What is "classic Kashmir"? There can be no one answer to the question. For ghazal writer, Maqbool Sajid, it is a land, where "corpses are strewn unattended upon paths" and "homes upon homes, have fallen". In ALLURING KASHMIR: THE INNER SPIRIT (Niyogi, Rs 1,995) Nilosree Biswas and Irfan Nabi present their interpretations of "classic Kashmir". For Nabi, Kashmir evokes the beauty of and music in the rustle of dry Chinar leaves breaking under feet. His enchantment is evident in the image of the autumnal foliage of Chinar in Nishat Bagh (Right). For Biswas, Kashmir resembles a "trinket box" containing natural splendour as well as the "quiet undercurrent of daily life". The magical patterns created by stained glass in Dastgeer Sahib echoes Biswas's view. But such romanticization has led to cliched representations. Is it not time to look at Kashmir with newer, discerning eyes?
