Srinagar/Gulmarg: The festival of love is in full bloom in Kashmir with couples from across the country arriving in the Valley to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
With abundant snowfall turning the Kashmir landscape white this winter, love birds are making a beeline to resorts such as Gulmarg in north Kashmir and Pahalgam in south Kashmir.
“We came to this beautiful Valley to make Valentine’s Day a memorable one. The weather is nice and I am feeling lucky that we were able to plan the celebrations in Kashmir,” Madhya Pradesh native Saket Sharma said.
Marvelling at the scenic beauty, his wife Prabha Shree said, “There can be nothing more beautiful than celebrating Valentine’s Day in Kashmir. We actually plan to celebrate Valentine’s week here.”
Besides visiting the famous Mughal Gardens dotting the banks of the Dal Lake, the tourists have also added Gulmarg and Pahalgam to their itineraries.
“We came here to celebrate Valentine’s Day. This is the best day of our lives,” said Naveen Saini, a tourist from Jaipur in Rajasthan.
His partner Ritu said this was her first Valentine’s Day in Kashmir.
Several couples on romantic escapades could be seen enjoying playful snowball fights.
Himanshu and Prerna, a couple from Jaipur, could not contain their excitement about spending the day in the Valley.
“There is no better place than Kashmir to celebrate Valentine’s Day. This place is really a paradise on Earth. Our anniversary is coming up and this trip is the best gift I could give to my wife,” Himanshu said.
For Tanu Chaudhary from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, the Valentine’s Day visit to Kashmir was a surprise gift from her husband Rahul.
“It’s heaven. This was a surprise trip from my husband. It is special to be here,” she said.
For people associated with the travel and tourism industry, the combination of snowfall and Valentine’s Day was the elixir they needed to overcome the losses suffered due to the prolonged lockdown post the abrogation of Article 370 and the outbreak of COVID-19.
“Kashmir has always been on the wishlist of tourists from all over the country. Since last year, they have come here in larger numbers and no one is complaining,” Abid Bhat, a travel agent, said.
Aijaz Dar, who runs a taxi service, is happy that he found clients in all four seasons last year and the year’s first one.
“We had a steady stream of tourists coming to Kashmir throughout the year. Valentine’s Day has only prolonged the winter arrivals in Kashmir,” he added.
