Hailing from Kashmir, my whole childhood was spent in the beautiful valley of Srinagar. Going to the Convent School by crossing the Jhelum river every day in a Shikara, with hills and lush fields all around, the magnificent Dal Lake (just walking distance away) and the Nageen Lake laced with luxurious houseboats, flanked by the Hari Parvat on one side and the Zabarwan range on the other, climbing up the hill of Shankaracharya temple on Sundays and visiting the flower laden Mughal Gardens for regular picnics was the way of life. Maybe as kids we took all this for granted and didn’t realise how lucky we were.
My grandparents migrated from Rawalpindi to Kashmir at the time of India’s partition and rebuilt their lives almost from scratch. By the time my parents got married my grandparents lived in a big house with a beautiful garden in front of the house with a rose garden and vegetable garden all our own….right in the newer part of Srinagar, known as Hotel Road – because the famous and only hotel of those days the Nedou’s was also on the same road.
So my brothers and I grew up amongst fragrant flowers, cool fresh air bringing whiffs of the roses, honeysuckle, magnolia, blossoms of fruit bearing trees as well as the poplars, chinars, weeping willows, pines and other trees, eating fresh home grown vegetables and exotic local fruits like cherries, strawberries, plums, peaches, apples, mulberries and what not….
No wonder friends and relatives envied us. Kashmir in the summers was a happening place. My father, a journalist, kept extremely busy professionally and socially. Our family members from the plains visited us every summer for about 1 to 2 months. Our house was like a perpetual guest house from spring to summer to autumn, with at least two rooms reserved for the house guests.
None remained vacant in those months, with one family coming in as soon as another left. While my mother and grandmother with support staff made
bed-tea, breakfast, lunch, tea, snacks and dinner for all.
I too went back home from college every vacation and even after I got married I visited my parents and home in Kashmir regularly with my children till the outburst of militancy in the late 80s. Kashmir was not only Heaven on Earth it was also a haven for the Hindi film industry. The 60s and 70s were a boom time for tourist and film shooting. It will be an endless list if I started naming the
films that were shot in Kashmir from Kashmir Ki Kali to Jab Jab Phool Khile.
It was said that at one of the leading hotels which was at a scenic location, one suite was perpetually reserved for the Kapoors, as at least one of the three brothers Raj, Shammi or Shashi were constantly here for some shoot with their teams. How many shootings we have seen… … and believe me there was no security or accompanying the stars. They were called “Heroes” back then, until
Rajesh Khanna (Kakaji) came into the scene followed by Big B. I have memories of having personally met Dilip Kumar (Yusuf Sahab), Shammi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna at private gatherings. Shashikala had even visited our house!
I recall attending a stage show to raise funds for the jawans where Raj Kapoor and Nargisji performed live. Also a special screening of Satyam Shivam Sundaram at Baramulla Army base where the charismatic and handsome Shashi Kapoor was present himself. Not only for work or shootings, famous celebrities often came just to relax in the beautiful surroundings of Kashmir. Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Sonmarg, Achhabal, Yusmarg and The Dal Lake of course
always provided the serenity and refreshing atmosphere one needed to get away from the humdrum of cities like Bombay.
I remember meeting Lata Didi in 1977 when she came on a private visit for relaxation and photography. She even obliged my father to click some exclusive pictures of her which she later autographed for him.
Now I have been living away from J&K for almost 50 years, but my heart still lives there and yearns to visit all those places which enriched my childhood.
Being an artist myself inspired by nature as I saw it in my childhood I have been capturing the flora fauna and the magnificent sceneries in my artworks – the cherry and apple blossoms the tulip garden, saffron and mustard fields, all are ingrained in my mind, heart and soul.
Since the onset of militancy or the time my family was forced out from Kashmir I have visited the valley twice, once in 2012 and again in 2023. The second visit was after the abortion of article 370. The whole Valley was brimming with tourists and it looked like business was back, people felt safe and comfortable moving around even though there was CRPF deployed everywhere….
But the sun has set once again!