From Delhi to Srinagar: Then and Now
I was 2, in 1950, as my father got a job in Delhi. Since then I was brought up in Delhi. Living in Delhi I would always be dreaming of my cousins and all the family members living in the valley. The once in a year journey always used to be a highly memorable one. Airline services though available were not meant for commoners like us.
Let me narrate one such travel experience of the times when Indian Railways used to operate up to only Pathankot, Punjab. Jammu, connection started in 1972.
Excitedly going to Delhi Junction with my parents carrying suitcases and getting into a 2nd Class compartment of the Kashmir Mail around middle of May in 1960 as a 12-year-old boy. First thing was to occupy a window seat and wait for the train to start moving out of the station going through the Delhi stations like Minto Bridge, Sabzi Mandi, Narela etc. Sleep would get over me in bits and pieces and the jerks of the train would keep reminding me that we are on our way towards Kashmir. Stations like Ambala, Ludhiana and Jalandhar would come at night and were very noisy with people moving in and out of the compartment. Early morning I would wake up with the surroundings very well visible. Some of the station names which I still remember very well are: Tanda Urmar, Dasuva, Mukerian, Chakki Bank coming before the final destination of Pathankot. Mukerian was the station to get a good bread, omelette and hot tea which I relished.
Slowly the train puffed in to Pathankot station from Chakki bank and came to a final halt. Everybody seemed to be in a rush to get down while coolies dressed in red shirts trying to get in. We got down and came out of the station in a big bus stand area. There were buses waiting to be boarded for different destinations. For Himachal cities like Kangra, Dalhousie, Dharmshala, Palampur, Mandi and Manali. We quickly moved towards Jammu and Kashmir stand. My father decided to go in a Jammu and Kashmir Govt bus preferring it over some private vendors like Kashmir Tourist Bus Service (KTBS) and shining red buses from N D Radha Krishan and company which also carried mail. Papa told me before the division of the country it was a premier bus service to go to Lahore. By 9.30 we boarded the bus with luggage loaded on the roof and covered by tarpaulin to prevent it from getting wet on the hilly roads frequented by rains.
The bus went through Punjab villages and reached Lakhanpur, a point of entry into the state of J&K within an hour after crossing the river, Ravi. Once again all of us got down. This was the point where all the luggage was checked by J&K police. Papa who had got permits made from home ministry to enter the state went to an office to get it stamped. As a young boy I was wondering why all this checking for entering our own homeland. Looking back, it was because of the security concerns with Pakistan border very close. This small place had small tea and cold drink stalls facing the river Ravi. A dish called Palle, deep fried fritters made out of lentil with spicy chutney was in big demand.
After spending over one hour, we boarded the bus and travelled again towards Jammu city, on the way after about an hour we passed across Sambha a town with a nick name “Chittan da Shahr “; once upon a time before partition of India known for printing on bed sheets. But one could see lot of carts loaded with Rajmah Chawal, a favorite dish of Jammu region. Some persons got down but most passengers wanted to move quickly now with scorching heat, and reach Jammu. Another 90 minutes and we reached the Tourist reception center Jammu, also called the Dak Bungalow, after crossing the river Tawi which had muddy water. We were already travel-weary having been on the move for more than 18 hours. The bus driver told us to be back in an hour’s time. I was very hungry so we went to dining hall and ordered rice and mutton yakhnee, which was very tender and tasty. The reception center was on a road with many hotels and restaurants and looked to be a posh area of the city. The city I could note was on a hilly terrain with very few trees around.
From there, we moved again and now on a curving hilly road with mountain on one side, and it was already feeling cool. We went through the town of Udhampur, a military town, the headquarter of Northern Compound of Indian army. Once we passed through it, passengers in the bus were talking about a place called Nandni and wanted a brief stopover there. We went through a few tunnels and reached this place where there were locals in their carts selling snacks and also many vendors selling fresh paneer.
Bus stopped for a short while and then headed on the hilly road for our night destination of Kud, a picturesque small very cool and breezy place. It took us around two hours to cover the distance. I was impressed seeing a waterfall with water exiting through the open mouth of a lion carved out of a stone. It is also well known for a sweet Patisa. We looked for a room in a lodge there. It was still late evening and we walked around on the road with mountains staring at us from a distance. There were many road side restaurants serving hot meals and we went into one of those.
The bus driver told us to get ready by 5.30 am so that we leave by six to avoid an oncoming convoy of vehicles from the opposite side. We did accordingly. The journey was uphill till Patni top and then it goes down with Batote on the way. It is another touristic place leading to the Chenab valley with lot of pine trees. Some buses stay here instead of Kud. The road to Ramban on one side of river Chenab had frequent road blocks because of fragile mountains. At the lowest point was a hanging bridge over the Chenab River.
Then the uphill journey to Banihal started with better road and greenery around. By 9 am we were in Banihal town and time to have breakfast. The people there were speaking Kashmiri and terrain was very different from the Jammu area. There were many small dhabas around. We could see a small river called Nalla Bischlari. Snow clad mountains, tall mountains- the Pir Panchal - were staring at us. I was feeling thrilled that we have finally reached the gateway of Kashmir. We were told that the uphill journey towards Srinagar is tough for the bus and the driver. Circuitous route and very windy, I was told by fellow passengers, who saw my curiosity, is all covered by snow in winter. Finally, we reached the top and the entry point of the Jawahar tunnel. Waited for the signal and enter the 2.9 kms distance.
The other end led to a beautiful panoramic view of the valley. It took us about one hour on the hilly road to reach the town of Qazigund. From there the road to Srinagar was straight and no curves and bends with tall poplar and chinar trees. We crossed the Jhelum River at Sangam. In around 90 minutes we were at the Srinagar tourist reception centre. Every body got down, collected the luggage and took a Tonga – horse drawn carriage, to go to my aunt’s place whom we called Baen-e-gaesh. My cousins were waiting there and interestingly asked me about my journey. They had never even gone up to Jammu. They were thrilled about the train part of it and asked me repeatedly about the train ka dabba, and does it have a covering lid.
As compared to todays travel 65 years later with fast trains like Vandey Bharat whizzing and making you reach from Katra to Srinagar in less than 3 hours, and from Delhi in 13 hours, looks like a miracle.
And the journey narrated by me is really archaic but nostalgic.
Prof Upendra Kaul, Founder director Gauri Kaul Foundation
