Gulmarg Calling...

Lucknow - Delhi - Srinagar - Gulmarg and Back (total expenditure ~ Rs 13000)

Delhi to Srinagar flight - Rs. 3300 (750 Km)

View from the plane

we took a low cost carrier which was booked 10 days in advance and got a good bargain for the flight prices. The minute we got down the flight, the temperature outside was 0 deg. After Lucknow winters this was suddenly not so bad anymore. We immediately put on an extra layer of jacket. This was one of the most scenic flights ever taken. Sitting on the right side gives a gorgeous view of the Himalayas. The ground underneath was covered in a foot high snow everywhere.

Srinagar to Tangmarg - Rs. 1000 (40 Km) (Sharing - 50 Rs)

We hired a prepaid taxi (Available withing the airport) till Tangmarg which is close to Gulmarg. One has to change vehicles here towards Gulmarg as the road is covered in snow and hence only 4WD vehicles or those with chains on their tires can drive. Though the prepaid charged us 1000, there is surely a cheaper way to get here by getting to the city of Srinagar first, which would cost about Rs.50 and then taking the public bus which goes to Tangmarg. Given the lack of time, we went for the costlier option.

Gulmarg Entrance

Tangmarg to Gulmarg - Rs 30 (18 km)
This is the most beautiful part of the journey laced by snow peaked mountains on either sides and dotted with pines. Gives you the feeling that its Christmas. There are Sumos which can drop you at Gulmarg at Rs.30. Sharing a ride to the top is the best way from here. Don't fall into the trap of agents who tell you that buying / hiring gumboots and long coats is a must.


Gulmarg (3 days)

The Govt. Ski hire place

Getting a hotel is particularly easy. There are numerous hotel and people are few. Hotel prices vary as to how far they are from the Ski Slope, their heating facilities (Central heating Vs. Bukhara - Wood in a fire kiln) etc.. The central heating ones on a non weekend day could come for Rs.2500 per day where as the one we stayed (Hotel Sherlyn I guess) charged Rs. 800 (He'd have given for 600). The weekends get busy here owing to the local tourists. We went to IISM to hire skis for the 3 days that we were there. They charged Rs.350 per day for the equipment which was truly world class. They got us an instructor who could teach us skiing. Fayaz (09797868684) was an amazing instructor who taught both of us at the same time. He charged Rs. 500 per day (he will ask for more initially).

View from the Hotel room

Most of the first day was spent in learning to fall in all possible ways. By the end of the second day, both of us were able to ski down the slope at Gulmarg. Skiing was an absolutely thrilling sport which of course is equally tiring. The ski set together with the boots must be weighting around 5 Kgs. Walking up the ski slope each time with the boots was really an ordeal. We skiied all day and were completely exhausted by the evenings. The temparature drops all of a sudden in the evenings. After each day of skiing, we had dinner and Kashmiri Kehwa (Sweet drink with strong cinnamon flavor and dry fruits) each day. We also tried salty kashmiri tea and kashmiri pulao at Gulmarg.

On the third day, we went up on the top of the Phase II through the Gondola. The views from this place were absolutely fantastic. The ride till the top is completely worth it. One can get a clear view of the Nanga Parbat (8014 Mts) and the Sunshine peak as well as the mountains that guard the POK. There is a lake over and final mountain which is a 1km hike on the snow. Phase II is an absolute Skier's paradise. On our way back, we completely used public transport and were charged Rs.80 to get to the city of Srinagar from Gulmarg. We stayed the night at the Dal lake among one of its numerous house boats.

Awesome views atop Phase II

Beware that the security check at Srinagar is much more than the usual airports. The airline scanners close sharp 45 mins before departure and no hand luggage is allowed into the plane except for laptops and Cameras. There are a series of checks even before one reaches the airport. You also get dropped a km before the airport's main entrance if you get there by an auto. So keep atleast 1.5 hrs of buffer rather than the usual 1hr.

What is God?

God - Its origins?

You might have noticed that I have used it rather than a he/she. Mankind has always been dependent. Man depends on his wife for care, for food and for sustenance of a family. Woman has depended on man for security, love and more. The early man feared most natural phenomenon such as thunder, lightning, earthquakes and floods. There were certain aspects that he did not understand about this planet and hence started 'praying' for help. He realized the existence of a greater force which had created all such natural destruction and started worshiping them. Here I believe was the origin. God as a greater force.

Evolution of a fear- Idols and Names

As time passed, due to various reasons which will be discussed further on, the idea of god was attributed with attributes like omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence and eternal existence. Man started worshiping the earth, the sky and each other phenomenon that he is scared of. He started naming each of the forces that he worshiped. Earth god was known as Gaia where as sky was worshiped as Jupiter in Greek history. 

Evolution into an idea - Religion

Religion was only a fallout of the emergence of an idea called god. Each sect had their own way of praying. Each way gradually evolved into a religion which is nothing but an amalgamation of certain ideas of how to lead lives in a just manner. Not all religions had a physical idol as god. A god here refers to a greater force that dictated the moral good in Humans. However, what the religions have today evolved into is a debate in itself.

What is God?

God means different things to different people. God has been the greatest conception of man to solve multiple purposes. God is an idea that gives hope, support and a source of faith.  Out of faith emerges belief in an idea. Early times visualized god as the guiding belief that enabled man to continue without fear of natural disasters. God today has evolved more as an source of belief owing to the values that are taught at our childhood. God is a powerful idea that dictates a moral etiquette.This

God has been created by the weak to rule over the strong (May not be in a literal sense). The Greek, Roman and Aztec histories are examples of how the priests (physically weak) had a say over the warriors class (strong). The priests portrayed themselves as the messengers of god and hence had the ultimate say in areas as diverse as defense and Administration.

Some people need a physical resemblance of the idea to guide them through their journey. Hence the concept of an Allah, A Ram, A Vishnu, A Brahma, A Jesus. Every physical figure that has ever been created by man has always been a man/woman. Virtuous men who have showed the world the way to lead a just life. So God is just a driving force, irrespective of whether you believe in a physical form or in an idea.

The important question

The question whether god exists or whether anyone has seen or if it is a male or a female is irrelevant. The more important question that we need to ask ourselves is whether we believe. Do we believe in something? Do we believe in anything? Do we believe in ourselves? 

My Opinion - I am what I am

God exists. God exists in myself. I am my god. I can. I am my source of belief. I don't agree that someone else controls the universe. There is no such thing as fate, no such thing as destiny.  I make my life. Does that make me an atheist? An Agnostic? May be not. Even I believe in god. Though its not the same as most.

Everything is explained by science. The big bang, the theory of evolution and many more such ideas explain the world I live in. However, I do acknowledge the fact that there is something superior which has started it all. The view I hold is that man has still not achieved expertise to deduce what that is. Until the day, man can explain that superior force which is the reason for all unexplainable things, I will acknowledge.