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Irshad Khan showing lotus stems he has extracted from the Anchar Lake (Pics: Basit zargar)

Irshad Khan extracts lotus stems from freezing lake waters for living

Uber Shikar parked on the Ghat of Dal Lake in Srinagar (Story and pics by Basit zargar)

Book a Shikara ride on Kashmir's Dal lake through Uber

Sania Zehra (All pics by Basit Zargar)

Sania Zehra is the honey Queen of Kashmir

Basit-Zargar

Chinar Book festival draws students, bibliophiles to Kashmir

Basit Zargar/ Srinagar The third edition of the nine-day Chinar Book Festival opened in Srinagar on Saturday with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurating the event and calling for a stronger reading culture among young people in Jammu and Kashmir. On the inaugural day, many books including An Indian Muslim Speaks by noted scholar and public intellectual Dr. Hafeezur Rahman, who is also convenor of the Khusro Foundation, were re...

Chinar Book festival draws students, bibliophiles to Kashmir

Basit Zargar/ Srinagar The third edition of the nine-day Chinar Book Festival opened in Srinagar on Saturday with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurating the event and calling for a stronger reading culture among young people in Jammu and Kashmir. On the inaugural day, many books including An Indian Muslim Speaks by noted scholar and public intellectual Dr. Hafeezur Rahman, who is also convenor of the Khusro Foundation, were re...

Lavender cultivation brings in prosperity to J&K farmers

Basit Zargar/Anantnag Farmers across Jammu and Kashmir have seen their annual incomes skyrocket from approximately Rs. 40,000–60,000 to Rs. 3,50,000–6,000,000 per hectare through the purple revolution, the cultivation of Lavender. Lavender production involves cultivating the hardy perennial herb primarily for its premium essential oil, used globally in cosmetics, aromatherapy, and pharmaceuticals. Bulgaria is the world'...

Kashmiris return in hordes to revere the Goddess at Kheer Bhawani shrine

Basit Zargar/Tulla Mulla (Kashmir) As thousands of Kashmiri Pandits from different parts of India have converged at the shrine of Mata Kheer Bhawani in Tuamulla village of Ganderbal in north Kashmir for the annual festival of Jyeshtha Ashtami, the Chinar-studded shrine has turned into a symbol of the community’s resilience and bond with their land and culture. Jyeshtha Ashtami, the eighth day of the Samvat Calendar’s t...

Floating Yoga by sportspersons in Srinagar sets mood for IYD 2026

Basit Zargar/Srinagar Ahead of the International Yoga Day (June 21), a group of watersports enthusiasts practiced yoga on floating platforms in Pokhribal, a water channel that helps in draining the waters of the Dal Lake in Srinagar. For the onlookers the scene of young people doing Yoga asnas in the water and on platforms in the fresh morning air, the calm waters surrounded by greenery, and Mountain View as a backdrop was fascin...

Srinagar: leaders, civil society members protest against PoJK killings

Basit Zargar/Srinagar The Association of Terror Victims Kashmir (ATVK), led by its Chairperson Tasleema Akhter, staged a protest at Lal Chowk and the UNO office in Sonwar on Thursday, demanding justice for civilians reportedly killed in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The protesters expressed concern over the deaths of innocent civilians in areas including Rawalakot and condemned the alleged use of force against demon...

Paddy sowing picks up and brings joy to rural Kashmir

Srinagar The paddy sowing season has gathered pace across the Kashmir Valley, with farmers working tirelessly in waterlogged fields to complete transplantation ahead of the peak season. From the fertile plains of Budgam and Pulwama to the paddy-growing belts of Anantnag and Bandipora, vast stretches of agricultural land have turned green as cultivators begin one of the most important farming activities of the year. Agriculture rema...

Srinagar markets come alive with Eid shoppers

Basit Zargar/Srinagar Markets across Srinagar are witnessing a massive rush of shoppers ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, with commercial hubs packed from morning till late evening as people make final preparations for the festival. Busy marketplaces including Lal Chowk, Residency Road, Nowhatta, Goni Khan and Maharaj Gunj remained crowded throughout the day as families thronged shops to purchase clothes, footwear, bakery items, accessories and sa...

Villagers in Kashmir clean the river with fish festival

Basit Zargar/Srinagar Carrying shallow wicker baskets in their hands, hundreds of villagers from Panzath village got into action as part of the annual village festival that promotes community's inviolvement in environmental protection in the Panzath village in Qazigund, south Kashmir. They removed the silt, solid waste and also caught fish in the process to make it a fun exercise. By the end of the day, the spring Panzath Naag...

