Welcoming Spring, Tourism Deptt. holds festival at Zabarwan Park

In a first, different varieties of local bread, traditional bakery put on display, evening rally of illuminated shikaras gives Dal a festive look

SRINAGAR, MARCH 21: The Department of Tourism hosted a Tourism Festival at Zabarwan Park situated on the famous Dal Lake shore here this evening to celebrate the arrival of spring in Kashmir.

The Festival was inaugurated by Secretary Tourism, Sarmad Hafeez, who, on the occasion, said that the idea was to welcome the onset of the spring season and to promote the tourism sector in Kashmir.

A host of activities including cultural performances by versatile local artists were held during the festival but the special attraction of the festival was the display of different varieties of local breads and traditional bakery from all over Kashmir.

Bread varieties, including Nagam bread, Kandhi kulcha, Shopian kulcha, Rajpora shirmal, Bakirkhawani from Baramulla, Rafiabad/ dangiwacha Taktij bread, plain wheat roti, Makai Tchut (Bread from Maize flour), Tomule Tchut(Bread made from rice flour) and Gaieri Tchut(Bread made from Chestnut flour), Kulcha and Bakerkhawani from Charar e Sharief, Lawaasa, Chochwuer, Girda, Kripa, Gaev Tchot, Makai chochwuer besides various types of tea including Nun chai, Kehwa, Sheer chai/Bomai chai and Dodh kehwa were put on display.

Visitors, particularly tourists from outside J&K, exhibited keen interest in the whole range of breads and were seen wanting to know about the process for making these types of breads.

As part of the festival, a shikara rally comprising scores of beautifully illuminated shikaras was taken out in the Dal lake which gave a festive look to the lake.