Apples are meant to be in bloom. They are not the stuff of cruel rejection. The apples have to return in the gardens of Kashmir. In fact, even as I write this, they are coming back. Thus, here, dear tourist, is a checklist of the spots where you need to go. There is only one signal that this piece is expected to generate. The world is saying sorry. And Kashmir shall accept. There cannot be any angry apples in the garden of grace.

Srinagar: The Dal Lake. Obviously. You have heard of Venice and its gondolas; check out this lake and its houseboats. The entire lake is like a village by itself; self-contented, self-possessed, self-sustainable.You can even find telephone booths in some of those countless houseboats. Ripley could not have done better!

Gulmarg: Only 53 kilometres away from Srinagar. Gulmarg has the highest golf course in the world; there is a splash of green everywhere.Take a cable car and take a ride to a height of over 2,213 metres. And in the winter, the green vanishes and spotless white takes position instead. The right time, as they say, to put on your skiing boots.

Pahelgaon: Romantic Anantipur, the mythical empire, exists in ruins on the way as you cross Anantnag on way to Pahelgaon, 96 kilometres from Srinagar. Set at a height of 7,100 feet above sea level, this is the valley of the gods with the Leader river winding its way through the tapestry of natural mosaic. A must for Amarnath pilgrims for a night-halt.