Delhi – Srinagar : Day 8 ( 4th June)

Pahalgam-Aru-Srinagar

Aru - The nature in its bloom

Aru is just 12kms from Pahalgam. We started around 8.30 in the morning. The road from Pahalgam to Aru is very curvy and steep. Aru is also a Wild life park. As we were entering the Aru, we stopped by a toll tax collector. He warned us not to leave our car as lot of Bears are in the Jungle. He also showed us pictures on his mobile , and told us how last night Bear attacked some people in the village and one of them has lost his eye. We look at each other, what a perfect way to start a day. But we all decided to go further with doubts in the mind. We also find presence of CRPF there. They stopped us several times and enquired the purpose of our visit.

Aru is a grassland surrounded by a gorge on one side. Its a beautiful shaded valley of the Lidder river. Conifer spread mountains with occasional flash of high, snow-covered peaks rising against the blue sky. The one of the most beautiful hill resort of Kashmir is still, serene and idyllic. There are small hamlets of wood-and-stone houses, some of them in the typical Gujjar-shepherd style with flat roofs, squat and backed against the hillside.

Aru is on the shepherd's trail to the high Kashmiri meadows. While on our visit to Aru, we often encounter with the Biblical-looking Bakerwal or Gujjar herds people - lean, saturnine men, beautiful, dark-eyed women and children, fierce dogs with burning yellow eyes, living in their log huts with their flocks of sheep and goats, on way to the higher pastures for the summer. The melodious chirrup of birds, the gentle touch of the breeze, the blue sky, is all that one may find at Aru. A little stream also flows past in the green-gold grass.

On the way we saw a CRPF camp with several soldiers guarding it. Got some courage, we stopped our car and came out of it. Did some photography and spend some time in the open. We turned back only when told us by the CRPF men that the bridge after village is damaged and there is no way other way to go further.

We started back for Srinagar, took the same route , via Anantnag and the Jammu highway. Reached around 1.00 in the noon . Dropped Nitin at his office. Took some rest .

In the evening I called one of my relative, who works in Radio Kashmir at Srinagar as a Station in-charge. He came with his wife to meet us near Nathu’s Sweet shop at Dal Lake. Spend some time walking along the lake , had some Tikkis, Smaosas, Kachori, Jalabi , Pao Bhaji etc at Nathu’s and called off the day.

Love

Vivek