J-K winter festival aims to attract tourists post-devastating floods

A three-day winter festival organised by the tourism department of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir is attracting people as the arrival of tourists to the state has picked up months after floods devastated the valley.

The state saw a major decrease in number of tourists after September deluge in which hundreds of people were killed and thousands of villages were destroyed. Roads in Srinagar were transformed into stagnant canals strewn with wreckage, trash and dead animals.

However, the tourism department is trying to regain what it lost with its winter event called 'Jashne Chilai-e-Kalan'. Chilai kalan is the coldest 40 day winter period in the northern state that starts from December 21.

The purpose behind organising this winter festival is to let people know that Jammu and Kashmir is back to normalcy.

Various cultural activities are being held during the festival where dancers and musicians perform, comedy and folk theatre acts are showcased and people dress up as snowman to entertain the kids.

A visitor to the event, Majid, said on Tuesday (December 30) that such events will help promote Kashmir's culture and traditions.

"When such events are held, tourists come and witness these things and while they witness these things (culture and traditions), it will be public to them. They will try to go through the things, what we show in the stage dramas, tele-films, they will come to see these things. It will lead to the publicity of the state's product, the Kashmir valley," said Majid.

However, the festival that started on December 29 has garnered much criticism for many say the timing is wrong as the people of Kashmir are yet to recover from the floods aftermath. They call it a waste of money.

Meanwhile, a theatre artist Rayees, said such events would help showcase valley's talent.

"Such events will give a great boost to the tourism industry. Tourists are not aware of such entertainment events. They know that there are no cinema houses. But they don't know that such theatre groups perform here and event management companies hold such events," said Rayees.

The events held during the festival included heritage walk, photography exhibition, painting exhibition, cultural programmes and quiz related to tourism at the Nigeen club.

On the concluding day, the event was shifted to Gulmarg where cultural musical programmes and laser and cracker show will take place.