How Green was the Vale of Kashmir

Book excerpt: Kashmir, the ultimate tourist destination that attracts millions of adventurers and tourists from all across the world for more than a century, is much more than the well-beaten destinations like Dal Lake, Mughal Gardens, Gulmarg and Pahalgam. The uniqueness of the valley can only be fully appreciated if its mountains, lakes, temperate and alpine forests and its wildlife, which give the valley a special status, are considered in totality with interdependence between one another. This beautifully illustrated book written in real-life storytelling style will captivate the reader as it chronicles a journey spanning at least seven decades in the life of the Valley of Kashmir and its priceless natural bounty. A special feature of the book is that it introduces the reader to the diverse natural wonders of Kashmir with authoritative data and information with relevant colour photographs featuring Kashmir’s: § High-altitude lakes, § Alpine forests and environment, § Wildlife and migratory birds, § Snow-fed streams and trout, § And horticultural produce, to name a few. Ten well-researched chapters on the above topics, including Kashmir’s saffron, capital city Srinagar and its changing scenario and the valley’s agriculture scene with authentic data, shows that the Kashmir of today and 70 years ago are two worlds apart.