“Gar firdaus bar-rue zamin ast, hami asto, hamin asto, hamin ast.” “If there is a heaven on earth, it is here, it is here, and it is here. This is what Mughal Emperor Jehangir observed when he visited Kashmir in 17th century. In the course of time, things have changed and the valley has turned itself into a place of tears. But still there are few, who are hopeful that Kashmir, will soon regain its lost glory as the heaven on earth.
Kashmir is heaven because it has a variety of terrains ranging from lakes, snow-capped mountains and coniferous kissed hills to glacier fed rivers. Kashmir is covered with wild untouched terrain, at the same time, there are fields of saffron and orchards of apples awaiting their full bloom, with a variety of flowers and orchid.
Therefore amidst all these turmoil’s in the valley, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism in association with West Bengal Tourism and other tour operators have organised an awareness event in Kolkata on 18thFebruary, where a different Kashmir is introduced to the world with the lives and beauty of Kashmir and Leh and to invite tourists to visit the beautiful Kashmir.
The message from the common Kashmiris is they are far away from terrorism. Terrorism has created fear in the minds of the people and the world, which has affected tourism industry in Kashmir, which is the major source of income of a common Kashmiri. As Mazir Mir of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism says, “The real Kashmiri people really want to welcome their tourists”.
The Kashmiris, unlike the political strife that their state has been under, are very peaceful. They are homely and hospitable. Instead of building large-scale industries that mechanically produce souvenirs for its tourists, people made handicrafts at home and sold them as business.
Kashmir valley is located between the great Himalayan range on one side and the Pir Panjal mountain range. It is a place of beautiful, simple and pristine natural beauty. Kashmir has a unique culture that keeps you intrigued throughout your journey, from Srinagar to Sonamarg and Gulmarg till Pahalgam. So next time when you think of Kashmir, think of its beauty as well.