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Time of India
24-04-2025
- Time of India
From too much salt in fried rice to reciting Kalima: Tourists share how 'miracles' saved their lives from terrorists in Pahalgam
'We ran before death could reach us': Jaipur couple recounts nightmare in the hills Live Events 'Too much salt saved us': Kerala family credits delayed lunch Cancelled gondola ride saved Nagpur family Assam professor survives by reciting Kalima (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Several tourists who were near the site of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam have shared how small twists of fate, from salty food to a cancelled ride, saved their lives. Many are still in shock, saying they were minutes away from the Soni and her husband Mihir were just two months into their marriage when they visited Pahalgam for what they called their 'mini Switzerland'. But the honeymoon mood quickly turned into a nightmare.'We were laughing over a bowl of Maggi and clicking selfies when we heard a sudden crack. One shot, then another,' Komal told TOI, her voice trembling.'We saw someone fall. Then another. Everything stopped,' she said, clutching Mihir's hand tightly while waiting at Delhi airport after fleeing couple escaped on horseback, praying under their breath, as locals urged calm. 'The photo of Lt Vinay Narwal's wife went viral. For the world, it was news. For us, it was real,' she next morning, they were on the first flight back to Jaipur. 'We feel lucky, blessed and sad at the same time,' Mihir a Kerala family of 11, a salty plate of fried rice may have been what saved their George and his wife Lavanya had planned a visit to Baisaran meadow that afternoon. But a roadside restaurant's overly salty food led them to reorder, causing a one-hour delay.'We were just two kilometres from Baisaran when we saw horses galloping back and people shouting,' Lavanya told TOI over the their driver insisted they continue, the family sensed danger and returned to their resort. Later, they found out about the terror attack. 'It's as if God himself caused that delay,' Lavanya Kolkar, a nursing officer from Nagpur, says a last-minute change in plans saved her family of trip to Baisaran on Tuesday was pushed to Monday after a chance cancellation of their Gulmarg Gondola ride.'That cancelled ride saved us from bullets,' she told TOI from Srinagar airport, where she saw hundreds of tourists rushing to ended up visiting Sinthan Top instead. 'When security started asking for IDs, we knew something was wrong,' she said. Only later did they hear about the terror Bhattacharya, an associate professor from Assam University, Silchar, managed to survive by reciting the Islamic kalima when a terrorist held a gun to his head.'One gunman shot a man next to me and then asked us to recite the kalima,' Bhattacharya told TOI. 'I started chanting it loudly out of fear. That may have saved my life.'His wife Madhumita Das Bhattacharya, a well-known danseuse, and their son, a doctor, also survived by hiding in bushes before fleeing the area with the help of sister Indrani said Bhattacharya had studied Islamic texts since his student days. 'Perhaps that helped him survive,' she told reportedly removed her shakha-pola and wiped off her sindur during the chaos, fearing it might reveal her from TOI
News18
24-04-2025
- News18
Fear Fails To Deter Tourists As J&K's Gulmarg Gondola Sees Record Footfall Days After Pahalgam Attack
The Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation (JKCCC) has announced full refunds for all unutilised Gulmarg Gondola tickets dated April 22 and 23. Just days after the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, fear failed to dampen the spirit of travellers in Jammu and Kashmir. The scenic town of Gulmarg witnessed a record tourist footfall on Wednesday, as thousands lined up to ride the region's iconic Gondola despite heightened security alerts across the Valley. According to official data, a total of 7,299 tourists took the Gulmarg Gondola on Wednesday, with 4,982 enjoying the first phase of the ride and 2,317 reaching the higher-altitude second phase. The turnout is being seen as a sign of resilience and confidence among visitors, reinforcing the message that Kashmir's tourism charm remains undeterred even in the face of adversity. As decided by the management of J&K Cable Car Corporation, all the No Show / Unconsumed Gulmarg Gondola tickets for Phase I & II having visit dates of 22nd and 23rd April shall be refunded in full. — JK Cable Car Corporation (@egovernanceggp) April 23, 2025 In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation (JKCCC) has announced full refunds for all unutilised Gulmarg Gondola tickets dated April 22 and 23. 'As decided by the management of J&K Cable Car Corporation, all the no show/unconsumed Gulmarg Gondola tickets for Phase I and II having visit dates of 22nd and 23rd April shall be refunded in full," the corporation said in a post on its official X handle. First Published:
