‘Divine delays, hesitation to use horses saved our lives’

The group, who narrowly escaped the recent terrorist attack at Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, shared their chilling experience with The Goan, recalling the many signals and setbacks they now see as divine intervention.

Kerkar explained that their trip had begun as a casual plan.

“March is usually stressful for any businessman. We decided to take an unplanned break. Once in Delhi, we thought of Kashmir and opted for a road trip, thanks to a friend who lent us his car. We left Delhi on the night of April 19 and drove through Haryana, Punjab, and Pathankot, reaching Jammu to begin our Kashmir leg,” recalled Kerkar.

MULTIPLE DELAYS

But the road to paradise was filled with warnings they didn't yet understand.

“Our first red flag came through a massive landslide that blocked the road to Srinagar. At Udhampur, police had barricaded the route. Even after trying for alternate bookings in Patni, we weren’t allowed to proceed. Despite confirmed bookings, nothing worked. Google Maps confused us, roads were blocked, and we were constantly delayed. Looking back now, it feels eerie how each delay aligned to keep us safe,” Kerkar said.

The group rerouted and stopped at a roadside dhaba, where another warning came.

“A local warned us about the danger ahead. Even then, we contacted our tour operator and the police, who allowed travel only during daylight and strictly at our own risk. The alternative road was damaged from landslides and rain, and at Thanamandi, police stopped non-local vehicles from proceeding further. They insisted we stay overnight and even arranged accommodation. This was another unexpected halt,” he recalled.

Further delays met them in Srinagar, where snowfall punctured their plans”quite literally. “We were enjoying the snow when our car tyre got punctured in a no-network zone. Thankfully, a vehicle passed by and helped us without even accepting payment. Again, we lost valuable time, but in hindsight, it saved us,” he said.

AVOIDING HORSE RIDES

The group finally reached Pahalgam on April 22. As per the itinerary, their tour operator was to take them to three scenic spots including Baisaran Valley, famously called 'Mini Switzerland'. The local operators insisted the group visit Baisaran first along with another tourist group led by the driver’s brother. But a seemingly trivial issue turned out to be fate’s intervention.

“We had seen Shimla and other locations with horses and we hesitated to use horses to reach Baisaran. One of us had back issues, and we were concerned about getting dirty. While we did not want to refuse the operator directly, we chose to explore the other two locations first and kept Baisaran for last,” said Kerkar.

“We finished with the other two locations and we decided to move to Baisaran after having some food.”

CHAOS AND ESCAPE

Kerkar recalled that while they enjoyed omelettes, Maggi, and kawa before finally preparing to leave for Baisaran, chaos erupted in the area.

“We heard loud sounds, and suddenly people started running down, some barefoot, others crying. Our driver got a call”his brother’s tourist was shot in the head by terrorists. The attack had begun.”

Realising the gravity of the situation, the group made a quick exit.

“We cleared the dues, rushed to our vehicle, and fled the site. On the way, we saw nearly 33 ambulances and numerous defence vehicles heading towards Baisaran. Had we agreed to go with the rest, we might have been among the victims,” he said grimly.

The attack left several injured and 26 tourist reportedly dead. For Kerkar and his friends, what began as an unplanned break became a near-death experience that they escaped only due to a series of unexpected delays”and a moment’s hesitation.

“Every setback, every blocked road, every broken tyre now feels like something more than coincidence,” Kerkar concluded. “Maybe we were meant to be delayed. Maybe it saved our lives.”