Look around, right from the mobile phone to the hair
dryer, you will find almost everything has a Chinese connection. So just saying
boycott Made-in-China products is easier said than done
Kakoli Thakur | Delhi | June 22, 2020
Ever since the India-China violent stand-off in
Ladakh, social media in India is going hammer and tongs with anti-China
sentiment — calling for banning Made-in-China products and going local by
embracing Made-in-India stuff. But, thinking practically, given the way Chinese
have made inroads in India, is it really possible, I wondered? I thought of
starting off with my own house and looked around if I could junk some Chinese
products.
To start with, I thought of the most important thing in
our lives today — the mobile phone. And found myself facing the Shakespearean
dialogue, ‘Et Tu Brutus?’ For, I possessed a Redmi (read Chinese phone), using
it for the last six months. To be honest, I would think twice before dumping it
as I had to dig deep into my pocket to get one. In fact, India’s mobile phone
market is dominated by China. Xiaomi, Lenovo, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus to name a few
— these are all Chinese mobile companies, assembling and manufacturing
smartphones in India as a part of the Make-in-India initiative.
I work from home and my son has to attend online
classes. Luckily we have two computers at home. I have an HP all-in-one, an American
company. So far, so good! I dug a little deeper into their website to find that
Hewlett-Packard sourcesa lot of its components from China. But I can’t dump
my comp for that one reason.
Then our
old computer, which our son uses, had become very slow and so we took it to a
computer shop to see if it can be salvaged. The technician convinced us that he
would reassemble it with the price less than a new computer by changing just a
few parts. No prizes for guessing where the parts came from—all Made in China
of course!
I looked down and noticed that the two UPS inverters attached
to the two computers were made in China. Now if we have to go with the flow and
ban China-made products, we need to dump them and buy that of Indian brands. Not
a cost-effective proposition at all!
Visit any toy shop
and the shopkeeper would always try to convince you to buy China-made toys as you
will get exact replicas of branded toys and at a much lesser price (he would
never mention the huge margin he gets, of course). When all the hue and cry
began about boycotting China-made products, out of curiosity, we checked a few
old toys, including a Holi phichkari, of our son, and to our surprise, we found
that most of them had a tag written in tiny alphabets — Made in China.
In the lockdown, we started ordering grocery online. The
payment would be through Paytm, as it was convenient. An Indian e-commerce
payment company at last! But no, Paytm also has Chinese investors investing big
in the company. In the meantime, my help called and asked me to send her salary
through Paytm as she is in a containment zone now, and so am I, due to Covid
positive cases in the areas. Now if I tell her, no I can’t do that as the
company has a China connection and it will be ‘unpatriotic’ to do so, will she even
understand it? But I am sure she must have heard that ‘China ko ban karna
chahiye’, as everywhere people are talking about it in every strata of society.
Surfing news websites, I found quite a lot of
information about where Chinese firms had invested big in India.
In 2018, Alibaba invested huge in online grocer
BigBasket (from where we order stuff). It had also invested in food delivery
app Zomato (so, no online ordering of food). Tencent has a huge investment on
ride-hailing app Ola, and e-commerce platform Flipkart too. Alibaba is a large
investor also in Paytm, while Tencent has invested in BYJU’s, the education
start-up.
Seeing the medicine box I remembered coming across an
article that had this para: “Your medicine, prescription or otherwise, may not
come from China (although many do), but there’s a high likelihood it contains
ingredients that originated in China and other countries affected by the
coronavirus.” And it is true — China is a major producer of drug ingredients,
known as ‘active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)’. In fact, two-thirds of the
total imports of bulk drugs come from China, Union Minister for Chemicals and
Fertilizers DV Sadananda Gowda had told the Lok Sabha earlier this year. So
does that mean, we will stop taking medicines? Absolutely not!
You all must have LED bulbs at home, emitting that
brilliant white light. Well, even these have a China link with manufacturing
hubs located in China or the use of China technology.
Love your silk sarees? Well, then don’t forget that
silk fabric was invented in ancient China and played an important role in their
culture and economy for thousands of years. We got it much later when the
famous Silk Road opened.
How to forget the popular app TikTok, which is an
American video-sharing social networking service but owned by ByteDance, a
Beijing-based internet technology company? But how many people will uninstall
TikTok, which is a craze among youngsters, from their phones? The irony is that
a lot of anti-China memes and videos are being made on TikTok and shared. Even
otherwise, people are enjoying funny videos made on the platform and sharing it
freely — forgetting at that moment the ‘ban China’ sentiment.
If asked what is your favourite food many of us would
promptly reply Chinese — until now, maybe. Now we have to think of a second
best option. Being a Bengali, I would prefer Bengali cuisine. For many, may be,
Punjabi would be the best reply. But is it really possible to say no to noodles
if it is made in India as the concept after all is Chinese? Though the Indian
version of Chinese food is different from that of original Chinese cuisine,
after all it has a China connection.
Felt like laughing when I read on a website that a political
figure said that the best option is to shut down Chinese restaurants. But is it
really possible? Or will it really help to counter the Chinese by banning some
eateries, which, obviously, would be owned by Indians.
Even that morning cuppa you have to begin your day afresh
has a Chinese connection as tea is said to have originated in north Burma and
southwestern China as a medicated drink.
Such is the craze of people to ban China that some
political party worker in Bengal’s Asansol burnt the effigy of North Korea’s
Kim Jong-un confusing him with China’s Xi Jinping.
There is no dearth of memes on social media. A video
was doing the rounds where a group bought a Chinese TV just to throw it and
break it into pieces. Who will tell those people that you have wasted your
money, not China’s.
I read that while India exports mostly a basket of
primary goods to China, including cotton, yarn, organic chemicals, ores, natural
pearls, precious stones and fabrics. Chinese imports into India include
electric machinery, electronic equipment, nuclear reactors, boilers, solar
energy components, etc. The list of China’s footprint is long.
In our childhood, having a Wing Sung pen was a prized
possession, which again was manufactured in China from The Shanghai Hero Pen
Company. China is everywhere and we have been using Made-in-China products for
the longest time. And banning Made-in-China products, at least in the present
times when there are no sufficient valid Indian alternatives, is easier said
than done.
When I as an ordinary citizen am finding it difficult
to ban China from my small home, I wonder how India as a country with billions
of dollars at stake, will ban China.
Commentary: Do
consumers really care about brands when bare essential is top priority?
As consumers scramble
to get their supply of daily essentials, it remains to be seen if they look for
their preferred brands or just manage with whatever they can lay their hands on
Kakoli Thakur | April
13, 2020
In this hour of a
global health crisis, when the Covid-19 threat has spread to every corner of
the world, it is interesting to observe how relevant brands are to a consumer whose
primary concern is now getting hold of his supply of daily essentials.
As mandated by the
government, though grocery shops and pharmacies are open during the 21-day lockdown—which
many states have extended till April 30—essential items are vanishing off the
shelves either due to the non-availability or panic buying. The result: scarcity
of items of daily use, forget your favourite brand.
Sample this. Suppose
a consumer prefers Dettol hand wash over any other brand. But what happens when
he goes to a nearby shop to get one and the shopkeeper informs him that only Savlon
and some other brand is available. What will the consumer do? He will obviously
buy whatever is available instead of thinking about his preference, knowing the
importance of hand wash to keep the coronavirus at bay.
Again, there has been
a lot of debate regarding the use of hand sanitiser in the absence of soap and
water. Awareness ads and videos in different mediums say only sanitiser with at
least 60% alcohol content should be used. Knowing the urgency, people are even
hoarding sanitisers at home as they are not sure how long the lockdown will
last. As such, branded ones are flying off shelves and people are buying
whatever they are getting their hands on — even local products offered by
fly-by-night operators. Though it’s specified on the bottles that there is 60%
alcohol, what is the guarantee about it?
Some people argue
that washing hands with soap and water is enough and also doubt the efficacy of
hand sanitisers. Lifebuoy even went to the extent of creating an ad, showing a
doctor saying, “Not only Lifebuoy, whatever hand wash or soap or hand sanitiser
is handy, wash and clean your hand to save yourself from coronavirus”.
Veterans and
old-timers are saying the world has never faced such a crisis ever since World
War-II. In fact, during World War II, only countries in war zones were affected
but Covid-19 has spared no one and forced a global shutdown. So in this hour,
food is the most essential thing anyone would need — branded or non-branded.
If a consumer visits
a shop to buy Aashirvaad Atta, for example, and the shopkeeper says only some
other brand or a local variant is available, that person will not return empty
handed. Because the foremost thought in his mind would be choosing between
staying hungry and getting something, at least.
For students staying
away from home and bachelors who don’t know how to cook, the anytime favourite is
Maggi instant noodles. So at the onset of this crisis, such people, and even
families, hoarded Maggi packets — even in cartons. Three weeks into the
lockdown, when home stocks have started drying out, people are buying whatever
they are getting —it could be either Yippee or some other Maggi lookalike as it’s
easy to make for whom cooking is an alien concept. The thought behind this is,
obviously, getting an instant snack.
As positive cases
increase every hour and people are scared to even step out of home, they are
not even thinking of buying anything beyond essential — leave aside anything
luxurious. Food takeaways are available but are people really getting what they
want?
When a KFC fan called
an outlet in a posh Delhi locality in the evening, he was told they were done
for the day and nothing was left. So that person had to skip his evening snack
that day. This is just an instance.
A lot of brands are
delivering essentials at the doorstep — with a waiting time extending up to
even days in some cases such as Bigbasket as one NCR resident pointed out — but
even they can supply till stocks are available. But what about places where
such deliveries are not available? In remote pockets? In unauthorised colonies
in big cities? Or even in posh high-rises where delivery boys are not allowed
in?
So manufacturing and
distribution of essentials is more crucial at this hour at a time when staying
safe, and alive, has become the top priority and people are not even thinking
about brand preferences.
A nostalgic look at the days when TV was synonymous with the national
broadcaster and when good content ruled the air waves
Kakoli Thakur | Delhi | September 18, 2019
Last Sunday, good old Doordarshan turned 60. When I came across this
news, I became nostalgic and went down memory lane. I recalled how important DD
was to us back then in the ’80s when there was no DTH or cable or OTT players
or Internet. Filled with nostalgia, I could not stop myself from writing this
small piece as a tribute and celebrate 60 years of our national channel.
Doordarshan, which began as an experiment on September 15, 1959, and
became a service in 1965, turned 60 on September 15, 2019.
Those were the days of no cable and DD was the only channel as a mode of
entertainment.
I remember, during the early DD days, we didn’t even have a television
and only one or two houses in our neighbourhood had the luxury of buying a TV
set. We as children were allowed to visit our neighbours only on weekends to
watch our favourite programmes. Before that, television was only part of our
social study books.
Gradually, more and more houses started making television a part of
their drawing rooms, a thing to show off in those days. But I am only talking
about black and white television. Having a colour TV set was a super luxury and
only a few could afford it. Samosa and mithai treat was given to
neighbours to announce the good news of a TV set — as if a newborn had arrived
in the house. That was a time when television united families in their drawing
rooms.
In the initial days, at 5 pm, a striped screen appeared as one would
switch on the set and patiently wait for the channel to go live. It was not a
24-hour channel then and broadcast was limited to the evening hours. Slowly, the
famous DD tune would play along as the logo rotated from a hazy background and
appeared on screen as people cheered and clapped. We often used to hum along the
soothing music.
Over time, the broadcast timings got extended to morning and afternoon
hours and years later, Doordarshan got a sibling in DD Metro.
Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan was a craze those days. On Sunday
mornings, when the show aired, the roads had a deserted look. People followed
it religiously and the elderly people even showed agarbatti and diya
to the television when the title song played every Sunday. People wanted to
touch the feet of Arun Govil and Deepika Chikhalia, who played Ram and Sita,
whenever they were seen in public.
BR Chopra’s Mahabharat was another popular show those days. We all
came to know about the story and characters of the epic better through the
show.
The daily evening Samachar was a must watch for all as it was
time to get information about city, state, country and the world. The news and
anchors both were simple and sober unlike today when noise rules. Those were
the days when anchors Salma Sultan, Geetanjali Aiyer, Komal.G.B.Singh, Neethi
Ravindran, Rini Simon Khanna, Sarla Maheshwari, Minu and Shammi Narang were
household names.
Chitrahaar was another popular programme on DD National,
featuring song clips from Bollywood films. It was aired twice a week and I
remember we studied extra hours so that we were allowed to have a glimpse of the
Bollywood world.
We eagerly waited for Sunday evenings as a movie was aired every week. No one cared if it
was an old movie or a recent one; we watched them all. Sometimes electricity
played the spoilsport but we as children took that opportunity to play outside
and the moment power came back, we shouted in chorus, and sometimes got scolded
for that, but those were fun days.
Other popular shows were Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Rajni, Karamchand, Dekh
Bhai Dekh, Malgudi Days, Surabhi and the list is endless. Who can forget
the first daily soap operas Hum Log and Buniyaad? And Bharat
Ek Khoj, the 53-episode Indian historical drama based on the book The
Discovery of India (1946) by Jawaharlal Nehru? And, of course, the evergreen
Duck Tales, Tom and Jerry and Mowgli!
Programmes such as Krishi Darshan were boring for us as kids but
for adults, it was information and we could not even giggle about it.
Today’s ‘the’ Shah Rukh Khan became a household name with the serial Fauji
and we as teenagers blushed watching him on television and it was a topic of
hot discussion in school.
Then came the turn of the mega dramas such as Shanti and Swabhiman
that had real good content, unlike today’s daily soaps that are stretched
beyond imagination.
Today, there is no dearth of 24-hour channels but none can match the
charm of DD days and only people of that generation can relate to it.
East Europe was our
dream destination and even now when we think about the trip, we are in
disbelief as it was like a dream.We didn’t go
to the crowded places or popular tourist destinations. But all places we visited were picturesque
locations, and we would love to go there again and again. Do read our trip plan
at the end.
A visit to Europe was a
dream and even now sometimes I am still in disbelief whether it’s really been
fulfilled or if it was some beautiful dream. The plan started almost six months
back. Finally the day arrived on Dussehra early morning. After a long wait at
Delhi airport, we boarded the plane to Helsinki, Finland. I, husband and sonny
were smiling ear to ear as all through we have been very hush-hush about the
plan; we were very superstitious, in case it gets cancelled.
I was little unwell but the
moment I landed, I forgot everything. The surroundings outside was like a
painting.We had a long wait at the
airport for our next flight to Budapest, Hungary. Now we feel we could have
spent some time at Helsinki city, but we will definitely do it next time.
What’s the harm in dreaming?
We reached Budapest at
midnight and our hotel car was waiting for us at the airport. On our way to the
hotel, we had a night view of the city — glittering in what looked like tiny
sparkling lights from a distance. We were already in love with the city and
were just waiting for the sun to rise so that we could explore the beautiful place.
So excited we were that we had no signs of jetlag.
We had an elaborate
breakfast in the hotel and the first thing we experienced was a cruise on the Danube
River on a chilly, windy but sunny morning, which gave us a river’s eye glimpse
of the city from the blue waters. Though the city was new to us, it was not at
all tough to locate a hop-on hop-off tourist bus and we went around the city
admiring the picturesque locations. The best part was we could avail of the bus
facility the next day too with the same tickets as they were valid for 48
hours. For lunch, we opted for Hungarian cuisine and we loved it.
As the day turned dusky, and
we were just strolling in the markets, we heard a familiar tune. As we turned,
we saw a group of ISKCON followers singing and dancing Hare Krishna Hare Rama that too in Indian attire — saris and dhoti kurtas.Mini India in Hungary! We had a smile on our
faces and I felt like dancing with them but then stopped myself, thinking not
to experiment too much in a foreign land. Nobody was bothered about what others
were doing and that is what I liked the most. In two days, we saw the Danube River,
Parliament, Chain Bridge, Synagogue (Jewish worship place), Heroes’ Square,
City Park, Citadella at Gellert Hill, Buda Castle (from a distance), Szechenyi
Burda (thermal bath), St. Stephens Basilica, et al.
Just in two days, the city had
become familiar to us and we already knew where to catch bus, where to find
food and how to take a taxi back to the hotel. But it was time to bid adieu to
the city as the next day we had a flight to Split, Croatia, via Bonn,
Germany.As we waited at the Cologne
Bonne airport, we observed different people of different nationalities all
moving from one country to another, and the thought that came to my mind was — wow
the world is so small.
As we flew to Split, we
could view the beautiful Swiss Alps from above. We were mesmerised by the
snow-clad mountains and started planning our Switzerland visit already — at
least once in this lifetime. As we neared our destination, we could see perfectly
blue seas and green islands and the view was breath-taking — just like a
picture postcard. My sonny was kind enough to give me the window seat for some
time as he saw I was busy clicking pictures from the middle seat itself, and
maybe he was disturbed by mommy too. I was so occupied looking down for quite long
that I started feeling dizzy but luckily the plane landed soon and all went
well. At the Split airport, we had a long interview with the immigration officials
as we were on a Schengen visa and Croatia didn’t fall under it, though it
allowed entry on that visa. One of the questions was, “Is this your beba (son
or maybe baby she meant)?”, pointing at our son. I and my husband almost echoed
together, “Yes”. Of course, didn’t want to lose sonny, never. She said, “Sorry,
part of our job” at the end, with a smile. It was finally over and by the time
we reached the conveyer’s belt, only our luggage was left. Our apartment driver,
a young girl, was waiting for us outside and seemed little restless but was
okay when she got to know the reason behind the delay. She was quite friendly
and I found her face familiar with our Bollywood’s Kalki Koechlin.