Kashmir: Tanzeela seeks to revive environmentally sustainable Waggu weaving

Basit Zargar/Srinagar In a quiet corner of Srinagar, where traditional crafts are steadily giving way to modern alternatives, a young woman is working tirelessly to preserve a fading legacy. Tanzeela, a postgraduate student, has taken it upon herself to continue her late father’s traditional waggu weaving craft, balancing her studies with long hours of meticulous handwork to keep the family tradition alive. Waggu, ...

Jammu-Srinagar Namo Bharat draws enthusiastic response

Basit Zargar/Srinagar Boosting connectivity between Kashmir and rest of the mainland, the newly launched Jammu–Srinagar Vande Bharat Express is witnessing an enthusiastic public response, with 8,925 passengers travelling on the route within the first two days of its operation, officials said. Passengers at Srinagar Railway Station Railway authorities note that the semi-high-speed train is running with high occupancy, reflecti...

Temple reopening in Kashmir on Eid-Navami heralds return of peace

Basit Zargar/Srinagar The 170-year-old temple in Srinagar reopened after it remained closed for 36 years due to the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in the wake of Pakistan-inspired terrorism.The Shri Raghunathji Mandir, located in downtown Srinagar, had been refurbished and was reopened with pomp and ceremony, accompanied by devotion, on the occasion of Ram Navami. Today, it once again resonates with the sounds of bells, prayers a...

Snowfall springs hope of tourism revival in Kashmir

Basit Zargar/Gulmarg Snowfall in Kashmir Valley has revived the hopes of tourism getting back on the rails. This is eight months after the terrorist attack in Baisaran Valley of South Kashmir in which 22 tourists were killed at point blank led to the the tourists leaving Kashmir right at the beginning of the tourist season. The ski resort of Gulmarg is once again emerging as a symbol of renewed hope, as tourists in large numbers ...

711 Agniveers join Army after impressive POP at Srinagar

Basit Zargar/Srinagar In a display of military precision and discipline, 711 newly recruited Agniveers of the Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) were inducted into the Army at an impressive passing-out parade held at the JAKLI Regimental Centre in Srinagar. Emotional parents with their Agniveer son after the Passing out Parade The parade, marked by synchronised drill movements and ceremonial traditions, drew widesp...

Gulmarg turns into enchanting winter resort with first snowfall

Basit Zargar/Gulmarg Gulmarg, a winter resort in north Kashmir, has turned into a breathtaking white wonderland after the recent heavy snowfall, the first one of the season. This picturesque hill station is now completely covered with a thick layer of soft snow, and it’s attracting tourists from India and abroad. Tourists in Gulmarg This is the first snowfall of this season, clearly signaling the grand arrival ...

Young Kashmiris flock to Chinar Book Festival on the Dal Lake

Basit Zargar/Srinagar The picturesque lawns of SKICC on the banks of Dal Lake turned into a literary paradise on Saturday as the Chinar Book Festival 2025 began with great enthusiasm. Inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the Nine-day festival is being hailed as a major step towards promoting reading habits, creativity, and knowledge among students and youth in Jammu ...

Yusuf Muran carves masterpieces out of deadwood in silence

Basit Zargar/Srinagar Mohammad Yusuf Muran remains busy from dawn to dusk, chiselling wood-carved masterpieces. Muran, 58, who hails from Srinagar Downtown, was born deaf and dumb. However, his handicap never came in the way of his learning the traditional art of wood carving. He started learning the art of wood carving from his elder brother, who is also deaf and mute, at the age of four. Muran has created a replica of the ...

Religious fervour, service and national security enliven Amarnath pilgrimage

Photo Story by Basit Zargar The hills of Pahalgam-Baltal resonated with the slogans of Har Har Mahadev and Bam Bom Bhole, as the pilgrims filled with devotion, and enthusiastic local service providers set out on the arduous 35-km pilgrimage to the Cave of Lord Shiva at Amarnath for annual pilgrimage. The combination of devotion and service and the hawk-like vigil of the security forces against terrorists trying to sneak in to disrupt w...

Dutch woman’s lonely mission to cleanse Dal Lake

Basit Zargar/Srinagar As dawn breaks over the still waters of Dal Lake, casting a golden hue across its misty surface, a small boat gently slices through the quiet. At the helm sits a woman in her wide-brimmed hat, rowing with steady determination. Her name is Ellis Hubertina Spaaanderman, a 69-year-old Dutch national who has, for the past five years, taken it upon herself to clean the plastic waste choking Srinagar’s most iconic...

Kheer Bhawani temple festival brings Kashmiri Pandits back to the Valley

Basit Zargar/Tulmula(Kashmir) Six weeks after terrorists fled Kashmir in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits gathered at Tulmulla in central Kashmir on Jyeshtha Ashtami at the Kheer Bhawani temple. Devotees offering milk to the Goddess at Kheer Bhawani The ancient temple located in the Ganderbal district’s Tulamulla village is the venue of the annual Kheer Bhawani Mela, and symbolizes Kashm...

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