Flames OF Paradise - Season 1 - Episode 9

7 years ago

Flames OF Paradise - Season 1 - Episode 9

Now looking at the glistening valley and the sinking globe of sun dappling the ripples in the Jhelum river, Snigdha uttered the words that Mughal emperor had eulogised about Kashmir, ‘Gar Firdaus barrue zaminasta…

haminasta, haminasta, haminasta.’ If ever there was heaven on earth, it was here and only here in Kashmir. A paradise that was indeed in flames. It was high time those flames were doused, otherwise just the ashes would remain to be witnessed by the generations to come.

The SUV jerked to a halt at a ‘dhaba’, which said ‘Papaji Da Dhaba’, typically Punjabi style.

They had stopped for some refreshment. It was Anantnag. Snigdha’s eyes skimmed over a line of shops selling cricket bats. She had heard that one of the best cricket bats came from Anantnag which were made out of shesham wood, found profusely in the woods of Kashmir. Street was buzzing with people, some having got down from mini buses and vans like them. Others looked like traders and merchants wrapped up in typical pathan salwars andkurtas and Kashmiri topis.

Snigdha could guess what they would be selling out of Kashmir. She had seen a number of them roaming the streets of Delhi, shouting ‘carpets carpets’, in their nasal style. Carpets and woollen shawls and Phirans, the voluminous cotswoolkurtas were typical goods that have a great market outside Kashmir. She stretched her legs and arms and sat down on the rickety wooden bench kept outside the restaurant.

Dimple came and sat beside her, handing her a tiny glass of milky tea. All the others were sitting here and there on benches, sipping steaming tea in similar glasses, typically dhaba style. Snigdha pushed wisps of soft hair that had come out of her knot at her nape. She had forgotten to have her waist length hair cut. It could be very cumbersome looking after it in the cold weather of Kashmir where water could be scarce. She craned her neck to see where Tripti was sitting.

Tripti was standing outside the bus, puffing out smoke with Srinivasan and Nitin who she had seen smoking sometimes.
‘That Tripti is a hazard to the environment! Man! She smokes like crazy!!!’ Dimple said with her lips curling in derision.
‘What’s it to you? Let her kill herself if she wants. Yeah… if you are bothered about her getting attention of all the male species around then… ’ Snigdha watched for any change in Dimple’s expressions.
‘Huh? Excuse me! I don’t care! I would rather say, she’s most welcome to all the male species!!’ Dimple’s voice was full of some emotion. Her eyes narrowed. Was it jealousy?
‘All male species?’ Snigdha pursued teasingly.