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Lure of the lakeThe best way to experience the beauty of Dal Lake and the Zabarwan mountains is over a cup of kahwa,
lounging on the deck of a quaint houseboat, says Amrit Dhillon
No visit to Srinagar is complete without a stay in a houseboat on its famed Dal Lake
T he jewel of Srinagar is Dal Lake and there is no better way of experiencing the serenity and beauty of
the lake than by staying on a houseboat. But the houseboats tend to offer the same sort of
accommodation — old fashioned, clunky walnut furniture, chintzy furnishings, and shabby bathrooms
with dreadful plumbing.
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All very well in an old, colonial-style way but it needed a push. With the opening in April of Sukoon, a
renovated houseboat, the experience has been raised to a new level of comfort and style. Sukoon
boasts several firsts: it is the first luxury houseboat in Kashmir, the first with air conditioning, and the
first with a bio-tank, which treats the wastes instead of pumping them into the lake, like all the other
houseboats, a practice that is gradually destroying the lake.
Its other great feature is the wooden sundeck, where you can enjoy meals and sunbathing. I spent most
of my time on the deck. Beside me was a pot of golden kahwa, the Kashmiri tea made from saffron and
cardamom. In front of me, or rather, all around me, was the 360 view of the lake, the gaily decorated
shikaras gliding past, blue skies, wooded hills and the great Zabarwan mountains, which surround Dal
Lake.
Map by Nilratan Maity. Not to scale.
Sukoon looks like a boutique hotel. Its four rooms and one suite are luxuriously furnished with pine
flooring and modern bathrooms. Yet the owner, Altaf Chapri, has retained features that showcase local
craftsmanship. The carved cedar wood panelling on the walls and ceilings is exquisite. The common
living room is furnished with plush sofas, a flat screen TV, a funky crystal chandelier and hand-woven
Kashmiri carpets.
The front veranda is another cosy spot with views of the lake. You see how life is lived on the waters —
schoolchildren going to school in shikaras, housewives paddling canoes as they go to visit relatives,
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office workers returning home, students paddling with one oar while adjusting their i-pod, groceries
being delivered.....
Kashmir is hugely popular this year. Not having visited for about six years, what struck me was the
standard of living in Srinagar. No slums or dirty shacks. No beggars (the odd one you see is a migrant).
Clean streets. Well-built, modern shops, homes and buildings. Well-fed and well-dressed people. Many
speak some English. The cars on the roads are all smart or newish. In short, none of the poverty and
squalor you see in north India.
The houseboat combines intricate craftsmanship, in its furnishings and design, with modern amenities like air-
conditioning. Pic by Amrit Dhillon.
I felt uplifted by this cleanliness and prosperity. It meant I could spend all my time lazing on the terrace
without feeling guilty. For me, Srinagar is a place to enjoy the natural beauty. For foreigners too, it is
where, on returning from the rigours of trekking in Ladakh, they collapse, exhausted, in a houseboat.
But for the hordes of Indian tourists who were there at the beginning of June, the idea of a holiday was
very different.
It seemed to involve running around everywhere, ticking off the list of sights and trying to buy a shawl
worth Rs 5,000 for Rs 200.
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The common living area aboard Sukoon boasts plush sofas, handwoven Kashmiri carpets and an ornate crystal
chandelier;. Pic by Amrit Dhillon.
Since it was my 16-year-old son's first visit, I took him to the 15th century Jama Masjid in the Old City
with its magnificent courtyard and 370 wooden pillars. Its architecture, as that of other mosques in
Kashmir, is very different in that it has no dome. Instead it has a pagoda-style roof, as do many other
mosques in the city, the one exception being the dome of the Hazratbal shrine which houses a hair of
the Prophet.
I enjoyed the Mughal Gard ens such as Shalimar Bagh but avoided the others because of the tourists .
But I'm glad I drove up the mountains to the ruins of a terraced palace built by Dara Shikoh. The ruins
are pretty but you go for the spectacular views of the valley and Dal Lake.
As I do on every trip to Srinagar, I visited Clermont Houseboats to have tea and French toast on their
magnificent lawn, isolated from the road by majestic chinars, and to say hello to Ramzan, the major
domo who has looked after ambassadors, ministers, diplomats and media barons, alongside hoi polloi
like me, for many a year with, infinite kindness.
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The wooden sundeck is perfect for dining and sunbathing while enjoying picturesque views of the lake and its
surroundings. Pic by Amrit Dhillon.
Unless you want to trek and walk, the best thing to do in Srinagar is relax quietly on the Sukoon terrace
and take as many shikara rides as possible. The shikara ride is the ultimate indulgence and never loses
its magic. The shikaras are designed in such a way that you perforce have to lie back until you are
almost horizontal. This instantly triggers a neuron, ordering your body to relax. Then the magical ride on
the serene Dal Lake begins, through the floating vegetable gardens, through vast expanses of lotus
flowers, little villages, and through tall grasses full of birds and ducks.
My enjoyment was enhanced by the fact that Aftab who, along with Sujith, looks after Sukoon guests,
came along to serve me and my son kahwa and Kashmiri kulchas, a delicious salty shortbread.
Talking of food, I was underwhelmed by the Kashmiri dishes at Sukoon, though the north Indian and
Kerala dishes were good. If you want excellent rogan josh, you have to go to Ahdoos, a famous local
landmark. Food is one of the great pleasures of Srinagar. It has arguably some of the best bakeries in
the country. Even the humble plain cake is softer, more golden in colour and buttery than any I have
tasted in India.
Great food is abundant. A local friend, Farooq Ashai, treated us to tuje — marinated mutton cubes,
skewered and grilled over glowing coals on the street. We ate it in the car, on the way back to Sukoon
one evening. The mutton was chewy but juicy and, when dipped in the cool yoghurt-based chutney and
crunchy radish relish, it hit all the right spots. This place rocks. Go.u
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