Episode 1 - The Paradise has a Heart

 "Travel is never a matter of money, but of courage." - Paulo Coelho

It was this quote which ultimately pushed Roja to book her flight tickets. After spending nearly, a year at home, she was desperate for a change. Working from home had kept her sane and driven her crazy in equal measures. COVID-19 had still not left the country but people began moving around. Still most of them made the travel only if they had no choice, otherwise they preferred not to take chances. This trip was necessary for her but for people around, it was utter foolishness. Well, they were not completely wrong in thinking so. She had decided to travel to Srinagar in the last week of December.

Now what can possibly be so bad about visiting Srinagar in December? It might snow a little and it will be cold. So what? She could pack warm clothes to protect herself. The term “cold" could be relative. In absolute terms, the temperature could drop to -7°C. If a person was not well-protected, it could cause hypothermia, and in worst cases it might lead to death. COVID test was mandatory to all visitors on arrival at Srinagar, and if she tested positive then she would have to spend at least 14 days in quarantine. Most of all, this was going to be her first experience in snow. In her 30 years of life, Roja had visited the mountains, beaches and even the desert. But she had never visited a snow-covered peak. It was her childhood dream to go to Kashmir and she wanted to accomplish it before her marriage.

Roja had researched quite a lot about Srinagar and snow before making her decision. She was well-aware of the pros and cons. A week of preparation had ensured that she purchased all the essentials and theoretically she would be able to survive for seven days. Yet, she was not fully convinced. There was something that was obviously missing but she could not put her finger on it. It was a feeling as if she had completed the puzzle, yet she knew that there was a piece missing. But she could neither locate the missing piece nor the gap.

Meenaxi walked into the room, just when her daughter had zipped her bag and placed it on the floor.

"All set? I hope you have backed the basic medicines and extra masks," she asked glancing at the bags.

"Yes amma. I have them in my backpack."

"I am still not convinced about sending you alone."

Roja smiled at her mother and held her hand gently

"Amma, I will be fine. I have already shared the details of my stay and travel with you and Daddy. Moreover, my colleague recommended that homestay and he would not have done it if he was not very certain about the safety aspects."

Meenaxi let out a sigh.

"Why are you doing this? This trip to Srinagar was not really necessary."

"You know very well why this is necessary for me. This one time, let me simply follow my heart."

The women smiled at each other. The mother knew her daughter too well to understand the unspoken words between them. Roja thought a lot before making a decision but once she had decided, nothing could change her mind. This was one thing that Meenaxi both loved and hated about her.

The flight to Srinagar from Delhi was to leave at 7:45AM. Roja had taken a night flight from Bengaluru to Delhi and reached Terminal 3, almost three hours before the flight to Srinagar. She wore the face shield over the mask and boarded the Air India flight. She was in her seat by 7:10 AM. Putting on her seat belt, she fell asleep within a few minutes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, due to snowfall in Srinagar, the take-off has been delayed We will update you on the revised time after 20 minutes."

She took a look at her watch, it was 8:00 AM. The refreshments were served on the plane but she was not hungry. Once again sleep took over her. After half an hour or so, the flight captain's voice boomed in the aircraft one more time. There was no new update, the snowfall continued in Srinagar. After a while, the passengers began to get restless. If the flight was going to be delayed for over an hour, then what was the point in boarding? At least in the airport lobby, people could have moved freely. Finally, the passengers were asked to deplane around 10:30 AM. Ironically, they were issued a fresh boarding pass and made to board the same plane after an hour.

The passengers were still not hopeful about reaching Srinagar, until they could see the snow-covered mountains below them. Roja had booked a window seat and she was captivated by the view. The flight journey was for one hour and thirty minutes. But after approximately 40 minutes, all you could see were deep valleys and mountains. Given that there was snowfall that morning, Srinagar came into view draped in shiny white blanket of snow. A slow smile spread across Roja's face as she stepped on the "Paradise on Earth" for the first time in her life.

To be continued...

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