked as protected and cannot be felled. There is a small island in the middle of Dal Lake called Char Chinar (named after the 4 Chinar trees growing there).  I can see the white dome of the Hazratbal Mosque in the horizon which houses a hair of the Prophet.Each little town that we pass after Srinagar has erected checkposts where locals stop the vehicles to collect "tax".The presence of the Indian Army is unmistakable everywhere. Their presence is visible even as we drive past the verdant paddy fields and the highway on our way to Sonamarg.Sonamarg, at an altitude of 3,000 metres above sea level, is about 90 km north-east of Srinagar. The drive to Sonamarg (Trans: meadow of gold) is through the breathtaking Sindh Valley. About 50 miles long, the valley and gorge opens to grassy meadows that are dotted with millions of daisies growing wild.The villages that dot Sonamarg are sparsely populated. The village girls are herding their goats back home.They are amused at the tourists who want to click photos of every square inch of the valley. They can never understand these crazy tourists. They smile as they whisper among themselves.We are late. We should have left for Dras by lunch. But there is no sign of the car and the driver. It is almost 6pm when we start the climb up the mountain from Baltal - 15 km from Sonamarg. This little valley lies at the foot of the ZojiLa, only a day's journey away from the sacred cave of Amarnath. We have to cross the Zoji La pass to reach Dras where I have to spend the night. Actually the word "La" itself means a pass in the Ladakhi language. So just calling Zoji Pass is fine.Visibility is poor. The road to Zojila is clogged with groaning trucks carrying supplies. It is a single road and once you are caught in that convoy, there is no way we can overtake the trucks on that narrow road. We now need to spend the night in the car as the trucks huff and puff through the climb like a fat person on a treadmill. Sonu asks me if he can take a "shortcut" to Zojila. The light is failing. We need to decide fast. Sonu turns the car. I hold my breath.Sonu starts climbing the face of the mountain. This will take us up in 40 minutes. Thats got to be the longest forty minutes of my life.  He is actually following the "path" made by a dried up mountain spring. There are twenty eight hair pin bends. I don't respond because I am clenching my teeth. Sonu tells me that when he drives his family to Zojila he takes this path despite his mother's protests and she calms her nerves by singing bhajan (hymns) loudly all the way up. By now it is pitch dark. As Sonu takes one hairpin after the other he has to stop the Xylo that he is driving, go back a few feet almost at the edge of the road. I avoid looking at the sheer drop.Sonu keeps the riunning commentary going.  "It is always better to do this climb up this route at night. The passengers cannot see how narrow the road is and so they stay calm." He tells me that he had spent a month driving Barkha Dutt the TV Anchor when she covering the Kargil War.After what seems like a never ending night, Sonu tells me that the climb is over. We are now passing through Zojila and points out the glacier gleaming in the moonlit night. I gasp for breath. This is beautiful. Beethoven must have seen such a sight to have composed the Moonlight Sonata. We are at 11,500 feet now as we cross the glaciers that line up one side of the road.I reach the town of Dras. National Highway 1D passes through Dras connecting Srinagar and Leh. In 1999 the Tiger Hill and Tololing ranges were captured by the Pakistani army and could directly block National Highway 1D. The famous three heights which were recaptured during the war were the Tololing, Tiger Hill and The Three Pimples. Dras is said to be the second coldest place (inhabited) on earth after Siberia.Lots to do tomorrow. But for now, it is time to tuck myself under the quilt and sleep.