Dal wakes up to Gujarati thali, masala dosa

If there was no Dal lake and the summer wasn8217;t so pleasant, Boulevard Road would look like any other market street in Delhi, Mumbai or ...

If there was no Dal lake and the summer wasn8217;t so pleasant, Boulevard Road would look like any other market street in Delhi, Mumbai or even Ahmedabad.

At Kashmir8217;s main tourist point, signboards on boats at the Dal8217;s entrance are in Gujarati and vegetarian dhabas and their thalis are slowly crowding out Wazwan, the mutton delicacy.

After the guns, it8217;s tourism talking in the Valley.

In the first month of the season, officials say domestic tourists are streaming in first8212;after 15 years. Over 10 lakh tourists are expected in the Valley this year and there is 100 per cent advance booking for hotels and houseboats, say tourism officials.

And probably, the best place to catch the good news is on the menu cards of restaurants and the wide smiles on the faces of their owners. On the platter: Gujarati thali, South Indian masala dosa and Punjab8217;s dal makhni.

8216;8216;Most of my customers are from Punjab and my sales have increased since I changed my signboard to Hindi,8217;8217; says Avtar Singh of Punjabi Rasoi, a vegetarian dhaba on the banks of Dal.

Singh says it gives the tourists a feeling of belonging. 8216;8216;They feel that they are at their own place,8217;8217; he says.

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8216;8216;I was delighted to see our thali being sold here,8217;8217; says Shankar Singh, a 48-year-old Gujarati tourist on Boulevard Road. 8216;8216;This is my third trip to Kashmir and unlike the past it is easy to find the food of my choice this time.8217;8217;

Mumbai businessman Ramesh Kanitkar is now sure that 8216;8216;Kashmir would be my preferred destination in future8217;8217;.

8216;8216;Earlier, I had made up my mind to visit Kashmir many times but my friends advised me against it. Now as I am here, I would like everyone to visit the place,8217;8217; says Kanitkar. Another interesting off-shoot of this pan-Indian flavour is that more and more Kashmiris are waking up to vegetarian thalis.

8216;8216;It vegetarian food is picking up here too,8217;8217; says the owner of Modern Vegetarian Dhaba. 8216;8216;Everyday, scores of Kashmiris come to my place to taste vegetarian food. Dosa and dal makhni is a favourite among local youth.8217;8217;

Bashaarat Masood

Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. Expertise and Experience Two Decades of Frontline Reporting: Bashaarat has spent 20 years documenting the evolution of Kashmir, from high-intensity conflict and political shifts to socio-economic development. Award-Winning Investigative Journalism: He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2012). This honor was bestowed for his reporting on the Pathribal fake encounter, a series of stories that highlighted his ability to handle sensitive human rights and security issues with investigative rigor. Specialized Beats: His authoritative coverage spans: Political Transitions: Tracking the shift from statehood to Union Territory, electoral dynamics, and the pulse of local governance. Security & Conflict: Providing nuanced reporting on counter-insurgency, civil liberties, and the impact of the conflict on the civilian population. Development: Documenting the infrastructure, healthcare, and educational landscape within the Valley. Academic Background: He holds a Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir, providing him with a localized academic and professional foundation that is rare in regional reporting. ... Read More