GULMARG, FEBRUARY 14: Amidst the crystalline air of Gulmarg, where the Himalayas jut into the heavens, an unlikely assembly is taking shape.
The 2025 Khelo India Winter Games, to be held from February 22 to 25, has drawn an interesting cross-section of international players and fans, turning this premier skiing destination into a melting pot of cultures bound together by their passion for winter sports.
“The beauty here is overwhelming,” says Melania Anderson, a yoga instructor from the United Kingdom based in Hong Kong.
Anderson, who works with Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) through her charity ‘Yama’, is enchanted by the double appeal of Kashmir as both a sporting challenge and cultural treasure.
“The Kashmiri cuisine alone would have made the journey worthwhile,” she says.
Maybe nobody better illustrates this meeting’s surprise demographics than Ben Hurst, an Australian commercial prawn fisherman who has swapped the spray of the Pacific for the powder of the Himalayas.
“Standing in the mountains of Kashmir is safer than walking across the streets of Sydney,” he says with the sort of assurance that comes from direct knowledge.
Hurst, who is from the small village of Iluka midway between Brisbane and Sydney, waves aside travel warnings.
“What we have experienced is just gorgeous. It’s unlike most skiing resorts around the world,” he says and praises the hospitality & friendliness of the locals.
The French team brings its view to these games. Jean-Marc Auge, who grew up in the French Alps, talks of the Himalayas with holy reverence.
“This is different,” he says, sweeping his hand across the expanse before him and adding, “Altogether different.”
His fellow countryman Nabil El, who is now resident in Australia, nods assent.
The locals, the athletes, see more in the games than in sports.
Firdous Ahmad Sheikh from Tangmarg, Yasmeen Sajad from Sopore, Mehak Mushtaq from Palhalan Pattan, and Aalima Zainab from Tangmarg are in awe about meeting international ski and snowboarding experts.
“It’s an out-of-this-world experience,” they say, with their enthusiasm evident.
Others like Virginia Winstone, a New Zealander; Laura Thonton from Wisconsin, USA; and Australian ski guide and patroller Bill Barker, too have been attracted to the games.
Their numbers have turned Gulmarg into an instant global village, where the snow is the lingua franca.
As preparations for the games enter the last leg, the air in Gulmarg is alive with expectation.
The untouched slopes look for their moment to shine, prepared to present not only athletic prowess but also Kashmir’s hospitality.