CURTAIN RAISER | NOSTALGIC KASHMIR: Exhibition of rare photographs to give glimpse of Kashmir’s past

Srinagar: In a bid to give a glimpse of life in Kashmir’s glorious past, a photo exhibition titled Nostalgic Kashmir will begin from Tuesday in city centre Lal Chowk here.

During the exhibition display of rare photographs showcasing Kashmir’s life over a century ago. All the photographs have been collected by a father-son duo from Srinagar, who have a unique photo collection.

In an exclusive conversation with Greater Kashmir, Showkat Rashied Wani, who has been collecting rare photos since the early 90s, said that the photo collection will help visitors travel through the rare moments of Kashmir’s past.

“The photos will provide a unique overlook of its various aspects of life. This is our decades of work that will help everyone to see some rare collections. I, along with my son, Wasim Showkat, have reached out to different corners of the world to collect these photographs and print them over the years. The photos include some rare insights about historical places, art, culture, crafts, people, and religious places,” Wani said.

From the first boys and girls school in Kashmir to the hunting culture during the Dogra period, the unique photographic collection is like time travel.

Wani said that the exhibition would showcase 40 different sections of the photography collection. He said over 800 photographs would showcase Kashmir’s life between 1850 to 1950.

“We want people of Kashmir to see what life has been and how we reached where we are today. It is a great opportunity for our young students and scholars to look into our roots and see how our forefathers lived and how life was in Kashmir a century ago,” he added.

Wani, a retired senior government official, said that he connected to the oldest photo studios, libraries, and online auctions around the world to have this rare collection for people to look at.

“We have displayed a small portion of our overall collection, and everyone is invited. The participation of young students is most welcome. There is no entry fee or anything like that as I am not here to make any profit from the exhibition,” Wani added.

He said that the exhibition will continue for 10 days and it is open to all. The exhibition will be held every day from 1:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Rare photographs of people, places, shrines, temples, trade, and craft will be the main focus.