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Mohammad Ashraf was born on August 25, 1943 in a middle class family living in Amira Kadal near the famous locality of Maisuma in Srinagar
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Kashmir’s Tourism mania - Tourism definitely is an important economic activity but unfortunately in Kashmir its espousal to the level of a mania is becoming detrimental to our environment and other sectors of the economy
Physical isolation breeds alienation - Opening all ancient access routes to Kashmir enabling the local population a glimpse of the new world view can appreciably impact their overall outlook
Politicising Tourism - "Tourism should not be taken as a barometer of political normalcy but like any other economic activity!" Omar Abdullah
During my tenure in State Tourism I had the opportunity of travelling to America, Europe, and Middle East. Some of the journeys were quite adventurous and exciting!
Travels in foreign lands I - Paris and beyond!
Travels in foreign lands II - Chamonix Mont-Blanc!
Travels in foreign lands III - Onto London and beyond!
Travels in foreign lands IV - Going round London-I!
Travels in foreign lands V - Going round London-II!
Travels in foreign lands VI - Climbing in Lake District
Travels in foreign lands VII - Paris, a “Moveable Feast”-I!
Travels in foreign lands VIII - Paris, a “Moveable Feast”-II!
Travels in foreign lands IX - French Ski Resorts
Travels in foreign lands X - Skiing in Austria
Travels in foreign lands XI - Crossing the Iron Curtain-I
Travels in foreign lands XII - Crossing the Iron Curtain-II
Travels in foreign lands XIII - Turin and Rome-I
Travels in foreign lands XIV - Turin and Rome-II
Travels in foreign lands XV - Gibraltar
Travels in foreign lands XVI - Spain and Portugal I
Travels in foreign lands XVII - Spain and Portugal II
Travels in foreign lands XVIII - Discovering America-I
Travels in foreign lands XIX - Discovering America-II
Travels in foreign lands XX - Discovering America-III
Travels in foreign lands XXI - Discovering America-VI
Travels in foreign lands-XXII - Going West in America-I
Travels in foreign lands-XXIII - Going West in America-II
Travels in foreign lands-XXIV - Going West in America-III
Travels in foreign lands-XXV - Going West in America-IV
Travels in foreign lands-XXVI - Going West in America-V
Travels in foreign lands-XXVII - Last visit to America-I
Travels in foreign lands-XXVIII - Last visit to America-II
Travels in foreign lands-XXIX - Last visit to America-III
Travels in foreign lands-XXX - Journey to Bahrain
Travels in foreign lands-XXXI - Dubai, the failed Eldorado-I
Travels in foreign lands-XXXII - Dubai, the failed Eldorado-II
Travels in foreign lands-XXXIII - Dubai, the failed Eldorado-III
Travels in foreign lands XXXIV - Dubai, the failed Eldorado-IV, the “Kashmir Connection”
Travels in foreign lands XXXV - Other emirates of UAE-I
Travels in foreign lands XXXVI - Other emirates of UAE II
Travels in foreign lands XXXVII - Journeys to Oman I
Travels in foreign lands XXXVIII - Journeys to Oman II
Travels in foreign lands XXXIX - Journeys to Oman III
Travels in foreign lands XL - Journeys to Saudi Arabia I
Travels in foreign lands XLI - Journeys to Saudi Arabia II
Travels in foreign lands XLII - Journeys to Saudi Arabia III
Travels in foreign lands XLIII - Journeys to Saudi Arabia IV
Travels in foreign lands XLIV - Journeys to Saudi Arabia V
Travels in foreign lands XLV - Journeys to Saudi Arabia VI
Travels in foreign lands XLVI - Journeys to Saudi Arabia VII
Adventure in Kashmir (J & K Tourism has declared 2011 as the year of the Adventure Tourism which has extensive potential here. However, presently coming to Kashmir is an “Adventure” in itself!)
Gulmarg - The most beautiful and romantic spot reportedly discovered by Yusuf Shah Chak and Habba Khatoon used to be a Golfer’s paradise in summer and a skier’s dream from anywhere in the world!
