Paradise on Earth – of Tulip Gardens, Kashmir

गर फिरदौस रूहे ज़मीं अस्त

हमीनस्तो, हमीनस्तो हमीनस्तो!

If there is a paradise on earth,

It is this, it is this, it is this!

I never knew that Kashmir was so beautiful until I saw it. I often heard about the place as a child & I grew up reading about Kashmir & its beauty & then watching it burn on news. And amidst all that it had seen and withstood, the place still looks beautiful – more than any hill station, beach or monument of India.

We reached Kashmir in pursuit of the flowers that grow only once in a year for a window of 15 days – the Tulips!

Watching colourful petals spread across a sprawling area overseeing Dal lake, made me realise what I have been missing all along. It rained a bit that day. Our guide-cum-cabbie told us that it had rained after a few days. We kind of loved it & let ourselves get drenched.

Tulips are in full bloom right now & it would be a fantastic idea to ditch everything urgent-important on your schedule to take a 2 day (if not theee or four) break amidst the sweet smells of Tulips, Kesar Kehwa & assortment of baked breads that they make in the paradise on Earth.

I spent some 2-3 hours in the Tulip Garden alone & clicked numerous pictures, but not even once I was stared at. And neither did I spot any tourist trying to pluck flowers or breach the boundaries. There was just a dog walking through the flowers with a style so considerate that not even a single flower was unplucked.

In between the clicking, smelling and admiring, wind would blow & thousands of tulips would sway left-right in the backdrop of Green Pine & Fur trees & snow-capped mountains, like they want to dance & live every single moment with happiness & joy – like they understood how life is short-lived and lived the best with happiness & selflessness.