Down the Memory Lane on The Bund

Can the much needed redevelopment of the Bund rejuvenate its glorious past?

The Bund is memory lane

Srinagar: The Bund on the river Jhelum as it flows through Srinagar has always had a special place in the city’s life. After years of gradual decay, it is now being revived by the government of Jammu and Kashmir.

Gardens, paths and concrete embankments sloping to the Jhelum are taking shape. In years gone by, the most famous thing about the Bund was that it used to be a grand promenade, particularly for foreigners. Since militancy began, tourists began to keep away. Instead, encroachments crept up and some stretches became garbage dumps or safe havens for dogs. Residents along the once grand walkway, many of them boatmen with houseboats on the river, erected tin sheds and illegal hutments.

All the way from Zero Bridge to Amira Kadal, tiny beauty parlours and tailor shops have come up where the cool breezes of the river once fanned finely dressed officers and gentlemen. No wonder Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, who owns a shop nearby, is sadly nostalgic. He speaks of evocative stories about the Bund, adding that it was famous all over the world for its marvelous beauty, the fragrance of its flowers and the crystal clear water of the Jehlum. He says: “Cycles were not allowed on the Bund but now, even horses find a place on it.” His memory evidently as fresh as the morning dew, Qureshi evokes the past as he sits alone in his shop, M.S & Sons, a store for fishing goods which was established in 1880 by his grandfather. “Foreigners’ first preference was the Bund,” he says. “From 8 am to 11 am, foreigners used to walk down the Bund to shop for Kashmir’s unique shawls, papier machie handicrafts and other goods from shops like Asian Crafts, once a famous household name.” He looks sullen by he turns to the present condition of the Bund. “The flavour of scent was everywhere and the hustle bustle of foreigners. That is gone.” He says he hopes the Government is going to construct parks on the banks of the river, which may revive the Bund’s beauty.

The Bund lost its sheen soon after 1953, he asserts. Cleanliness gave way after that to dogs, horses, cows, beggars and now even rag-pickers, adds Ghulam Mohammad, a retired Government employee.

Pointing towards the Bund, he says: “Police used to fine the peopleviolating the norms of Bund but now everyone is defining his own will.” Buildings above a certain height were not allowed, adds another old-timer, Ali Mohammed. Now, he says, the architects lack the planning, order and aesthetics of an earlier generation.

The Pastonjeebuildings were famous, he adds. And the leading stores of the time were Mahad Joo, Mahatta, the photographer and the original Asian Crafts. Mohammad Shafi seems to speak for all those who pine for a return of the old glory of the Bund when he says the current development of the Bund might allow future generations too to know what the Bund once was.

(The Daily Etalaat)