Winged Dreams

Huge snow-clad Himalayas gracefully surrounded a city dressed in white layer of pristine snow. The air smelled fresh and chiffon-like and dark grey clouds had gathered in the sky to treat us with heavy rainfall. Our driver Ghulam Rasood told us that if lucky, we might be able to witness snowfall up in Gulmarg. I looked outside the car’s window and smiled excitedly, thinking about how it would be to witness my life’s first snowfall in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I scrolled down the window a little and a chilly breeze nonchalantly kissed my cheeks and ruffled through a small tuft of hair coming out from my red woolen cap.

Gulmarg is an aesthetically beautiful town in Baramula district of Kashmir and is also a popular destination for skiing. During my stay in Kashmir, I was really enthusiastic to visit this place because I had heard wonderful stories about its unfathomably scenic beauty. The sun kept hiding behind the shroud of fearsome clouds while we reached Gulmarg.

The moment I laid my eyes on the vast landscape embalmed in opulently settled snow which ran as far as my vision could go, I was spellbound. I could see so many tourists walking on the snow who appeared like little ants crawling on a white huge sheet. The magnificence of Gulmarg left me in awe because never in my life had I seen a place like that and I just wanted to stand still for a while and savor that moment till my soul was satiated.

I and my brother learnt the basics of skiing while my parents reached the top on a sledge. The best thing about Gulmarg, apart from the idyllic view is the stalls of tea, coffee and noodles. While we shivered incessantly in broken breaths, that snack was our only savior. A little later, it started to drizzle and I kept checking my dark coat’s sleeves if there is snow on it but there were just rain drops. All this while my father kept telling us to return as we might fall sick but I did not want to miss my only chance to witness snowfall so I and my brother stayed back for another half hour while my parents returned to the car and that was perhaps the best decision because yes, it did snow! I was thrilled, ecstatic and screamed with sheer joy when it started snowing and either it was too chilly or I was too overwhelmed because my eyes went watery too.

I want to always remember that breathtakingly beautiful moment when I witnessed my life’s first snowfall because at that moment I lived a dream which my younger self weaved years ago.