The drive was long and we discussed
various topics, even India’s population and the job scenario as she felt there were
not many industries in Split so there was not much scope for growth. We felt, ‘wow
no industry’ and that is what we wanted to enjoy, no industrial pollution —
away from the choked air of Delhi.After
about half an hour, we reached our apartment and there was a smile on my son’s
face as it was a duplex and there was a narrow staircase inside to reach the
bedroom. It was a cosy apartment and we loved it. Our host, after giving a
description of the apartment and the map of the place, left us on our own and
the apartment was ours for the next three days. The feeling was good to have a
temporary home in an alien country. We had hot coffee and some readymade snacks
we had carried from India, got ready and was outside to explore the new place.
Our apartment was at a slope
and we had to go down to reach the main market and the sea. We were lucky to
have got an apartment in the old town; the moment we saw the dark blue seas, we
were all smiles. There were tourists from different countries — some were
strolling, some just sitting and enjoying the sunset. And we did what we loved
the most, clicked pictures. We got to know that a one-hour cruise-like-boat
ride was available and our itinerary for the next day was fixed. Saw multiples
of sea ducks and sea gulls flying down on the sea for a good meal of sea
fishes. We found a small food joint and packed our dinner which we customised
with some familiar ingredients of veggies and chicken. We shopped some
breakfast essentials from a neighbourhood shop.
After a good night sleep,
the next day the first thing we did in the morning was to go for the boat ride.
We went to the top of the boat and took
the seats that had been tied with ropes to the iron grille. After some time, we
got to know the secret of the ropes. The sea was choppy. Some parts of the ride
were scary because of the huge waves. But we forgot everything as the view was
spectacular — blue sea, blue sky, green and brown hills. The guide gave us a description
of the places and also told us how at regular intervals the sea water is taken to
test how clean it is. On way, we saw some daredevil climbers negotiating the
flat rocks on the shore with bare hands. Others were kayaking amid the dancing waves.
In the evening, we had a round of the local market and found a bakery. After
a pizza lunch, we were really hungry and relished on pastries and potato pie.
My husband found the potato filling similar to our samosa. What else do we need to survive? We would settle ourselves
on a bench and observe how tourists came to holiday with their dogs of
different breeds as they were like their family; many aged people even came on
wheelchairs to relax, after all if one is a traveller at heart, age is no bar.
We still remember the camaraderie of a white couple who adopted three Asian
girls. We also saw a lot of couples of different nationalities. The next morning, we decided we
should look for a beach as till that time we could not get down on the water.
And after 3-4km walk, we found one. And what beach it was. Spotlessly clean.
White sand. Just a couple of tourists. A cool breeze. Bright sun. Green and
white mountains in the backdrop. The Adriatic Sea looking just pristine — Italy
on the other side. Giant ship liners cruising at a far distance. Felt like
settling there forever. I even thought of a business idea. Selling coffee and snacks
to tourists. But life is not so easy. Since it was quite far from the old town,
there were very few people there, only a few mad ones like us who are always on
a lookout for an exclusive place. We got down, walked on the water but it was
chilly so decided to sit on the shore. Even my 10-year-old kept on looking at
the sea blankly like a philosopher. There was a park nearby and he played to
his heart’s content as there were very few kids to fight for the rides. In
three days, we felt we belonged to that city but every good thing comes to an
end and it was time for us to visit our next place — Dubrovnik.
We took a bus to Dubrovnik
and on our way crossed Neum, a tiny town of around 4,000 people in Bosnia, nestled
beside an inland extension of the Adriatic Sea. The landscape was equally
beautiful, especially the orange orchards, orange-roofed similar-looking even houses
and the blue sea moving with us all the way. We thought if the bus stopped for
some time, we could have a closer look. It did, but only for passport check and
a snack break and we had to click pictures from inside. By late afternoon, we
reached Dubrovnik — the gigantic cabled-stayed Franjo Tuđman bridge, similar to the one
inaugurated in Delhi sometime back, and massive cruise liners, welcoming us to
the mystical hilly town that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea.
From the bus stand, we took
a taxi to our apartment, a short distance. As we got down and were looking for
our apartment number, I heard a
very welcoming voice, “Please come, I am waiting for you!” She was our new host.
And I would say, this apartment was better and bigger. In the back lawns
behind the kitchen window, there were pomegranates, lemons, oranges hanging from
the trees. Felt like plucking but just like the forbidden apple, we stopped
ourselves. The host offered some handmade snacks and they were yummy. By then,
it was evening and we asked our host if it was safe to roam out and she was
like, “of course”. After a short chat, she left us on our own for the next
three days. We ventured out and opted to walk to the old town as our host told
us it was just 10-minute walk. But it was not so near as we found out. After
about half an hour of walking through neat roads and beautiful houses, we
reached the fortress housing the castle town, the place where parts of Game of
Thrones were shot. Quite a few musicians were playing different instruments on
the sideways — projecting a touch and feel of a Bollywood background score as
we were exploring the new city, almost like giving us a royal welcome.
We were starved after the
long walk and started looking out for some good food. By then we were already
missing our rice and roti and Indian food. Where ever we looked, there was
bread, pizza, burger, pasta and we were like “NO.” And somewhere in between, I
had a glimpse of a poster that said, ‘Incredible India’. We were in disbelief. A
few Bollywood dialogues instantly came to my mind: ‘If you want something from
heart, you definitely get it.’ We ordered butter chicken and roti and we almost
devoured it like we hadn’t eaten in ages. Though the food was not that good, there
was a feeling of content.
