Pahalgam, a year on: Resilience falters, tourism struggles

Above the greenish treeline of pine, fir, and deodar, the snow-capped Katsal Peak shines successful the agleam outpouring prima and azure bluish sky. From his rickety woody store in Pahalgam’s main market, Ghulam Nabi, 67, sees this peak, astatine an altitude of 15,860 feet successful southbound Kashmir’s Anantnag district, daily. Nabi sells nun chai, the piping blistery accepted pinkish beverage, a savoury brew of roasted greenish beverage and milk, consumed doubly a time by locals.

Every summertime successful the past, escapade lovers, including those from extracurricular India, would instrumentality aboriginal greeting beverage from his store and trek done either Ganesh Bal or Baisaran meadow to scope the alpine Tulian Lake astatine the foothills of the peak. Not this twelvemonth though.