The evenings in Lal Chowk once upon a time used to be great…the breeze from the Jhelum whipping across the faces of walkers was an awesome experience but terrible things happened but it seems that happy days are back again!
Three men, two of them Generals, General Upendra Diwedi (Thum’s up dew), General Devendra (Dev Pandey) and IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar (A good stick thin slim man Vijju) decided to tale a stroll in the expansive Lal Chowk square, could be compared to Trafalgar square London. It wasn’t the case a few years back but now it will be!’ Definitely for sure!’
Trafalgar Square is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, established in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. The Square’s name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars over France and Spain that took place on 21 October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar. The site around Trafalgar Square had been a significant landmark since the 1200s. For centuries, distances measured from Charing Cross have served as location markers. The site of the present square formerly contained the elaborately designed, enclosed courtyard, King’s Mews. After George IV moved the mews to Buckingham Palace, the area was redeveloped by John Nash, but progress was slow after his death, and the square did not open until 1844. The 169-foot (52 m) Nelson’s Column at its centre is guarded by four lion statues. A number of commemorative statues and sculptures occupy the square, but the Fourth Plinth, left empty since 1840, has been host to contemporary art since 1999.’
“Similarly Lal Chowk square has some great buildings and splendid architecture but the horrible and terrible times of the last three decades reduced the same to rubble but now its time to rebuld and I think the stroll by the unformed men was beginning of a new history!’
“Srinagar is a medieval city dying in a modern war declared by the terrorists. It had empty streets, locked shops, angry soldiers and boys with stones. The boys had been misguided all the way. They were being paid to throw stones and create disturbances. The foolish heroics had to end somewhere. They did. Now no more curfew nights. The comfort zone would be soon back, it’s just the patience that matters’
‘Someone said that a guest is always the guest … he can never be the host’! Yes Kashmiris are wonderful hosts. It’s time that they begin realizing that the entire India is a wonderful host! Had it not been the case trust me I would not have been doing this story’!
’I am doing this story because the shadows of the Chinars are lengthening in all possible directions, the shades are multiplying and the leaves are getting broader because the kids are on the move and the best thing is they are getting onto one step 3of the ladder at time’! There is no hurry because patience pays!
‘The Red square was given its name by left-wing activists who were inspired by the Russian Revolution as they fought the princely state’s Maharaja, Hari Singh. It has traditionally served as a place for political meetings, with Jawaharlal Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah (the first prime ministers of India and Jammu and Kashmir, respectively) as well as other prominent political leaders having addressed people from it. The clock tower at Lal Chowk was built in 1980.’
‘The Lal Chowk precinct stretches on both the sides of the Residency Road between the Amira Kadal bridge and the Tyndale Biscoe School. It has evolved into Srinagar’s main business district since the early twentieth century. The Lal Chowk itself is a traffic roundabout towards its eastern end. It houses a clock tower (ghanta ghar) constructed by Bajaj Electricals in 1980.’
Army Cdr NC Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi with GOC Chinar Corps Lt Gen DP Pandey along with IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar and officers of Indian Army and J&K Police at LalChowk, Srinagar during evening hours. They interacted with some locals & street vendors on the ground. Yes they were trying to change the history
Remember in 1990 separatists had dared anyone to try and raise the flag of India at Lal Chowk. The National Security Guards took up the challenge and raised the flag. The clock tower gained political significance in 1992, when the then Bharatiya Janata Party president, Murli Manohar Joshi, hoisted the Indian flag on top of the tower on Republic Day.
Joshi hoisted the flag in the company of Indian troops. Since then, the Indian Border Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force undertook the hoisting ceremony until 2009, when they announced that continuing the ritual was unnecessary because the tower “had no political significance. Following this, official ceremonies were held at the nearby Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar on Republic Day and Independence Day.
Finally I will say that the walk was great but hope the Regal and Palladium days come back where I saw movies like Sashi Kapoor, ‘Choio Mera Kaam’ Dharmendra’s ‘Kahani Kismat Ki’, Amitabh Bachhan’s Deewar, Devanand’s Amir Garib and Mithun Charvarty’s ‘Aasat Se Majiboor’! Hopefully those days will be back and they will be! Hope my childhood mate, now in Bangalore Romela, will be reading this!
Kashmir is not just a place but an emotion that every person wants to experience. The surreal beauty of this gorgeous paradise has been defined by several poets, authors and philosophers. The beauty of the Kashmir Valley is beyond description but yet many celebrities have tried to quote the beauty of Kashmir in words. With the gushing rivers, shiny waterfalls, picturesque surroundings and the lush green forests ,it has always appealed to tourists despite many Kashmir issues. Amir Khusro’s famous quote on Kashmir ; Gar Bar-ru-e-ZaminAst; Hamin Ast, Hamin Ast Hamin Ast.” has justified the splendor of this place in the most perfect way. Many quotes on Kashmir beauty and many quotes on Kashmir issues have been written that suggest how people feel about this stunning destination. Here below are some emotional and popular quotes on Kashmir that portray the exact picture of this destination. The men taking the stroll must have felt the pulse of the people! They want all those things back that once existed! No more curfew nights as it is time to rejoice!
