In Aga Khan archive there are about 1000+ Kashmir photographs by Prataap Patrose and Rita Sampat, dated to 1983. I went through them looking for KP culture. Idea was to see how the community remembers. Shared them on FB and curated comments. Sharpness of memory was surprising. People, places, even things were identified.
Comment by Vinod Razdan: [Location]Ganpatyar , the small dilapidated house was occupied by Ram Ji , Kashmiri Hindu Baker . The person on the window is late Gopi Nath Raina . The photograph must have been surely taken from the house of Late R C Pandita. [ His family was able to identify]
[Location: Badiyaar bala] Subject name: Krishan Joo Shah [Bai Lal] of Nai Sarak. His family was able to identify.Comment by Meetu Koul: This is Chandra’s house in Ganpatyar and the side of our house is also seen.These houses are in the lane opposite to the Ganpatyar mandir.And this lane leads to the kralkhud area. And the girl visible in the photo is one of their daughters.
Comment by Ramesh Sapru identifying the exact place: Safriyar HABBA KADAL Behind somyar temple
Comment by Shiban Sapru: Name of this pandit is late Ramji, the pujari of Purshyar temple
Comment by Vinod Razdan: This is Habbakadal Chowk after the front line Pandit houses were demolished to widen the road .This photograph seems to be having a commonality with one of the photographs you shared recently. [Girls are in Vishwa Bharti Uniform]
Habba Kadal
Comment by Vinod Razdan: Kharyar , near Kralkhod. At the end , it is the building where Sangeet Niketan was functioning.I know this place brick by brick ; On right hand is the Cycle repair shop who used to repair kerosene stoves too and is below the house of Sahibs . Next shop was a meat shop and the owner was Mohd Akbar . Opposite to them ( to the left of Scooterist ) was the shop of Pandit Janki Nath Koul and popularly known in the city as ” Jaan Military “
Vinod Razdan: This is also Ganesh Ghat, Ganpatyar. On the right side of the Ghat is Ganpatyar Temple Building , upstairs in front and across the road is the house of Braroo’ s , the left tall house is that of Prof.Late R C Pandita and behind it is the house of Nadir’s. [Ower Pandita family was able to identify the house]
Sanjay Raina: This was also the main tempo stand and later a matador stand as the tempo’s faded. The road ahead leading to bhan mohalla onwards to Zaiba kadal, Nawa kadal etc. Many a political speeches were made from this open chowk and I recall 1983 being the election year when Farooq Abdullah sought votes after the demise of his father . He made an infamous remark – oh battas, if you don’t vote for me, I will throw you all in the Dal lake. I was there and heard it! Terrifying.
General Elections for national assembly were coming. Message on banner: Jazba hubul watni aur kashmiriyat se sarshaar abdul rashid kabuli national conference ka parlimani umeed waar hai
Zaina Kadal
Flags: Awami Action Committee of Mirwaiz + red plough of NC. This election Mirwaiz and Shiekh had called truce. These joint flags were put out after that.
Vinod Razdan: This shop was between Kralkhod and Habbakadal near Agahamam lane. Sanjay Raina: Have spent so many of my childhood days on the Kak shops, two of them lined this lane. One Kak sahab had a smaller one and the other was much larger. In the same lane were shops selling wool that would be thronged just before the winter season would set in and also shops selling crystallized sugar and ‘sheeren’
Vinod Razdan: This is at the intersection of Badiyar Bala road and Nai Sarak just near the house of Ghulam Mohd Bhat , popularly known as Gul Raidd . He was initially a traditional rival of Tikka Lal Taploo and was contesting as Independent candidate & later joined NC.
Vinod Razdan: I was just waiting to find that someone will identify this place .In fact this lane was a connecting lane between the two lanes : one Leading to Ganpatyar and another terminating through the milk Shop owned by ” Freich Dedd” .Both lanes led to Nai Sarakon the other end.The projected link between the two houses ( Dabb) is near the house of Prof.M L Wangoo , back side of the houses were those of Vijay Garyali , Sumbli’s etc.
