The Venice of Srinagar!
I have travelled to Venice quite a few times and gone for a Gondola ride on the Grand Canal. I would always wonder how close the water was to the old mansions there and how beautiful they looked with the soft waves of water splashing noiselessly against those centuries-old homes.
Little did I know that we have something more alluring in our own homeland. Last month, I was in Srinagar and staying in a hotel on the banks of Nigeen Lake. That is the locality called Rainawari. Having grown up in a different part of Srinagar, I had never been on this side. Of course, I would often hear from my parents about the backwaters of Rainawari, and how people in the olden days would use these canals to commute. Water transport was one of the most convenient modes of transport in the old city, thanks to Kashmir’s 15th-century ruler — Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin Badshah who got these canals built. The Nallamaer canal was the biggest blessing bestowed upon the city by him. Of course, with advancements in time, wide roads replaced the waterways. So, was this canal, which was also known as Maer.
There was a boatman available at the hotel who one evening took me on a ride in Nigeen. “Do you think we can go to the Rainawari backwaters from here?”, I asked him. “Certainly”, he said with a smile. So, we agreed to start at dawn the next morning. We would visit the floating vegetable first and thereafter go and see life in Rainawari along its main canal.
The canal that connects Dal Lake to Nigeen is called Naidyar. As we moved silently through the water, the sun was rising behind the Zabarwan mountain. We had just finished watching the vegetable sellers wrap up their morning deals at a point where all of them had converged. I settled down comfortably with a hot cup of Kehwa (a local green tea), which was innovatively garnished with rose petals and some other herbs too. Not bad I thought after taking the first sip. I was quite apprehensive at the outset as we do not embellish our cuppa beyond cardamom and a few slivers of almonds. The boat made its way through the water most of which was beautifully covered in water lilies and their leaves. It was still too early in the day for the flowers to bloom.
On both sides of the canal were some regal houses made in the old Kashmiri style — of thin clay bricks and wood. Many of these vintage houses were grand and towering over the water with one or more Dubb (a covered balcony so typical of old Kashmiri houses) overlooking the water. One could see how classily and tastefully people in Srinagar had built their homes then, some more than a century back.
What was coming up in their place was an ugly concrete monstrosity. Some houses were just “houses” now, with the owners probably having left Kashmir for good. But it was not difficult to paint a picture of how big and jovial families would have once been the life of these homes. How the men and children would have taken boats to work or to school, mothers would have finished cooking the freshest vegetables from the Dal and then probably sat in their balconies or on windowsills for a round of gossip with the neighbours.
Just as I was reminiscing, I saw a flower-laden boat, silently making its way towards me. The flower seller was a chirpy young man who knew how to make an instant connection with a stranger. His tawny skin made it obvious that he spent most time of his day rowing his boat under the sun. He sold fresh flowers that are grown in the floating gardens of these lakes. Especially, the pink lotus. He also had little packets of seeds of some exotic flowers that grow locally. Although very good with his spiel, I had to decline his offer as most of the variety he was selling would not grow in the Indian plains. After some minutes of cheerful banter, we bid goodbye. But not before he handed over a lovely Pamposh (lotus in Kashmiri) to me!
I saw temples and mosques not far from the banks. The boatman pointed to a beautiful Shiva temple on my left, right on the waterfront. It had a staircase from the water leading to it. I didn’t even have to shut my eyes to see the picture of Pandit men and women in their Pherans (a very loose and warm over-garment worn by Kashmiris in winter), walking down these steps at dawn for ablution and offering prayers to the Sun God. I asked the boatman if we could halt here briefly so that I could pay a quick visit to the temple. He was more than happy to do so, but as soon as we reached the steps, we noticed that the gates were locked. Maybe I should try from the roadside later sometime, he said. The place was called Jogi Lankar.
Dal and Nigeen lakes are very popular for the Nadur or the lotus stem/lotus root that is harvested from them. Out of all the lakes in Srinagar, these are the best. Nadur forms a part of the staple diet of Kashmiris. It is usually cooked along with meat, fish, or vegetables like kohl rabi and turnip. Often, as a standalone dish too.
We sailed under quite a few bridges, some new and some old made with bricks and wood. The business continues to happen around these places. I crossed a small factory that made the famous Pashmina shawls and a few rows of shops that were still closed. A trader was ferrying sheep in a boat. There were Kotarbaaz (pigeon-keepers) tending to their pigeons with a long barge pole. And a lone young man here and there, patiently sitting on a jetty, fishing. It was a little past 7 am and the neighbourhood was slowly coming to life. I could see a few ladies working in the kitchen with neatly arranged shining pots and pans, as our shikara crossed from under its window.
It was time to head back to the hotel for a nice breakfast. The boatman, knowing the Kashmiris’ love for the local bread, asked me if I would like to get some. He quickly hopped onto the bank and disappeared between the houses, to reach the Kandur or the local baker. He was back in no time, with a bag full of Girda, which is a kind of flat round bread, baked in a clay tandoor (oven). It tastes best smeared with butter and a hot cup of chai (tea)!
Unfortunately, the water of the lakes in Srinagar s is getting heavily polluted with sewerage and other waste from the houses around it and the houseboats standing in them. I have seen some houseboats using a sustainable bio-waste management system in the toilets, but it is rare and voluntary. There needs to be an intensive and effective mechanism in place to handle the bio-waste from these neighbourhoods, or else we would soon lose these water bodies which are the soul of Srinagar.
For any further info/feedback, please write to me at namratawakhloo@gmail.com
