A HOUSEBOATING EXPERIENCE

 

Travelling has never been my thing! As a person who suffers from major motion sickness since childhood, the travel or “journey” part was never a “fun” experience, rather it is more of an ordeal. However, after many years I decided to challenge myself (and my 68-year old mother) to make a trip to the beautiful valley of Kashmir! There is no doubt about the fact that Kashmir is beautiful – we have been reading about it in school and watching videos (and movies) from the place. But what we experienced was beyond our expectations – the valley was beautiful beyond words! Being blessed with a large no. of Kashmiri friends, I had received a suggestion to spend one night in a “houseboat” on the Dal Lake of Srinagar. So as planned, our tour guide dropped us in the Shikara of the “Nanga Parbat” houseboat – the place which was supposed to be our residence that night.

My mother was initially a little apprehensive of the idea of spending a night in a houseboat. But her doubts all flew out of the window when we entered the houseboat. Luxurious and artistic, the houseboat was no less than a boutique hotel. Made entirely out of walnut wood – an indigenous Kashmiri specialty – that is resistant to insects, pests and rot. The living room itself gave us the feel of a “Shahi” palace dotted with potted plants, tasteful furniture, and massive “jhumars” or chandeliers. The highlight of the living room was a big walnut wood writing desk. We were told that this desk had been used by Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, Netaji Shubhash Chandra Bose, Mohd. Jinnah and many others. The owner had actually bought it at an auction in Kolkata and placed it in this houseboat. The living room led to a vast dining room that was even more beautiful. With a huge, 8-seater dining table under a beautiful, antique chandelier, the room gave the feel of grandeur. There was also a huge almirah behind the table that housed a huge no. of antiques like a gramophone, an old radio, a water filter, smoking pipes, and many such things. There was also a huge collection of old books, dating back to pre-independence era, written mostly in Urdu and Hindi.

The most fascinating part was that every inch of the houseboat floor was carpeted and the entire area was extremely clean and tidy. As we were led to our bedroom by a narrow passage, the caretaker told us that this houseboat was more than 200-years old. The bedroom was also very tastefully decorated with an antique double-bed and one single bed. On the bed were propped some pillows and cushions and covered with a spotlessly clean white kashmiri-handwork bedspread and blankets. Even though the houseboat had an antique look everywhere, it also had modern amenities like a humidifier, geyser, bathtub and wifi connection. The walls of the bedroom were lined with framed pictures and paintings of the past. Even the wall paneling of all the rooms were made of walnut wood and had beautiful carvings of “chinar” of maple leaf, another Kashmiri identifier. Even though the floor underneath us creaked and swayed sometimes, and the fact that one could see water of Dal from all the windows, no one can fathom that they are actually on a boat!

A narrow staircase led to the upper landing of the houseboat, where another bedroom was situated. The terrace gave a beautiful view of the Dal with its lofty shikaras, busy floating markets as well as the city of Srinagar on the other side, especially the expensive property of The Lalit hotel. The terrace had comfortable chairs under huge umbrellas where one could relax and enjoy the evening tea. Food was also provided in the houseboat on demand i.e. they will make anything you ask for (veg and non-veg) but the taste will be completely like “ghar ka khana”. Dinner was also a grand affair as both of us ladies were served by the owner’s apprentice himself! After dinner, we set to tuck in for the night, we were asked about our requirements for the night as well as the breakfast.

As we departed from the houseboat next morning on a shikara, we left with a final impression that a trip to Kashmir is incomplete with a houseboat stay. And for Kashmir, the words of the Mughal emperor Jehangir “Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast” (If there is a heaven on earth, it’s here, it’s here…) are indeed true!!