The Gulmarg Nostalgia XV - Reminiscing the people-III
The Gulmarg Nostalgia XIV - Reminiscing the people-II
The Gulmarg Nostalgia XIII - Reminiscing the people-I
The Gulmarg Nostalgia XII - National Winter Games-II
The Gulmarg Nostalgia XI - National Winter Games-I
The Gulmarg Nostalgia X - Bollywood in Gulmarg-II
The Gulmarg Nostalgia IX - Bollywood in Gulmarg-I
The Gulmarg Nostalgia VIII - Snow Blizzards!
The Gulmarg Nostalgia VII - Hong Kong Groups
The Gulmarg Nostalgia VI - Professors of Skiing
The Gulmarg Nostalgia V - The French Connection
The Gulmarg Nostalgia IV - First Ski Course
The Gulmarg Nostalgia III - First winter in Gulmarg
The Gulmarg Nostalgia II - Early visits
The Gulmarg Nostalgia I - The Resort’s Story
The mountains surrounding the valley are the unspoilt and wild Alps of the good old days. Trekking and climbing in these is a unique and memorable experience!
Traversing Kashmir Alps XIX - The Amarnath trek
Traversing Kashmir Alps XVIII - The Amarnath trek
Traversing Kashmir Alps XVII - The Amarnath trek
Traversing Kashmir Alps XVI - The Chirinbal trek
Traversing Kashmir Alps XV - The Aru treks
Traversing Kashmir Alps XIV - The Gurez Adventure
Traversing Kashmir Alps XIII - The Kolahoi trek
Traversing Kashmir Alps XII - The Wardhwan Trek
Traversing Kashmir Alps XI - The Wardhwan Trek
Traversing Kashmir Alps X - The Kaunsar Nag Lake
Traversing Kashmir Alps IX - The Tosamaidan trek
Traversing Kashmir Alps VIII - The Harmukh failure
Traversing Kashmir Alps VII - The Harmukh failure
Traversing Kashmir Alps VI - The Tuliyan Peak
Traversing Kashmir Alps V - The Sunset Climb
Traversing Kashmir Alps IV - The Sunset Climb
Traversing Kashmir Alps III - The Gangabal trek
Traversing Kashmir Alps II - The Gangabal trek.
Traversing Kashmir Alps I - The Gangabal trek.
The institution of Oracle is very mystifying and still popular in some parts of Ladakh
The Oracles of Ladakh-II
The Oracles of Ladakh-I
Wall paintings in Ladakh’s monasteries especially those in Alchi are the most valuable heritage which need preservation
Preserving Alchi Frescoes-III
Preserving Alchi Frescoes-II
Preserving Alchi Frescoes-I
The Tibetan Scrolls hidden somewhere in the Hemis Monastery of Ladakh may hold the key to the myth of Jesus in Kashmir!
Hemis and Jesus-III
Hemis and Jesus-II
Hemis and Jesus-I
Pure Aryans or the remnants of Alexander’s army or according to Michel Peissel, the residents of a Stone Age museum!
Drokhpas and the ant’s Gold-II
Drokhpas and the ant’s Gold-I
Sustainable Tourism is the only way to save our environment and at the same time promote Tourism
Environment & Tourism-II
Environment & Tourism-I
The travel in Gilgit-Baltistan formerly called the Northern Areas is discovering Ladakh of a “different kind”!
Gilgit-Hunza, Hilton’s Shangri-La!-VIII
Gilgit-Hunza, Hilton’s Shangri-La!-VII
Gilgit-Hunza, Hilton’s Shangri-La!-VI
Gilgit-Hunza, Hilton’s Shangri-La!-V
Gilgit-Hunza, Hilton’s Shangri-La!-IV
Gilgit-Hunza, Hilton’s Shangri-La!-III
Gilgit-Hunza, Hilton’s Shangri-La!-II
Gilgit-Hunza, Hilton’s Shangri-La!-I
From Panikhar to Rangdum, the valley of River Suru is the unmatched home to some of the most dramatic and challenging climbs in the world, easily accessible by road
Suru Valley, a mountaineer’s dream!-5
Suru Valley, a mountaineer’s dream!-4
Suru Valley, a mountaineer’s dream!-3
Suru Valley, a mountaineer’s dream!-2
Suru Valley, a mountaineer’s dream!-1
Nubra and Shyok Valleys were an important part of the famous trade route from Kashmir to Yarqand, which was a branch of the famous Silk Route
Nubra, the Silk Route Gateway-3
Nubra, the Silk Route Gateway-2
Nubra, the Silk Route Gateway-1
Heli-Skiing at 72 plus (The Impossible Skier, Sylvain Saudan is back in Kashmir in spite of several obstacles and set backs. He deserves a pat on the back!)
