Srinagar, May 17 -- So when I finally got the chance to visit this April, I was excited in a way I hadn't been in years. I travelled from Malaysia with a sense of wonder, ready to experience the famous beauty of Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Sonamarg.

In many ways, the place lived up to its promise. The air was crisp, the views majestic. I remember sitting quietly in the early mornings, watching the light shift over the mountains and feeling incredibly grateful. But alongside all this beauty, something else began to catch my eye. And soon, I couldn't unsee it.

Everywhere I went, there was trash.

Plastic bottles and food wrappers lay scattered on the roadsides, under trees, beside streams.

In Pahalgam, even the riverbanks were not spared. In ...