Kashmir, India’s Pride & Pain (multiple times)
Over the years, Kashmir has called me repeatedly, under one pretext or another. The first trip was in 1986 when the houseboats were all dressed and lined up and there were virtually no tourists. That was the beginning of rumblings in this stunningly beautiful valley. Subsequent trips have witnessed varying degrees of unease and disquiet, bringing more pain than pleasure. I could never bring myself to write a travelogue on Kashmir because of my very mixed emotions during my visits.