During a recent shooting stint in the Valley, Bollywood actor Tom Alter shared an interesting account of his experience on the Boulevard along the Dal Lake. He said, during a personal trip to Kashmir in 2010-11, he had met a local youth on the Boulevard. The youth had asked Tom if he knew Shammi Kapoor. When Tom said yes, the youth told him he wanted to invite Shammi to Kashmir. The youth recalled that the evergreen Bollywood song “Yeh Chand sa Roshan Chehra” from “Kashmir ki Kali” was filmed on Shammi and Sharmila Tagore on his father’s shikara.
Tom said the words of the youth touched him and when he went back to Mumbai, he shared the experience with Shammi, who then was on his deathbed. Tom said Shammi wept when he heard about the shikara, Boulevard and the Dal Lake. He said Shammi told him he would love to visit the Boulevard and the Dal Lake again but was aware that his health would not allow him to do so.
Even as Tom’s encounter with the youth on the Boulevard had reminded Shammi of the golden era when Bollywood would camp in Kashmir amid a blooming tourism season, the road continues to hold a special place in the hearts of tourists and locals.
However, the old timers said the Boulevard had now lost its charm. Well-known tourism player Rauf Tramboo, who heads the Adventure Tour Operators Association Kashmir, said the government first developed Boulevard in the 1970s.
He said he remembered foreign tourist taking a walk on the Boulevard presenting a breathtaking view of the Dal Lake and the Zabarwan mountain range.
“Though the road alongside the Dal Lake existed before, in the 1970s, the then government had decided to develop it on the pattern of broad roads that are found in Europe. The pavement on the Boulevard was then developed and it was sight to see foreign tourists enjoying a walk alongside the tall trees and the Zabarwan. Those days there was not much traffic but now the Boulevard has lost its sheen. There are so many hawkers now who disturb tourists, a lot of traffic and then there is the sight of hotels that do not look good because getting permission for repair work is difficult,” he said.
He said the Boulevard used to be “Bollywood’s darling” and said the government needed to get serious to get its lost glory back.
The Boulevard nevertheless continues to woo tourists, especially the first timers. The road these days remains abuzz with tourists, who can be seen taking selfies, going for shikara rides or dropping by to grab a bite at the ‘Makki Point’. The road also continues to attract anglers and barbequed steak sellers too get busy in the evening hours.
Once a Bollywood ‘darling’, Boulevard now losing sheen