Next morning, we went for
the famous Zicara, the ropeway/cable-car point to climb to the top of a hill
from where we could have a panoramic view of the city and it was worth
visiting. By then, we had become veteran walkers, including our 10-year-old. In
fact he took the lead to show off that he knows the way quite well. We again
visited the old castle and this time on the side of the sea. We saw huge boats
waiting for passengers and without any second thought; we took the ride to the Lokrum
Island — a Nature
Reserve and a Special Forest Vegetation Reserve, which is home to a variety of
flora and fauna and castles. We would have missed an experience if we hadn’t
visited the island. There was loads of greenery with multiple green species,
peacocks, rabbits, all roaming here and there. We also passed a graveyard but
left the ghosts undisturbed, if any still there. We sat on the rocks admiring
the sea leisurely as the last boat to return to the mainland was 5 pm and we
had ample time in hand. We were on biscuits and chocolates almost the whole day
but we were okay as it was a lifetime experience.
After coming back to the old
town, my husband was adventurous enough to climb to the top of the castle and
walked the entire city wall, which must be about 2-4 km. I and sonny waited
down watching multiple tourists and listening to them. Though we didn’t
understand what they said, the excitement was clear in their voice, specially
the Japanese tourists.
We had dinner at 6pm, which
was evening snacks time back home, and this time we went for an Italian
restaurant. The chicken risotto, chicken salad and grilled chicken were
luscious. I would say chicken just saved us as most of the dishes had beef on
it, so we were very choosy. Though my husband was ready to experiment, I and my
sonny were happy with our chicken delicacies. On our way back home, my husband
went to a department store and bought eggs, milk, bread, cheese for breakfast the
next day.
My husband was too excited
to cook something in the beautiful kitchen and served us some hot spaghetti,
cheese scrambled eggs with coffee and bread. We started a little late and went
in search for a beach location and found one after a half-an-hour walk. I and
sonny get mad to soak our feet in water but my husband needs a little push.
After some time, we made ourselves comfortable on a wooden platform and let sonny
play in the water. We saw a couple, must be 60 plus. They went for a swim and
it was too cute to watch them romancing in the water and teasing each other. Ageing
together in love! We went inside the castle city again in search for food. We
also had the opportunity to see a wedding inside. And most tourists like us
were waiting to see the bride and the groom and the moment they came outside
hand in hand, everybody started clapping. After all, it’s always a treat to see
newlyweds and everybody says ‘God bless’ automatically in their minds. These things
are the same everywhere, and what a wonderful feeling. One day, the newlyweds
will share their story of marriage to their grandchildren that they got married
at the same location where Game of Thrones was shot.
The next morning was October
28, when we would fly to capital Zagreb in the afternoon. My husband started
waking me up as it was 7 am. But when I checked my mobile, it was 6 am. The
confusion ended when we searched the internet and found that from that day,
every year, the clocks are set back by an hour in Europe as winter had set in.
Thank God, we didn’t have any flight to catch in the morning. The weather was very windy and chilly and later we got to
know that a very bad storm had hit the other side of the sea in Italy. We spent
some time beside the old town, having a last glimpse of the sea. God knows if
we would ever return. We hurried back to the apartment as we didn’t want to be
stuck in rain and storm. Our host requested us to take her neighbour’s car and
we readily agreed and understood the reason when we saw the old man who drove
us to the airport — maybe she wanted him to earn a few bucks.
It was raining heavily and
the flight got late by over an hour. By the time we reached the hotel in
Zagreb, it was quite late and after a quick dinner at a fine dine restaurant in
the Capitol Square, we went to bed. The next morning we went to explore the
nearby places as we had a flight to Vienna in the evening. What we loved most
was the local market with lot of flowers, cheese, fresh vegetables, fruits, et
al. The old town with gigantic churches and buildings with Gothic architectureand tram lines running somewhat resembled Budapest. We
would have loved to explore more but it started raining. We had a quick snack lunch
and hurried back. We had shopping bags in our hand and we covered our heads
with them. Though a few kids laughed at us, after some time we saw people
copying us as they also had no umbrellas — this is called Indian jugaad.
Our return flight to Delhi was via Vienna, where we had a
four-hour stopover. We were surprised to see the size of the tiny two-by-two
seater plane to Vienna and doubted if it would take off. But it did and we
reached safely after a short flight. When we were about to land in Vienna, the dazzling
city looked beautiful from above. Again we regretted, thinking that we could
have stayed there for a day at least. But we had a flight to catch at night for
Delhi. When we were waiting at the airport, we saw a lot of Indian faces after
days and felt good. It was a jumbo plane — the Air India dream liner — and
boarding started almost one and half hours early. I saw a group of European
tourists who seemed a little worried as their guide was scaring them by telling
not-so-good things about India. Though I didn’t understand their language, I
could clearly read the fear in their faces. On board, I killed time by watching
two Bollywood new movies. And finally the next morning, we reached our very own
Delhi. Everything seemed familiar now. Suddenly I saw the same European
tourists standing in a corner of the airport. I approached them and said,
“Welcome to India. India is a beautiful country and the people are good. Don’t
be scared. Enjoy!” And they smiled at me. I felt I am just back from their
place and had a beautiful experience and this was the least I could do to bring
a smile on their faces. After all, we belong to incredible India and there are
lot of good things here too.
Our plan trip and journey in short
From the Delhi airport, we boarded the plane to Helsinki,
Finland, where we had a long wait for our next flight to Budapest,
Hungary. We later felt we could have spent a day at the city. But you can definitely
do that.
We reached Budapest at midnight. Our hotel car was
waiting for us at the airport. The next morning, we experienced a cruise ride of
the Danube River. We boarded a hop-on hop-off tourist bus on
which we went around the city, exploring and admiring the picturesque
locations. We could avail of the bus facility the next day too with the same
tickets as they were valid for 48 hours. For lunch, we opted for Hungarian
cuisine. In two days, we saw the Danube River, Parliament, Chain Bridge,
Synagogue (Jewish worship place), Heroes’ Square, City Park, Citadella at
Gellert Hill, Buda Castle (from a distance), Szechenyi Burda (thermal bath),
St. Stephens Basilica, et al.
