Alluring Kashmir through a text-image interface

A new travel book blends photographs and relevant text to present a breathtaking story of Kashmir, its culture and exotic landscapes set against unfamiliar facts, fables and space.

"Alluring Kashmir: The Inner Spirit" by documentary filmmaker Nilosree Biswas with photographs by Irfan Nabi seeks to tell human stories against an awe-inspiring, natural backdrop.

According to Biswas, "Alluring Kashmir: The Inner Spirit" is "essentially a book of beautiful photographs supported by an informative yet a lucid travel narrative, attempting to touch a few vital chords of life's quiet music that plays in the Valley against the backdrop of nature's plentiful wonders".
 

"It is a slice of the traditional and quiet undercurrent of daily life that flows through the sylvan woods and grassy meadows of the Valley, much like its numerous rivers and streams," she adds.

Nabi says the camera equipment kept varying but the stories remained constant.

"The book is a compilation of a narrative interweaving images and text in an attempt to take the reader on a journey of Kashmir, portrayed not only as a beautiful destination but also providing an engaging insight and understanding of the local culture, the people and the travellers to the Valley," he says.

Published by Niyogi Books, "Alluring Kashmir" deals with four broad topics - locations and landscapes; history and architecture; spirituality; and art, craft and culture.

"To a large extent, the concept of 'beautiful Kashmir' has a subtext and a layer of visual and emotional appeal often laced with memories of photographs from family albums and glossy journals as well as the innumerable scenes from Bollywood movies and songs shot at lovely locations in Kashmir for decades," the book says.

"The global visitor gets drawn to Kashmir with a notion of the place being exotic along with bearing the potential for adventure activities - be it skiing, trekking, climbing or rafting. Some know only of the legendary Pashmina shawls; others are aware of the beautiful handicrafts while many others aware of the memorable shikara rides in the Dal Lake and the millions of flowers that lie strewn at one's feet," it says.