Vinod Razdan: These houses have contributed to the cultural and Religious aspects of the valley besides Education.The person clad in a white Dhoti was a retired Head Master in the Education Deptt .Mr Raina .Though he lived nearby Malyar but he has been caught in the picture . These houses are inside the Mohalla of Ganpatyar .The houses just facing the lane are in fact a cluster of houses owned by Kalla Parivar as there were three more houses behind these two houses owned by them ( Cousins ) .The front one was owned by Late Sh Nand Lal Kalla who was Mannager in Neelam Cinema , Shutra Shahi. The adjacent tall house was of Prof B L Kalla whose Son Sh Siddarth Kalla has been an Engineer in Doordarshan.Father of Prof B L Kalla was Sh Nath Ram Kalla Shastry whose books are still refered by Almanac Publishers of Kashmiri Pandits.The house on right side whose plaster has come off on the outer wall in the picture is that of Late Hira Lal Jattu and the house just opposite to it in the picture is that of late Smt Dhanwati ( she was then a widow ) .The house of Prof Kalla was later purchased by Sh N N Mattoo ( father of Dr Tej Mattoo, a Child Specialist ) who again sold it to a family who came from outside this mohalla and set up a shop in Ganpatyar
Raghunath Temple. Srinagar. 1983.
left: from a postcard by Lambert. Personal collection.
Surindar Koul: This is Sheshyar temple (Habba kadal). The house on right belonged to KP family ‘Channas’ .The house on left belonged to Pt. Nath ji Photographer ( Pioneer studios, Bana mohalla) Vinod Razdan: These Channas had a medical shop at Ganpatyar in Sixties .Perhaps ” Tarak Halwai ” was also nearby. Vijay Vaishnavi: my mother was regular visitor to this temple. We lived near Srikant medical shop near Ogras. Sanjay Raina: Pioneer studios was legendary. Their shop in Banamohalla as well as a shop in Pahalgam. Ashok ji, my real uncle used to run the Pahalgam outlet. What a memorable time that was.A reader shared a photograph from 2021. The houses that have new owners are freshly painted.
9 Replies to “Photo Feature: Kashmir and Pandits in 1983”
Pratap Patrose is a senior of mine from School of planning and Architecture, New Delhi.
This was probably a part of the documentation of River Front done by eminent architect Prof. Ashish Muni Ganju, whose we lost to Covid’s second wave unfortunately.
Prataap Patrose & Rita Sampat wrote a paper in 84…THE IMPACT OF WATERWAYS ON THE GROWTH AND FORM OF THE CITY OF SRINAGAR ( KASHMIR). Would have loved to read Ashish Muni Ganju’s work.
I had forgotten about how extensively I had photographed the area thanks to the access and introduction I got to it by Madhu Pandit whose family home is indeed featured in many of the photos. There are interior photos too off the house which are part of the Aga Khan flu station collection at MIT. Alas my slides all disintegrated over time before I could digitize them.
Thanks to all who have added comments to make it a much richer experience.
This was research Rita and I did on our own as part of a Aga Khan grant while at MIT in summer of 1983.
Thank you so much, you have no idea how happy i am to see my childhood in these pics which was lost. This archive has the only pic of my home which was later burnt by militants.
Pratap Patrose is a senior of mine from School of planning and Architecture, New Delhi.
This was probably a part of the documentation of River Front done by eminent architect Prof. Ashish Muni Ganju, whose we lost to Covid’s second wave unfortunately.
Prataap Patrose & Rita Sampat wrote a paper in 84…THE IMPACT OF WATERWAYS ON THE GROWTH AND FORM OF THE CITY OF SRINAGAR ( KASHMIR). Would have loved to read Ashish Muni Ganju’s work.
Let me see if I can rustle up something.
You may want to look at this meantime:
https://www.mea.gov.in/in-focus-article.htm?19002/ARCHITECTURE+OF+THE+JHELUM+WATE
Also an article by Prof Ganju
https://architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-123817-11
Thank you for the articles. These are absolutely wonderful. Particularly the diagrams of section and ground plan.
I had forgotten about how extensively I had photographed the area thanks to the access and introduction I got to it by Madhu Pandit whose family home is indeed featured in many of the photos. There are interior photos too off the house which are part of the Aga Khan flu station collection at MIT. Alas my slides all disintegrated over time before I could digitize them.
Thanks to all who have added comments to make it a much richer experience.
This was research Rita and I did on our own as part of a Aga Khan grant while at MIT in summer of 1983.
Thank you so much, you have no idea how happy i am to see my childhood in these pics which was lost. This archive has the only pic of my home which was later burnt by militants.
To see allof all these photographs miss my those golden day