‘You are Not Alone — I Am with You’: Kashmir.

On a stroll over mountains, then valleys
where you are not likely to meet anybody —
you are forced to meet your inner self, and in solitude you will find your true voice.

On a narrow, steep hill track to Astanmarg,  
just over an hour’s drive from Srinagar — 
no Uber or Car hire services take you up,     
yet I was  lucky to be there with myself. 

Driven by Moomin, a twenty two year old —  
dynamic, enthusiastic, a conversationalist,  
he drives to be back home in Kashmir,  
three months after a HR job in Chandigarh.

I was walking uphill past the Tulip garden 
when he first saw me, stopped his vehicle,
offering to drive me up to Pari Mahal
then Chasma Sahi: knowing Srinagar well.

His persuasion hired him for Rs 500 at 4pm,  
as the walk up there is through a jungle — 
one cannot risk bears, or wild animals, 
even if rowdy tourists are worse than them. 

At 6.30pm I returned to Botanical Garden,
took an hour's walk to my stay, at Brein —
where I was met by a phenomenal sunset,
visible in quiet solitude and introspection.

Then Moomin called me daily on waking up,
which for him was usually before eleven —
to enquire where we’d be going that day,
insisting he’d drive me all around Srinagar. 

We had a Wazwan near Shalimar Garden,
driving up to Astanmarg before sunset — several days he’d sleep late in Ramzan,
yet on his fasting days he’d wait for me late.

An alert sense of responsibility he carried, 
having a Bachelor of Commerce degree — a Human Resources job, gave him empathy
with a professional attitude, I saw through. 

One morning when he called,
I urged him,
‘I want to drive right through Dal lake’ —  
he looked quizzically, the first he heard this,       
maybe assuming I’m sad, lonely, suicidal.

Yet, he drove me over a tiny quaint bridge    
none agreed to, past a car of fearful locals,
through a scenic village, to Jama Masjid —  
trusting me, he learned more about his hometown.

Like on life’s trip, trust has to be mutual —          
I had gauged his driving skills, toughness,  
from drives up and down steep rocky paths,
while he developed faith in my judgments. 

You need faith in a partner’s strokes to win,
playing in a doubles-game of lawn-tennis —         
in life’s romantic and professional paths  
you need trust in your partner’s life-wisdom. 

In Kashmir, emotionally intelligent people, 
they proved to me, my God is concerned —  
I might think I’m alone in my solo travels,          
they ensured I was at home in my sojourn. 

— Shuvashree/ 18th to 26th  April 2025, the 2nd week of my stay in Kashmir. 

PS: in writing this, my Tennis analogy reminded me of an excerpt from my book Existences in the link below: https://shuvashreeghosh.wordpress.com...

I will share the link to the photo album shortly

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