In praise of paradise

The Srinagar-based former DG Tourism, J&K, and former vice-president of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, Mohammad Ashraf, is a recipient of the Hall of Fame award from the Adventure Operators Association of India for the promotion of adventure tourism in the Himalayas. He has been writing extensively on the lesser-known aspects of the Kashmir Valley. His essays and commentaries on Kashmir have been published in two volumes: Kashmir First - The Kashmir Story (Gulshan Books, Srinagar) Excerpts from an interview:

You write only in the local valley newspapers. Why shouldn't the rest of us know what's happening in the tourism, cultural and political scenarios of the valley?
Yes, I have been mostly writing for the local dailies in Kashmir and Jammu. Some of my articles have appeared in Khaleej Times, Dubai. It is not that I want my writings to remain in Kashmir only. Unfortunately, in spite of my best efforts, I have not been able to motivate any national papers to publish my articles. I did try a number of times. I would love to write a regular weekly or fortnightly column for a national daily interested in taking it up. It may not be limited to the tourism scenario, as I have been writing on all topics. Some people have reproduced my articles after picking these from my website, which has now about 400 write-ups on various subjects.

As a former DG Tourism, comment on the tourism scene in the valley, considering the fact that Srinagar has an international airport.
Tourism has been picking up but the real upmarket, well-paying tourists still shy away from Kashmir. From about 7.22 lakh tourists in 1989, it fell to virtual zero in 1990. The revival started in 1996 and since that time, it has seen many ups and downs. In spite of frequent hiccups, domestic tourists continue to visit Kashmir`85international tourists are held back by biased and adverse western travel advisories. Almost all European foreign offices advise their nationals not to visit Kashmir. The same is the case with the American and Australian Foreign Offices. This prevents group tourism to Kashmir, as no insurance company is prepared to insure these ....

Full interview here Tribune