Kashmiri memories
In the mid-80s, my parents, my brother and I visited Srinagar in Kashmir, India. We stayed in a bed-and-breakfast houseboat on the Dal Lake. I remember beauty, meeting merchants who sold saffron and wild honey . The other remarkable thing is that the local police had beards, which were not seen in the rest of India. I also saw locals carry their Kangers. Kangers are woven baskets that have hot embers that are carried by folks under a Kashmiri robe called a Pheran . My trip to Kashmir was a unique experience because it was my first trip to a Muslim-dominant India where the customs were different from the majority of secure India. It reminded me of Old Delhi, which is predominantly of Muslim Indians. While I was in Srinagar, there was a sense of uneasiness due to the political turmoil. I am not sure if my family and I had a bias that Kashmir is trouble and we need to be extra cautious. The local Kashmiri folks were great. As a cricket...