By | Syed Safa Chishti
Srinagar,13 January:As the white blanket embraces Kashmir, the delirium to experience the most awaited period of winter has reflected visibly in the alacrity shown by tourists as they set out to witness the peak of the Kashmiri winters. With the Gulmarg ski resort too being officially opened for the winter skiing season on Thursday, the energy in the hill station is all hiked up.
“This is the best day of my life”, responds Suchita Kumar. “I have never seen anything more dazzling than Kashmir and its elevated beauty, more significantly in snowfall. My family and I had been planning to pay a visit to this place and what a great decision it was. One cannot get tired of having fun in a place as mesmerizing as this”, she cheers.
With Srinagar too having come out of the dry winter spell, all flights that were scheduled to arrive and depart from Srinagar airport were announced to be canceled after the heavy snowfall on Friday. The Srinagar-Leh, Srinagar Mughal road, Srinagar-Keran, and Bandipora-Gurez roads have also been closed due to snowfall in the region.
As of now, Gulmarg is further predicted with a 5cm new snow forecast in the next 48 hours with temperatures to be well below freezing and generally light winds ahead.
But even such soaring high chilly winds do not seem to restrain the enthusiasm of tourists who specifically see it as an opportunity over a setback.
Children snow fighting around and rolling in the snow with each other enjoy with their elders to make the most of their day. “I never realized this is what snow looks like in real life”, exclaims Anand after a snow fight with his sister Ritu, “This is my first time watching a snowfall and it has been amazing to come here. I would like to come here again every year just to watch this time of the”, he shared laughingly.
“We run to our hotel immediately to have Nunchai after a heavy snow fighting session”, Ritu jumps in, “It instantly warms us up and fills us with more energy to start another round of snow fighting”.
For Vinod Singh, every season in Kashmir has been a delight to witness, “I know this is the best time of the year for tourists but I have always felt that Kashmir is beautiful because of everything it has comprised itself of. Kashmiri people make it ten times more beautiful because of the hospitality they shower. One cannot help but become awestruck on witnessing such levels of generosity and care that Kashmiri people show towards tourists. I am highly grateful for everything that has made this place so scenic, alluring, and delightful”, he said.
With the flights being called off till further announcements, the tourists enjoying their time in the snow certainly do not seem to be in any hurry to miss the golden opportunity to get more of Gulmarg over flying back home.
