They couldn’t stop the future, but they did manage to destroy a priceless piece of Kashmir’s past. Reduced to ashes during the Srinagar attack by militants last Wednesday afternoon—hours before the Muzaffarabad bus rolled—were haunting images of the Valley by world-famous French photographer Henri Cartier Bresson, taken 57 years ago. Four days after Tourism Reception Centre (TRC) was burnt down, officials here are still listing the ‘‘treasures’’ that are lost forever. And, topping that list is the original Bresson collection, of frames captured in the 1940s, which were displayed inside the office of the Director General of J-K Tourism on the complex’s first floor. Among the photographs lost is the evocative image of veiled Kashmiri women offering prayers at Hari Parbat Hills in 1948, which soon came to be known as one Bresson’s best ever works. Also lost were other frames shot over the same year in Srinagar, including those of worshippers at Hazratbal and life on the banks of River Jhelum. Says Director General of J-K Tourism, Mohammad Salim Beg: ‘‘These were original works. They were very beautiful. I would look at them daily and wonder how a man could have captured those pictures in such a brilliant way. They were marvellous, now gone forever.’’ Officials say there was no way the pictures could have been saved with flames eating up the wooden structure in minutes. ‘‘They were treasures and rare works,’’ says Jagdish Mehta, art lover and owner Mahatta & Co studio, one of the oldest in the Valley, who had prepared three albums with Bresson frames for the government. ‘‘The pictures were amazing. I’ve never seen anything like them. I would visit TRC often to look at those pictures. Even the albums I did two years back were mind-boggling. I clearly remember a picture of Gulmarg Golf Club shot by some British photographer in 1895-96,’’ says Mehta. Apart from Bresson’s collection, the blaze devoured murals by Kashmiri artist G R Santosh, which depicted the Valley’s folk legend, Heemal Nagrai. ‘‘This was the only mural Santosh made in his life and was displayed in our office,’’ says Beg. Also destroyed were rare manuscripts of books written by British authors in late 1800—housed in the TRC library on the ground floor—and carved copper ware, a famous Kashmiri art form. Many believe the gutted TRC building itself, which showcased Kashmiri tradition and culture, was an aesthetic treat. The famous Kashmiri ceiling Khatambandh lent a unique flavour to the complex, say officials. And despite J-K Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed’s promise to rebuild the complex, the verdict here is its old charm and grandeur are lost forever.
