YASIR - A Beautiful Truth From KASHMIR

With just one day at hand to plan a three-and-a-half-day holiday in Kashmir, that too at the peak of the tourist season, I had little idea, what I was getting myself into! I not only had to book the tickets and hotel in one day but also had to keep my brother's visit a secret from mom and dad as he wanted to give them both a surprise.

There was no time for extensive research or careful planning which is 'a must' for me, before any trip but one thing I was quite clear about from the very beginning - we were not staying in Srinagar! (as if we had a choice - it was completely sold out!). Khyber - sold out for the next two months! Pine and Peak, Pahalgam - sold out on our dates! Not a single decent property was available in either Pahalgam or Gulmarg. With hours slipping away fast and flight tickets yet to book, I typed Sonmarg. The Sultan Resort, a single, lone property popped up on booking.com with a good rating of 9 on 10. But it had only 1 room left!! Trust my luck!

Here comes in picture - Yasir. My association with Yasir run through many years now.
Every year, at the onset of winters, he'd travel down with his family from Srinagar to Delhi and when the snow started to melt at the mountain tops, the family would retreat back to the valley. Yasir's father Faiz carried beautiful pure pashmina shawls with indigenous Kashmiri embroidery - the single-silk-thread Dorukhas, Soznis, Kalamkaris, Kahnis, and even the antique Jamawars. He had a fixed clientele in Delhi & Mumbai whom he used to first call and then visit their homes to showcase his latest collection. On one such visit, he was accompanied by his younger son, Yasir - a tall, lean guy with distinctive Kashmiri features, soft voice, slightly shy but having a good sense of business, and an equally good command over English. That was my first impression of Yasir. Later I came to know, that his elder brother was studying in UK at the time and he himself was pursuing MBA.
Over the years, Faiz's health took a toll, and he handed over the business to his two sons but the cycle continued. Every year during late October or early November, Yasir would give me a call and would insist that I just have a look at his latest collection even if I didn't intend to buy one. Willingly or unwillingly, I'd always give in to his persuasive charms. On the appointed date, he'd come with his bag and suitcase full of shawls...shawls with such fine workmanship, that we don't get to see anymore and ever so gently would display his exquisite collection one by one. Most of the time, if not always, I would get carried away by the colors, the depth, the detailing, or the finesse of the art. An art, that is on the verge of extinction for there are only a handful of skilled artisans left in the valley who know how to weave magic with their hands and most of them are now old with poor eyesight. Yasir and I would laugh and haggle a lot over a cup of coffee and more often than not, I would end up with one more shawl added to my collection! Deep down, I knew I was collecting heirlooms to be passed on to the next generation.
My conversations with Yasir were not restricted to just shawls. They flowed freely, spanning from politics to religion to current affairs to culture, giving us both an opportunity to peek into each other's world and minds as well! I felt comfortable around his affable yet respectful demeanor.
Yasir always used to invite me to his homeland and somewhere I too yearned to visit the valley but the situation there was always more volatile than calm so I just could never muster enough courage to make any plans. Tourism considered the most visible asset of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, unfortunately, had taken the worst backlashing. For those within the valley, tourism was a barometer of their economic activity but for us, outsiders, it meant just one thing - Normalcy and normalcy meant an absence of fear.
"Every cloud has a silver lining." After decades, Valley witnessed a tourism boom! Leaving all tourist destinations behind by miles, Kashmir was back in the tourism big league, with a bang!
I too started making plans to wake up in the valley, on my birthday. A gift to myself. But it was not meant to be! However, a brick was laid and I kept building a castle around it.
They say - "Dream with open eyes and make them come true." Maybe, I too was doing the same, subconsciously! Else, how's it possible that this dream became a reality in such a beautiful way in just one single day?
Yasir had a big role to play in making this dream come true. Can never thank him enough.
Like I had mentioned, there was just a single decent accommodation available in all of Sonmarg or actually all of Kashmir (little exaggeration) and it had only one room left. I called Yasir and asked him if he could pull any jack and get us two rooms preferably in Pahalgam or Gulmarg as me and my brother wanted to celebrate our Dad's 80th birthday in Kashmir. I mentioned The Sultan Resort also to him. After a while, he reverted that the entire Kashmir seemed to be sold out but he had used his connections and had managed to hold two top-most rooms at The Sultan Resort. I had to affirm immediately or we may lose out on those as well. My brother Sameer had left the entire planning to me. I was just about to confirm when my son cautioned me that the hotels in Kashmir were overtly overpriced and even the top category rooms of 9/10 rated properties may not be to our liking. As if this confusion was not enough, the airfare suddenly spiked from 6.5k to 22k one way. And there went my brother - "Book an evening flight cause I'll land on Monday morning."
Twenty-two flights to choose from; seeing some of the names for the first time; not aware that flying by Spice Jet was not considered safe; I was at an utter loss! I would have given up, had it not been for Yasir.
Not only did he help me make the reservations at The Sultan Resort (I wouldn't recommend the property though for the price we paid) but even booked our air tickets, and arranged a cab from the airport to drop us at the resort.
Srinagar may have the best of roses but flower shops are still a rarity there. Yasir was there at the airport to finally welcome us to his homeland with a beautiful bouquet in his hands and a heart full of love.
Even though we had booked a cab, he drove me and my brother all the way to our resort and left his car with my brother for the three days we were there. He wanted us to celebrate Dad's birthday in Srinagar at his place but God had different plans in store for us, that we were not aware of. However we agreed on the traditional wazwan at his place on the day, we were to catch our flight. The wazwan calls for another full story.

Kashmir was a trip like none other for all four of us and we've all come back with beautiful memories but I've come back with something much more. I'm getting emotional while I'm writing this.
Yasir always used to say that he's like my younger brother. We would laugh and joke. Sometimes he would even say that I'm his lucky mascot. He gets good business if he meets me at the beginning of the season irrespective of whether I make a purchase or not and I always used to attribute it to his good salesmanship and take it in humour.
However, this time, when we parted, he said something and the sincerity with which he said it, brought tears to my eyes.
He said - "Ek maa milne se jahan mil jaata hai. Mein khushkismat hun, mujhe do maa mil gayin."
(Those who have a mother are blessed. I'm lucky, I have two.)
He need not have said it. I was feeling it all along. The words just put a stamp on his silent, selfless gestures. It made me think -
Not all beautiful relations are of blood
Some are much deeper
And beyond our comprehension...