Otherwise, a place with no night life or cinema halls, Srinagar saw the Dal Lake again reverberating with musical evenings and a big screen floating cinema with the 1964 Shammi Kapoor starrer Bollywood blockbuster Kashmir Ki Kali opening to an audience seated on decked up ‘shikaras’ (hooded boats).
The lake, which is the centre of tourist attraction, on Friday evening saw a fleet of ‘shikaras’ and houseboats full with tourists witnessing a gripping laser show and a film on the history of houseboats in Kashmir. The biggest attraction was the open-air theatre set up in the middle of the lake.
Several top officials, including Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta; Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor Nitishwar Kumar; Principal Secretary, H&UDD, Dheeraj Gupta; Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole; Secretary Tourism and Culture, Sarmad Hafeez; and Director Tourism, G.N. Itoo, watched the first show of the movie, which was shot in Kashmir in the 1960s.
Kashmir’s Bollywood links
“This will revive Kashmir’s Bollywood links and provide tourists recreation while they stay in houseboats,” a senior tourism official said.
The Government has been organising a series of events marking the 75th Independence Day in the Valley. The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY) foundation also participated in a week-long iconic musical festival, which saw local as well as outside audience immersed in musical evenings.
Music director Padma Vibhushan Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia, accompanied by Pt. Ram Kumar Mishra, rendered ‘Raag Yaman’ and ‘Dadra Dhun’ in Mishr Khamaj, which left the audience spellbound at the Chashm-e-Shahi garden in Srinagar earlier this week.
“I was very happy to perform in the Valley after many years. I wish to come back soon. I congratulate the J&K Government and all the departments for this festival,” Mr. Chaurasia said.
A spokesman of SPIC MACAY stated that it was trying to contribute in spreading peace and harmony through classical traditions of the country and bring the cultural heritage to the young.
“This concert was an attempt towards the same objective. We hope and pray that J&K organises more such festivals and brings the composite culture of our country to the young and old of Kashmir,” chairperson of the SPIC MACAY Foundation Rashmi Malik observed.
Sufi musical evening
The week-long ‘Aaghaz e Nashist’ also saw local singers performing at a Sufi musical evening on the lawns of the picturesque Botanical Garden. Local Sufi singers, Abdul Rashid Hafiz and Gulzar Ganai, also mesmerised the audience with their rendition.
Introducing locals to different genres of storytelling, the festival also saw famous Kathak exponent Vidha Lal and Vusat Iqbal Khan, a Dastango from the Delhi Garana, telling the tales of mystics and literary legends.
“A unique feature of the event was the participation of a large number of tourists, currently in the Valley, who remained glued to the performances despite the autumn cold. The musical evening was organised with an aim to promote the iconic role of rishis and Sufi saints in disseminating peaceful and syncretic traditions for which Jammu and Kashmir is known across the globe,” a Tourism Department spokesman noted.
J&K hosted a good number of tourists this year, with the top hotels in many tourist destinations running full. It has emerged as a favourite destination among the domestic tourists during the pandemic.
