Guns & Roses: Kashmir in a Tata Indigo-

E Jayakrishnan/India Syndicate,

14/07/2010

Guns & Roses: Kashmir in a Tata Indigo



Make no mistake. Every cliché about Kashmir’s beauty and allure is true. And some. It is a land of indescribable beauty. Of meadows, lazy rivers, azure skies, and pristine snow. A picture postcard at every glance, every turn. Let no one tell you otherwise.





Mughal emperor Jehangir was spot on- "If there is heaven on earth, it is here, it is here" he cried out, unable to fathom the thought of being parted from his beloved Kashmir. Nehru too was on the mark , "like a beautiful woman, whose beauty is beyond desire", he said of his beloved Vale.

However, it is not Kashmir's scenic magic that has been in the forefront recently. From time to time, just when thinks seem to be settling down, events tend to conspire to bring things to a boil. Therefore, a visit to Kashmir seems to be fraught with its share of anxieties and fears.

Recently (before the present uproar began), this correspondent made a visit to the Valley with his family, ignoring the dire warnings and the look of concern among relatives and friends. Their faces became longer when he declared that he would be driving down to the Valley from Noida, a Delhi suburb - an almost 2,400 km journey, up and down - in a four-year-old Tata Indigo.

No one need have worried. It was an almost perfect holiday. Kashmir and the Indigo, both behaved perfectly. It was breathtaking. Not once, repeat not once, did we feel the least vulnerable or threatened. The Kashmiris were the acme of hospitality. And, kudos to Tata Motors - no trouble at all from the Indigo. Traversed the twists and turns of the Vale with rare aplomb and grace.

Coming your way, are pictures from the memorable sojourn. Flip the pixels.