Find Your Kind Of Paradise In Kashmir

Luxuriating in the nicest houseboat on the Dal and camping in incomparable comfort at Sonamarg, Amit Dixit finds his kind of paradise in Kashmir.

- Puneet K.Paliwal

To land in Srinagar on Burhan Wani’s second death anniversary is not a coincidence I would have wished for, but it’s just one of those things you get used to in this fragile and beautiful valley. The streets, cleaner since the last time, were completely deserted, which should have been disconcerting, but was oddly peaceful instead. After all, we were looking for sukoon (peace/ contentment); quite literally, in fact, it being the name of the houseboat which would be our home for the next two nights.

I savoured Puneet’s expressions of delight. He oohed and aahed at everything from the uniform architecture of the houses to the wooden bridges and the stately chinars. Kashmir does that to first timers. Thankfully, he did not go insane with ecstasy when the Dal Lake finally swung into view. We stopped at Jetty No. 19A, opposite the inviting kebab stalls of Zabarwan Park. Rashid, our nimble boatman, hauled the luggage onto a well-appointed motorised vessel, and we were on our way.

Almost immediately I felt like I was in a film. Bollywood, but before the term came into use. 1960s, perhaps. Technicolor. The classic Kashmir scene that launched a thousand shikaras. And a million honeymoons. It is this archetypal fantasy and a desire to relive it that draws visitors in the droves to Kashmir.

When we reached the houseboat—the journey took only a few minutes—we were greeted with warm smiles and cold towels, then ushered into our respective rooms. Requests for kahwa were entertained right away. I knew if I got too comfortable, it would be difficult to tear myself away from this sanctuary. So I gritted my teeth and we headed out.