New Machines for Dal Lake (Any new initiative to save Dal Lake is welcome but one has to be extra-careful about the fragile bio-diversity of the Lake!)
The Gulmarg Avalanche
Pangong and Tsomoriri - The two lakes are truly a high altitude wonder and appear to be something out of this world. Visiting these is a life time experience!
Pangong and Tsomoriri Lakes-3
Pangong and Tsomoriri Lakes-2
Pangong and Tsomoriri Lakes-1
Zanskar - The last place on Earth
Zanskar -3
Zanskar -2
Zanskar -1
Cross Border Tourism can be an important tool for both restoring Peace and giving boost to Economy of Kashmir!
Cross Border Tourism-3
Cross Border Tourism-2
Cross Border Tourism-1
First trip to Ladakh was almost going to another planet and discovering a totally new land and its people!
Discovering Ladakh-II
Discovering Ladakh-II
Discovering Ladakh-I
The “Cattle Flight!” (If an entire flight consists of what Shashi Tharoor called the “Cattle Class”, then it is surely a “Cattle Flight”!)
International Flights (One swallow does not make a summer and similarly one weekly flight does not make it an International Airport. Kashmir is famous for starting things with fanfare and then forgetting these conveniently!)
The Half-Open Window! (With the take off by the first international flight from Srinagar one had expected that after ages Kashmir will get an opening to the outside world. However, the way things are moving, it seems the opening may remain as a half-open window!)
Taliban, Tourism, and Media (Media alone cannot be blamed for set back to Tourism. There is need to tackle the sources of negative stories!)
Media and Tourism (Media and Tourism have a strong relationship which can sometimes be symbiotic. Media can promote as well as destroy Tourism. For sustainable development of Tourism both need to interact with each other in a positive way)
Kashmir Tourism-Hospitality versus Security! (Most of the politicians claim Tourism to be the back-bone of Kashmir’s economy which in reality is a myth. Unfortunately even if we accept the claim, at present the back-bone is crumbling because it has suffered multiple slipped discs!)
Revamping Tourism in J & K (Changed scenario needs revamping of this important sector of state’s economy on scientific basis and not by ad hoc measures.)
Dubai Take Off! (Finally, almost after 4 years the Dubai Flight is now taking off! It marks the beginning of a new era for both Tourism and trade by giving two way international access to Kashmir)
Dubai “Chalo”! (The flight to Dubai from the newly upgraded Srinagar International Airport has so far remained illusive. We may have to give a call for Dubai “Chalo” to start the flight and open up Kashmir to the outside world)
Travel Advisories (Tourism in the sub-continent is being held hostage to western travel advisories. There is need to counter the advisories by tapping alternate markets)
Terror hits Tourism (Kashmir Travel Trade’s efforts to keep tourism flowing are a “Story in Persistence” but collaboration between the Media and the Travel Trade is a must to lessen the damage)
Winter Tourism in Ladakh (Ladakh in winter is virtually the limit of adventure tourism!)
Creating Events for Tourism Promotion (Destinations can be developed around events for attracting Global Tourism)
Reviving the “Aerial” Silk Route (Kashmir figures on the off shoots of the main Route and revival of these may be more viable for tourism and culture than for the trade!)
International Flights (Kashmir’s tragedy, a story of unfulfilled promises and unfinished tasks!)
Peace through Tourism (Tourism can flourish in peace but peace can also come through travel!)
Kashmir’s Golf Circuit
Kashmir Opens Up to Gulf
Synergising Ladakh-Kashmir Tourism
Ladakh Tourism (Need to Open New Areas)
Kashmir Tourism The Future Destinations
Kashmir’s Peripheral Circuit
Regulating Tourism Industry
Winter Tourism.
Re-orienting tourism product and marketing.
Promoting private sector.
Human resource development in tourism.
Kheerbhawani-the most revered shrine of Kashmiri pandits.
Decimation of tourism organisation.
Himachal blooms while Kashmiris fight.
Retrieving Kashmir tourism.
International Airport at Srinagar.
Kashmir tourism, killing the golden goose.
Tourism-destination rivalry.
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