After three days, we had a flight to Split,
Croatia, via Bonn, Germany. We
had a layover at the Cologne Bonne airport for our next flight. If you want,
you can spend a day or two in Bonn.
As we flew to Split, we could view the beautiful Swiss
Alps from above. At the Split airport, we had a long interview with the
immigration officials as we were on a Schengen visa and Croatia didn’t
fall under it, though they allowed us entry on that visa after due checks. Our
apartment driver, a young girl, was waiting for us outside. After about half an
hour, we reached our apartment, it was a duplex and was ours for the next three
days.
Our apartment was at a slope in the old town and we
had to go down to reach the main market and the dark blue seas. We got to know
that a one-hour cruise-like-boat ride was available and our itinerary for the
next day was fixed. In the evening, we had a round of the local market. The
next morning, we decided we should look for a beach. And after a 3-4km walk, we
found a beautiful one. The Adriatic Sea looked just pristine — Italy on the
other side. Giant ship liners were cruising at a far distance. If you want, you
can add Italy in your list and enjoy a cruise journey from Split. At the same
time, you can go to Dubrovnik from Italy on a ship.
After three days in Split, it was time for us to visit
our next place — Dubrovnik. We took a bus and on our way crossed Neum, a tiny
town, nestled beside an inland extension of the Adriatic Sea. The landscape was
beautiful, especially the orange orchards, orange-roofed similar-looking even
houses and the blue sea moving with us all the way. The bus stopped for some
time for passport and visa check as we crossed 20-km stretch of Bosnia. By late
afternoon, we reached Dubrovnik — the gigantic cabled-stayed Franjo Tuđman Bridge
and massive cruise liners, welcoming us to the mystical hilly town that
overlooked the Mediterranean Sea.
From the bus stand, we took a taxi to our apartment, a
short distance. This apartment was better and bigger. In the back lawns behind
the kitchen window, there were pomegranates, lemons, oranges hanging from the
trees. The host left us on our own for the next three days. We ventured out and
opted to walk to the old town. After about half an hour of walking through neat
roads and beautiful houses, we reached the fortress housing the castle town,
the place where parts of Game of Thrones were shot. That night, we had Indian
food.
Next morning, we went for the famous Zicara,
the ropeway/cable-car point to climb to the top of a hill from where we could
have a panoramic view of the city. We again visited the old castle and this
time on the side of the sea. We saw huge boats waiting for passengers; we took
the ride to the Lokrum Island — a Nature Reserve and a Special Forest
Vegetation Reserve, which is home to a variety of flora and fauna and castles.
After coming back to the old town, my husband was
adventurous enough to climb to the top of the castle and walked the entire city
wall, which must be about 2-4 km. If you are an adventurous one, you should try
the walk as the view from the top is breath-taking.
We had dinner at 6pm— chicken risotto, chicken salad
and grilled chicken.
The next day, we started a little late and went in
search for a beach location and found one after a half-an-hour walk.
The next morning was October 28, when we would fly to
capital Zagreb in the afternoon. My husband started waking me up as it was 7
am. But when I checked my mobile, it was 6 am. The confusion ended when we
searched the internet and found that from that day, every year, the clocks are
set back by an hour in Europe as winter had set in. Thank God, we didn’t have
any flight to catch in the morning. We spent some time beside the old town,
having a last glimpse of the sea. We hurried back to the apartment and took a
car to the airport.
It was raining heavily and the flight got late by over
an hour. By the time we reached the hotel in Zagreb, it was quite late and
after a quick dinner at a fine dine restaurant in the Capitol Square, we went
to bed. The next morning we went to explore the nearby places as we had a
flight to Vienna in the evening. Zagreb is good for a day or two. What we loved
most was the local market with lot of flowers, cheese, fresh vegetables,
fruits, et al. The old town with gigantic churches and buildings with Gothic
architecture and tram lines running somewhat resembled Budapest.
Our return flight to Delhi was via Vienna, where we
had a four-hour stopover. We were surprised to see the size of the tiny
two-by-two seater plane to Vienna. We reached safely after a short flight. When
we were about to land in Vienna, the dazzling city looked beautiful from above.
Again we regretted, thinking that we could have stayed there for a day at
least. But you can always spend a day in the city. For Delhi, we boarded a
jumbo plane — the Air India dream liner. Boarding started almost one and half
hours early. And finally the next morning, we reached our very own Delhi.
I was introduced to Kashmir through my books when I
was a child. Since then, it was my dream to visit the paradise on earth.
Whenever I saw anything on television related to Kashmir there was only one question
in mind, ‘will I ever be able to visit the beautiful place’? But as it is said
when you wish something from your heart, it happens in real.
When my husband asked if I want to go to Kashmir, I
was in awe and asked, ‘really?’ We booked our tickets and suddenly some
untoward incident happened and a bandh was declared in Kashmir. And it
continued for two days. And again we were in a dilemma whether to go or not. On
the third day, when life started getting back to normal at the valley we
decided to take risk and listen to our hearts and just go no matter what comes
our way.
Finally the day arrived and we were waiting at the
Delhi airport waiting for our flight announcement to Srinagar. I still couldn’t
believe that I was actually going and WhatsApped one of my friends who had visited
Kashmir a few years back. She replied, ‘Just go and enjoy, it’s heaven!’ Our
hotel driver Maqbool called, ‘I will pick you from the airport’. It was just
one hour and a few minutes flight from Delhi. We could make out the difference
that we are going to have an amazing experience. Suddenly the atmosphere
changed and we could see clouds and white mountains, which we are not used to
at all in and around Delhi. But it reminded me of the north-east, especially Meghalaya
(abode of clouds). And the passengers at the window seats felt lucky that they
could have the first glance of heaven.
