A charm eclipsed

The Kashmir Government Arts Emporium building located in the area of Residency Road Srinagar has its own tale to tell. The Maharaja had provided one of the most charming houses---an English country house for the British Residency. The most notable Residents Mr. Harrison and Major Wigram have contributed a lot to making the garden worthy of the country and the house. Every successive Resident played his part in giving the garden and house an English touch.

They grew English flowers and made the big lawns as soft and green as any English lawn. It is said that all the English fruits like pears, peaches, apricots, plums, cherries, currants etc., were grown in perfection during Maharaja’s time. The plantation of chestnut and chinar trees added a special charm.

The record of the cycle of birds and flowers would give an idea not only of the beauties of the garden but of the climate of the city. Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, a British Army officer, explorer and writer has also mentioned about the beauty of this garden in his book Kashmir (1909)

It was 1948, when Shiekh Muhammad Abdullah took the reigns of Kashmir, and converted this Resident’s House into Govt Arts Emporium to promote the famous Kashmiri art and craft. To give boost to this hand craft industry, he also established branches of Kashmir Arts Emporium in Delhi and Bombay.

The Handcraft industry got attention of Shiekh Sahab because his father and uncles would also deal in Shawl business. He would love this art and had also empathy for hard working shawlbafs who manufactured these products. It is said that his spouse Begum Abdullah had a good collection of shawls. The small manufacturers would sell their products to government arts emporium and this would make their marketing easy.

Some decades back Government Arts Emporium building suffered extensive damage in a devastating fire but it was due to the efforts of the government and INTACH J&K chapter that the building was restored to its original glory.

It was after a long time, that I availed a chance to visit the Emporium garden to attend a function in connection with the release of Dr. Abdul Ahad’s book “Shawls and Shawlbhafs of Kashmir, legends of unsung heroes”. The venue of the book launch function was the main lawns of the Government Arts Emporium. On reaching, I found a tall building on the right side of the once majestic gate of the emporium.

The building also houses the foreigners registration office. The gate which was once visible at a distance could hardly be seen now unless you reach nearer. One of the lawns on the left flank of the Emporium building, facing river Jehlum, is being used as the parking lot for guests. The lawn looked shabby. The function was organised in main lawn under the shade of few majestic and centuries old heritage chinar trees, which would look like a natural canopy.

The function started with the speech of the author of the book Dr. Abdul Ahad. The speech was followed by a panel discussion on the evolution of manufacturing of the handmade shawls of Kashmir and its global growing demand for its uniqueness and quality.

During the panel discussions, I just closed my eyes for few second and felt like the chirping of migratory birds of Siberia who had to cover a long distance to fly to Kashmir and make the chestnut and chinar trees of Emporium garden their home for some time during fall and winter season. But the sound of mike awakened me, and I found myself and the august gathering staying in the wilderness of the lawn.

There are no flower beds nor any turf but only wild grass. The venue looked not as Emporium garden but an open maidaan. The panellists were discussing the theme of the book but I was writing an elegy on the decay of the majestic Emporium garden, once the centre of attraction for local and foreign tourists who visited this garden with pride.

In the past, many important reception and at-home functions were held by the State governments in this garden. Shiekh Mohammad Abdullah, the then CM, who was not keeping good health attended At-Home function in the lawns of Emporium to celebrate Independence Day on 15^th August 1982. It was his last wish to organise this function in the beautiful lawns of the Emporium garden. After just 24 days, Shiekh Mohammad Abdullah passed away on 9^th September 1982.

I met there, one of my uncle’s friend, an academician, an original inhabitant of Kursu Rajbagh who had come there to attend the function. He also shared his concern about the present status of this garden and left with a bad note. The function concluded with closing speech of Mr. Khurshid Ahmed Ganai, former Advisor to Governor, who impressed upon preserving and maintaining the quality of the Kashmiri handmade shawl.

The erstwhile people’s governments are responsible for defacing the outer premises of Government Arts Emporium by raising huge structures about two decades back. But the departments responsible for maintaining the Govt Arts Emporium and its lawns cannot be excused for such a worst state of affairs so far as maintenance and upkeep of these lawns are concerned. This write up may serve as an appeal to the authorities concerned to restore the past glory of Emporium gardens.

 Ab. Rashid Khan IPS Retd,

Formerly IGP.