The moment we landed, Maqbool called again ‘Have you
landed, I am here for you’. It sounded like a relief amidst tight security of
the airport. Soon we were on our way to the hotel and I could see women fully
dressed with their heads covered and security presence every half a km or even
less. We reached the hotel just opposite the famous Dal Lake and chose a room
facing it. We rested for some time and Maqbool was already waiting for us at
the lobby for local sight-seeing. At one place, we also had to get down from
our car and walk past the security post and it was considered a regular check. Though we arrived at our dream destination,
there was a strange feeling inside whether we took the right decision but the
moment we arrived at the first tourist spot, all our fears vanished. There were
a lot of smiling tourists with kids and life seemed to be normal again and we
were smiling from ear to ear. We visited Pari Mahal, Chasme Shahi, Mughal
Garden, Botanical Garden and a few more gardens. When we reached Hazratbal
Dargah Sharif, it was namaz time and we were little hesitant whether to visit
or not. But Maqbool encouraged us ‘jao jao… koi baat nahi’ (please go, it’s
okay) and we followed suit. We felt they are very normal people like us, very
simple and peace-loving. Though women were traditionally dressed with heads
always covered, there was a sense of independence as we saw a lot of women
driving and roaming about on the roads on their own and it felt good.
For lunch, we had Kashmiri rogan josh and it was just lip-smacking.
We also did a little shopping at a wholesale shop. When we reached the hotel,
our shikara wala was waiting for us. After some time, we were on the Dal Lake
for a shikara ride. The first thing the boatman told us was, “Look at my face,
could you recognise me. I am the same person riding the shikara behind Vinod
Khanna and Simi Garewal during the shooting of the song Wada karle sajna tere bina
main na rahu…in the movie Hath ki safai. At that time I was young.” We smiled
and after coming back to Delhi, we checked the video on Youtube.
We felt the Dal Lake was a moving economy with lot of
people earning their livelihood – by selling handicrafts, shawls, dry fruits, clicking
photographs, running mini eating joints, water sports and what not. There was
also a meena bazar where shops of all kinds were available. We had delicious
chicken tikka with walnut chutney from a boat shop and thought the ride should
never end. There were a lot of house boats parked on the lake side with amazing
names like Mission Kashmir, Mobile House, Golu Palace, Sunflower, Fairy Queen,
et al. But we somehow felt life would be restricted staying in a houseboat so
we opted out.
We were curious to know what wood they used for the
house boats and shops that they last for so long in water and prompt came the
reply from our shikara man. This is deodar wood, ‘yeh pani mai kharab nahi
hota’ (It’s deodar wood it remains intact in water). But we felt a little
worried that the lake is so precious for the local people and for tourism to
flourish but it is getting dirty and cleanliness is the need of the hour.
As dusk set in, we sat by the side of the lake on
raised platforms and observed the lively city. It was the holy month of Ramzan
and people were breaking fasts and having ice-creams. Sound of holy songs from
the mosques echoed all around. Our day one was a pleasant one, much more than we
expected.
According to Maqbool’s instructions, we got ready by 7
am the next day and we were off to Sonmarg, our first point outside Srinagar.
As we moved upwards we could see the beautiful landscape on the sides of the
river Sind, green hills and then we could see the white mountains in the
background. Seeing the beautiful river, I could not resist myself and got down
for a few clicks. I so wanted to touch the white and bluish water and soak my
foot on it but it was not a slow moving river but Maqbool promised that I would
get the opportunity to do that the next day. We reached Sonmarg and could see a
few tourists enjoying horse riding on the green valley. But the moment we heard
about Zero Point, snow and reaching halfway to Kargil, we just couldn’t say no.
After a little bargaining with the local taxiwala, we were off to experience
snow. As we advanced higher we crossed the high Zojila Pass and the road
getting treacherous. At some points, only one vehicle could pass. It was
dangerous and later after reaching Delhi, we got to know that it is one of the
dangerous roads in the world and felt a sense of pride that we overcame it.
Our guide showed us the Amarnath yatra base camp at
Baltal and huts erected for pilgrims (as the yatra would start in a month). We
also saw the point till where Pakistan had made intrusions before they were
shooed away by our Army during the Kargil war in the late 90s. Some Pakistani
bunkers were still lying vacant, the ones not yet destroyed by snow. The
respect for our Indian Army was always there but for the first time witnessed
what a tough job they are doing. Salute to the Indian Army!
Some stretches were so dangerous that our driver
double-checked before moving ahead as landslides are very common there. Huge snow
patches were melting and it was a very dangerous point. We were told almost
everyday accidents happen in this area and it was scary indeed, our heart was
almost in our mouth. Snow clearing operations were still going on with huge
machines. But nothing could stop the mad traveling instinct in us.
Finally we reached the Zero Point and our eyes just
couldn’t believe the amount of snow we saw all around. Everything was crystal
white and it was difficult for us to see without our glares as the sun was
strong and it was reflecting against the white mountains. We geared up with our
hired fur jackets and boots looking like aliens as if we landed in a different
planet straight from boiling Delhi. We could see the tip of the white clad
mountain so near below the dark blue sky. Sledge pullers started to lure us and
finally we agreed. But when we saw they had to pull us up, we got down. We felt
bad as we saw humans pulling humans for their livelihood. Life is very
difficult in the mountains. We walked up and had the sledge experience while
coming down the slope and it was fun. We were instructed again and again to be
careful with our valuables as if anything falls in the snow it’s impossible to
track them. We had Maggie and Kashmiri kahwa (tea) and it was amazing. We just
couldn’t stop taking clicks as it was a once-in-a-life time experience. My
husband smiled, saying it will be tough to select pictures to post on social
media as everything was so beautiful there. One could close the eyes and just
click click click and not a single shot would be missed!
Though we didn’t want to come back, we remembered the
rough path back and had to return before sunset. After reaching Sonmarg, our
guide showed us a few local points but after the experience at Zero Point,
nothing seemed impressive.
We reached the hotel, rested and went out for our
evening stroll by the side of the Dal. As mobile internet was banned, there was
nothing to check on mobile and for a change we liked it—a technology-free life
after a long, long time.
On day three, we headed towards Pahalgam and on the
way Maqbool showed us saffron fields and walnut trees. We also stopped at a
shop and bought saffron, walnut, black berries, cranberries. The shop owners
have their own plantations of saffron, walnut, apples, fennel seeds and showed us some trees at the
backyard. The simplicity of the people was very contagious and felt like our own
people. They told us how the soil of Kashmir is so rich that everything grows
very easily and so they consider Kashmir as the heart of India. The next
stopover was a restaurant with an apple orchard in the background. We had our
breakfast sitting under apple trees. The apples were still tender and a few
were lying on the ground and my son excitedly started playing with them. But
plucking apple from trees was strictly prohibited. Maqbool showing off his
contacts told us ‘just call me if you need apples’. We also saw rows and rows
of factories with huge stacks of little wooden planks that would become cricket
bats, which an aspiring Sachin or Kohli would play.
Finally after a few hours, we reached Pahalgam and
after some bargaining we were on our horses with guides along. The names of the
horses were very interesting like Raja Hindustani, Badal, Dil Khush, Mastani,
Lalu. Some parts of the roads were smooth, some rocky, some stiff and after a
few instructions, we felt we were veteran horse riders as we had no option but
to trust our horses. We saw Kashmir valley, mini Switzerland, waterfall point and
saw locals waiting with sheep, rabbit, to click pictures with tourists to get
bakshish (tip). Shawl sellers were after us at every point, and everywhere we
felt how tough it was for villagers to earn their livelihood. Everywhere at the
end, the guides would ask us “Khush?” (Happy) And we would smile. While
returning we had our lunch sitting at a restaurant beside the river Lidder and
the view was just breath-taking. We realised the highway restaurants were quite
cheap unlike near Delhi.
On day four, my son was very excited as he heard that
he will be able to have a ropeway ride to the mountains at Gulmarg, his first
experience. Gulmarg is a place where tourists can experience everything if they
have short time in hand. Horse riding, sledge ride, snow bike ride, skiing
experience, et all. Two phases are available through ropeway. And from Phase II,
one can have a skiing experience in the snow and have a glance of the LOC
border. We opted for phase I as there was much more variety there. Our guide
told us there was much less snow in Gulmarg compared to Zero Point near Kargil.
And after the amount of snow experience we had at Zero Point, we thought to
give it a miss as there was both snow and waterfall at phase I. We felt a little
restless and short of breath as we reached high altitude all of a sudden on the
ropeway but were okay once outside. After the horse-riding experience at
Pahalgam, we were quite at ease on horseback. Here we enjoyed the high-speed snow
bike ride the most with a guide of course. Though we were tempted to ride on
our own, it was risky in the snow stiff slopes so we played safe. We also saw
Kashmir valley, seven-point spring and Khilanmarg at phase I. While returning,
Maqbool took us to a restaurant where we tasted Kashmiri wazwan chicken and it
was luscious. The India-Pakistan cricket match was going on and most of the
people there came to enjoy the match rather than having food as it was Ramzan
month. In the evening when we returned, we felt we were all sun burnt as we
were under the sun for three to four hours but the experience was worth it.
Later, we took an auto and went to wholesale market.
We were so impressed by the sincerity of the auto driver, very unlike what we
experience in Delhi. When we asked about the fare, he said Rs 20 and both ways
it’s Rs 40 and if we give him Rs 50, he would wait for us while we shop. My
husband asked if it’s per person. He said no he was saying the total fare and
he doesn’t want to charge the kid. Then suddenly he stopped and started
drinking water and said it’s iftar time. Realising that he was on fast, we
asked him to have something but he said it’s okay and that he would have
something while he waits for us at the market. The market was empty and we were
little hesitant. Suddenly we saw people serving sherbet to everyone as it was
iftar time and they offered us also. We felt so good in an unknown place in a
lonely street. In fact, I felt safer than Delhi and thought it was worth
mentioning in my article, especially our soft-spoken auto driver. We went to
the shop he showed us and did shopping without any hassle and the rates were
quite reasonable. Our auto-driver was waiting for us and got to know that they
have a business in Delhi also and in the tourist season, he drives auto in
Srinagar. He left us outside our hotel and bid adieu though I felt like
chatting with him more and know more about his people and his place.
That evening we sat by the side of the Dal lake a little
longer as it was our last evening in Srinagar and wanted time to stop there. We
also spent time in our hotel garden and walked on the cool green grass. Finally
the last day came and we thought of relaxing at the hotel just watching the Dal
lake through our huge glass window as we were tired of travelling constantly
for four days. Maqbool told us not to have lunch at the hotel and that he would
take us to an amazing restaurant and he kept his promise like the last four
days on the last day also. After reaching the airport, we realised the security
check was very tight and the airport was looking like a fort. We and our
luggage were checked several times and finally we were also asked to recheck our
check-in luggage but the process was smooth and fast. While we were in Kashmir,
something or the other was going on in the borders, especially in south Kashmir
but we didn’t feel anything and our trip went smoothly. What we understood is if
one wants to go to Kashmir, one just needs to go without checking the news, the
state has the most amazing people. And if we get a chance, we will visit the
state again and this time in winter to witness snowfall.
We reached Delhi in the night amid loo, pollution and
traffic jams and were gearing ourselves for work the next day. But then we
consoled ourselves that this is our regular life and we can go for our next
holiday only when we work hard for the next few months. But Kashmir and
Kashmiris had made a permanent place in our hearts and we would love if we get
an opportunity to visit the paradise on earth again.
